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football Edit

Breaking down a host of Cal roster additions

Cal released its pre-camp roster on Wednesday at Pac-12 Media Day at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and on it were a BUNCH of non-scholarship names you hadn't heard prior. Well, allow us to make some introductions to more than a dozen FCS transfers, JuCo adds, and high school PWOs with Cal ties galore (including Ron Rivera's nephew and another kid with ties to The Play).
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TRANSFERS
Hard work does pay off! #studentathlete pic.twitter.com/kyFmWcEHJ6— Chad Hansen (@ChadHanstim2) February 12, 2014
Chad Hansen
Idaho State University
6'3", 190lb WR
The former Idaho State Vandal had a productive first collegiate season, catching 45 passes for 501 yards and three touchdowns. He runs a 4.47 40-yard-dash and will sit a season due to NCAA transfer rules.
De'Zhon Grace
Willamette University
5'8", 170lb WR
Grace will sit a season due to NCAA transfer rules, but come 2015 the Bears will have the services of the former Willamette receiving who caught 42 passes for 566 yards and four TDs as a true freshman last season.
Bug Rivera
University of San Diego
5'8", 180lb RB
A nephew of Cal Athletic Hall of Famer and current Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, Bug joins Cal as a sophomore in 2014 after spending the last two seasons at San Diego, where he red-shirted as a 2012 true freshman before seeing his first collegiate action in 2013. He also played four varsity seasons at Cypress High School capped by a 2011 senior campaign in which he ran for 1,508 yards and 38 touchdowns to earn Empire League MVP and All-Southern Section first-team honors while leading his team to a conference title.
JUCOs
Cameron Stevens
Santa Monica College (Oak Park, CA)
6'1", 210lb WR
Stevens played seasons at Santa Monica College -- where his teams compiled a 17-4 overall record and 14-0 mark in the Southern California Football Association's American Pacific Division to win a pair of conference titles -- his first two EVER on a football field. Stevens played three seasons of basketball at Oak Park High School but did not play competitive football until junior college. Runs a 4.4 40-yard dash.
HIGH SCHOOLERS
I'm officially a Cal Bear! 🐻🏈 #CalGang pic.twitter.com/mQ9k6GrN62— Patrick Laird (@PatrickMLaird) February 5, 2014
Patrick Laird
Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo)
6', 205lb RB
Laird put up huge numbers as a prep with combined three-year totals of 4,551 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground over 547 carries for an average of 8.3 yards per rush. He had a breakout season as a senior, rushing for 3,117
yards and 32 touchdowns on 408 carries for an average of 7.6 yards per rush. His team posted an 11-3 record and reached the finals of the Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs.
Nick Allard
St Augustine High (Carlsbad, CA)
6'4", 220lb DE
Allard joins Cal as a true freshman in 2014 after registering career totals of 119 tackles and 17.0 sacks (-158 yards) for St Augustine, which won the San Diego Section Division II and Eastern Football League titles during his 2013 senior season, when he registered 91 of those 119 tackles, and 11.5 of those 17 sacks.
Zach Artman
Valley Christian High (San Jose, CA)
6'4", 295lb OL
Artman played for a Division III Central Coast Section title as a 2012 junior and participated on the winning team in the Competitive Elite Literacy Classic after his 2013 senior campaign.
Jake Ashton
Xavier College Prep (Indio, CA)
6'4", 220lb WR
Ashton posted 43 receptions for 577 yards receiving and nine touchdown catches as a high school senior.
Joe Castignani
Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, CA)
6'2", 215lb LB
The son of a national champion Cal rugger from the '80s, Castignani reached the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs as a senior after earning first-team All-West Catholic Athletic League honors as a 2012 junior when he registered 89 tackles and a team-high 12 sacks for a WCAL championship squad that was also the top-ranked team in the Central Coast Section according to MaxPreps.
Justin Dunn
Campolindo High (Lafayette, CA)
6'5", 195lb WR
The son of Cal alum Steve Dunn (who was on the field for The Play), Justin compiled career totals of 73 receptions for 1,265 yards and 17 touchdown catches during the final two seasons of a prep career for a team that was a combined 22-4 overall and a perfect 12-0 in conference play while winning a pair of Diablo Foothill Athletic League titles. Dunn earned first-team All-DFAL honors as a safety, second-team recognition as a wide receiver, and was also a team captain as a 2013 senior.
Chase Marshall
Lakeridge High (Lake Oswego, OR)
6'3", 240lb WR/TE
Marshall had five catches for 173 yards and a TD as a high school senior on the 10th ranked team in Oregon, according to MaxPreps.
Jonathan McDonald
Miramonte High (Orinda, CA)
5'10", 175lb LB
McDonald led his prep squad with 150 tackles while adding 18.0 tackles for loss and three interceptions during his 2013 senior year to earn first-team All- Diablo Foothill Athletic League honors for a team that posted a 12-2 overall record and won the North Coast Section Division II title.
Chibuzo Nwokocha
Cosumnes Oaks High (Elk Grove, CA)
6', 185lb Safety
Nwokocha had 35 tackles, one pick six, and three pass breakups for Consumnes last season as they went on to win the Sierra Valley Conference.
Deion Oliver
Archbishop High (Warminster, PA)
6'5", 285lb OL
Oliver played for both the Philadelphia All-Star Team and Pennsylvania State All-Star Team following his senior season, and was second-team All-State, first-team All-Philadelphia Catholic League and a Rich Kelly Award winner after not allowing a sack for a team that finished 13-2 and won both Pennsylvania AAA and Eastern State titles. Oliver's dad played college baseball at Rutgers.
Addison Ooms
Mater Dei (Laguna Niguel, CA)
6'4", 295lb OL
A first-team All-Pac 5 Division, All-Orange County, and All-Trinity League honoree, Ooms was tasked with protecting Cal QB signee Chase Forrest as a senior for Mater Dei, which finished 11-3 overall and reached the Southern Section Pac 5 Division finals while ranking No. 3 in California.
David Ortega Jr.
De La Salle (Moraga, CA)
5'11", 215lb LB
The son of Cal's all-time leader in tackles and a Cal hall of famer, Ortega earned second-team All-East Bay and All-East Bay Athletic League honors as well as honorable mention All-Bay Area and Scholar-Athlete recognition as a 2013 senior. He finished with 104 tackles, three interceptions, 2 sacks, and two pass breakups for a 14-1 squad that won North Coast Section and NorCal Regional titles before finishing as the runner-up in the California Open Division playoffs.
Matt Rockett
Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, CA)
5'10, 180lb WR
Hello, former Chase Forrest teammate No. 2. A two-way player for 11-3 Mater Dei, Rockett totaled 691 all-purpose yards as a senior, while adding 32 tackles, six pass breakups and three interceptions. He is already listed as sharing the No. 3 spot at the inside receiver 'Y' position on the 2014 preseason depth chart.
Kyle Wells
Del Oro High (Loomis, CA)
6'4", 240lb WR
The son of former San Francisco 49er Mike Wells, Kyle Wells earned Sacramento All-Metro honors as a tight end and first-team All-Sierra Foothill League recognition as a linebacker during his 2013 senior campaign when he went 13-3 overall and 5-0 in the SFL and was a state finalist after winning Northern California Division I, Sac-Joaquin Section Division II and SFL titles.
Nicholas White
Beckman High (Irvine, CA)
6'2", 170lb WR
A dual spotter who also played four seasons of lacrosse, White finished his prep career with 54 receptions, 1,046 yards, and 12 TDs, almost all of which came in his final two seasons.
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