The nation’s best tight end corps could very well reside in Berkeley.
Cal’s Dorian Thomas, Mason Mini and Taimane Purcell lead a three-headed monster, while depth pieces like Rico Walker and John Tofi Jr. only add to the embarrassment of riches.
Of course, the Golden Bears aren’t interested in labels. But, man, no one can deny that the unit led by position coach Steve Haunga, with support from renaissance Bear Mike Saffell, looks elite.
“Certainly don't want to put a national ranking on anything until we go out there,” Saffell told Bear Insider. “But extremely high on that room. Obviously, Coach Steve Haunga has done an unbelievable job recruiting and getting that room to where it needs to be, a super detail-oriented crew. …
“So really excited about where the room is and where it could go. Obviously, got to have a great fall camp and all that, but really exciting, and more so, they're all Cal guys — detail-oriented, care about school, want to do great in all phases of life.”
New offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville, coming from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has the chance to run some serious 13 personnel in his first offense.
Let’s get into the players who can make various packages possible.
Dorian Thomas:
At 6’4” and 255 pounds, Thomas was one of new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi’s marquee recruiting wins during the last transfer portal cycle. After barely seeing the field over two years at Arizona, he broke out as a redshirt sophomore at New Mexico in 2025, collecting 560 yards and four touchdowns — with zero drops — on 56 receptions and 10 yards per catch.
A high school basketball player, Thomas offers quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele a large catch radius and good odds for 50-50 balls, two tough attributes for defenses, especially as Thomas can line up alongside tackles or wideouts.
“We’re going to make some noise this year,” Thomas said.
It sure sounds like it.
It’s worth mentioning that in the spring, Thomas and the staff talked about his room for growth in run blocking. Whether that aspect of his game has been addressed will remain unknown until the lights are bright.
What we do know about Thomas, though, is that he rises to the occasion. Thomas made 10 catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns at Michigan last year, for example.
“That first game against Michigan … I was told I wouldn't be back playing Power Four ball,” Thomas said. “I kind of had that chip on my shoulder the whole season just to prove everybody wrong.”
Thomas bets on himself, and Cal bet on him.
A match made in heaven, and a creation from hell for defenses.
“We have more guys here for sure, which is going to probably make it easier for me, if I'm being honest — not getting triple-teamed every game and stuff like that,” Thomas said, shouting out Cal’s new wide receivers and running backs. “Even our tight ends, we can go 13 personnel and all run deeps.
“So, I feel like my game could still be the same (as with New Mexico), but it's going to have to change up a little bit too.”
Mason Mini:
The Pacifica native is one of the Golden Bears’ key returners after making 35 receptions for 387 yards and four touchdowns over his first year in Berkeley.
Mini has been one of Sagapolutele’s go-to targets from the jump, catching the southpaw’s first-ever touchdown pass at Oregon State in 2025. The redshirt junior looks forward to keeping what they have going.
“Me and [Sagapolutele], we arrived here at the same time last spring, and we built a connection ever since then,” Mini said. “So, with him being a true freshman last year and going into the sophomore year, it's just more reps under his belt. He's going to be an even better quarterback this year, and he'll get the ball wherever you need it.”
Mini, 6’4” and 245 pounds, is athletic in both the run and the pass game and possesses that big-play ability, like against Boston College.
To better understand Somerville’s system, Mini told Bear Insider he’s been watching plenty of film on the Buccaneers and their tight end, Cade Otton, who made 59 receptions for 572 yards and a touchdown for Tampa Bay a season ago.
Mini is eager to show what his unit can do when the season starts in nine days.
“Got a lot of great weapons in the tight end room,” Mini said. “With this pro-style offense, you got to have those guys. I think it’s going to be great, especially with those mismatches when we’re in those 12-personnel sets.
”It’s going to open up a lot of stuff for us.”
Taimane Purcell:
Purcell is a name that even the biggest diehard college football fans and analysts probably haven’t heard of … because he hasn’t played in a single game yet.
But ask anyone in Cal’s program about the quiet true freshman from Hawaii, and they’ll tell you — Purcell is a future pro.
“He’s flashing a lot,” Haunga said. “Really proud of the way he’s progressing.”
Purcell is 6’4” and 245 pounds out of Kamehameha Kapalama High School in Aiea, HI. He enters his first season in Berkeley with a presence reminiscent of legendary Cal tight end Tony Gonzalez, from his pass-catching ability and intangibles to his always-upright posture.
“You’re used to a certain caliber and standard as far as what you’re recruiting,” Lupoi said in Cal’s “Inside Fall Camp” series. “Taimane is someone that no doubt I would’ve been recruiting at the last place I was at and any place I coached at.
“Strong character, focused individual. We’re seeing that on the field right now with his development and the direction it’s heading.”
He caught 16 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns during his final prep campaign. Purcell seems capable of producing those numbers for the Golden Bears yesterday.
“The transition from high school to college (and) Berkeley — all the boys over here made it really easy,” Purcell said. “Our tight end room is very close-knit. Everybody wants the best for each other, and we're all making each other better every day — getting on the jugs, watching film, just getting extra work with each other. We're all sharpening each other.”
Purcell admitted to Bear Insider that he isn’t the most “talkative,” so he doesn’t waste words when emphasizing the tight end room’s camaraderie.
He also means it when he says the unit can “definitely” be the nation’s best.
“I made the right call,” Purcell said of choosing Cal. “The (Polynesian) culture over here, it's definitely a big part of the program. Just being able to hang around those guys — have a little bit of home up here — definitely helps. And the degree.
“But even if you take out the degree, I feel like I made the right choice … All the coaches are very welcoming, like, they just keep it very real with you.”
Cal made the right call with Purcell, too, and the freshman should be in for a big season.
John Tofi Jr.:
You know what it is with Tofi Jr.
The redshirt freshman switched positions, from linebacker to tight end. He played key snaps last season, making his first start in Cal’s win over No. 25 SMU, when options were limited. He holds youth camps with his siblings in the Northern California community that raised him.
Tofi is, as Saffell said, one of those “Cal guys” who helps the Golden Bears and his people however he can.
The aforementioned trio of tight ends will likely garner much of the attention throughout the 2026 season.
But when Tofi is out there, you can guarantee that he’ll give his 110% and know what he’s doing, particularly as a blocker, which is exactly what you want from an up-and-comer in a crowded room.
Rico Walker:
Walker was one of the Golden Bears’ under-the-radar pick-ups during the last portal cycle.
He saw limited action as a junior at Purdue, recording nine receptions for 100 yards, and shapes up to be a depth piece after the big three.
Sosaia Noa:
Seemingly a rarity in college football nowadays, Noa is a true freshman who signed with Cal’s 2026 high school recruiting class.
At 6’3” and 225 pounds, Noa comes to Cal after playing tight end and edge for Grant Union High School in Sacramento.
He has popped in practice due to his athleticism for his size. Noa is someone to keep tabs on from a developmental perspective, as he has the opportunity to watch and learn from the big names playing his position and from the offense itself.
It’s more likely that 2027 and beyond is Noa’s time to shine.
Michael Cooley:
The redshirt junior hasn’t seen any playing time yet.
But with his 6’7” frame, perhaps Cooley could be valuable on special teams — or on defense with Mark Madsen’s bunch at Haas Pavilion.
Jack Olyphant:
A redshirt sophomore, Olyphant is another depth piece.
Olyphant appeared in one game in 2025 but could maybe see increased action due to his two-way experience from St. Vincent de Paul High School.
