All-Mountain West safety Patrick McMorris commits to Cal
Cal may have secured its most impressive pickup of the offseason just hours after wrapping up spring practice. Saturday, two-time All-Mountain West safety Patrick McMorris announced his commitment to the Bears just hours after entering his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The Santa Ana native will get an opportunity to join his older brother, Malik, in Berkeley with the elder McMorris currently serving as a graduate assistant on defense for the Bears since earlier this year. Malik walked on at Cal and played a variety of roles during his playing career.
The spring transfer portal window opened Saturday and there has been plenty of movement for players across the country already. McMorris is one of many players expected to be pursued by the Bears in the coming weeks, and Saturday head coach Justin Wilcox said the team will be active as more players become available after spring practice.
"We'll be involved in the transfer portal," he said after Saturday's spring showcase at Memorial Stadium. "Whether that's three, five, seven, eight players remains to be seen. Keep saying this, it's part of college football, and we're gonna participate in it."
The Cal head coach went on to say that quarterback, receiver, offensive line "potentially somebody in the secondary" will all be on the radar for the team as the spring rolls along.
Cal has had plenty of success in the secondary over the years under Wilcox, and safety Daniel Scott's departure for the NFL has left a clear need for an impact player at the position heading into the 2023 season.
The Bears were already active in the winter bringing in several defensive backs, but McMorris gives the team a player on par with the talent of Scott after a successful career with the Aztecs.
The 6-foot senior has played in 42 games over four seasons at SDSU and has racked up 151 tackles over the last two seasons. He also has five career interceptions and 20 passes defensed.
McMorris was named to the preseason watch lists for both the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. He finished 2022 with his second appearance on the All-Mountain West first team.
