Cal has officially announced their first 11 signees of the 2021 class, as they're looking to add more in the coming days and months, either through the transfer portal or otherwise.

"We are excited about the student-athletes of the 2022 recruiting class we have signed to this point," Wilcox said in the release. "It was refreshing to be able to evaluate games and meet recruits and their families in person again this season following the 2020 shutdown, and I think our coaches did a great job identifying players with physical traits, passion for the game, and a commitment to academics that will help our program.We decided to retain some roster flexibility by not signing a massive class while also executing our goal of bringing in talented players who will add size and athleticism to our roster, Cal continues to provide elite resources for our student-athletes, so it was critical to identify student-athletes with a passion for the game who will take advantage of what Cal offers. We are accomplishing that with this group."

The signing period does carry on through to Friday, as the Bears will look to potentially bring in their two unsigned commits, Jackson Brown and Cameron Sidney, along with some other targets in the transfer portal.

Nate Burrell – DL – 6-2 – 265 – Fr. – HS – Los Angeles, CA (St. John Bosco HS)

Jeremiah Earby – DB – 6-2 – 170 – Fr. – HS – East Palo Alto, CA (Menlo-Atherton HS)

Ashton Hayes – RB – 6-0 – 185 – Fr. – HS – Reno, NV (McQueen HS)

Nick Morrow – OL – 6-8 – 255 – Fr. – HS – Flagstaff, AZ (Flagstaff HS)

Jaydn Ott^ – RB – 6-0 – 210 – Fr. – HS – Chino, CA (Norco HS)

Jaiven Plummer – WR – 6-3 – 200 – Fr. – HS – Alexandria, VA (Episcopal HS)

Trent Ramsey – OL – 6-5 – 290 – Fr. – HS – Palm Harbor, FL (Carrollwood Day School)

Mason Starling^ – WR – 6-4 – 205 – Jr. – JC – Seattle, WA (College of San Mateo/Rainier Beach HS)

Curlee Thomas IV – EDGE – 6-3 – 240 – Fr. – HS – Keller, TX (Nolan Catholic HS)

Nunie Tuitele – OLB – 6-4 – 240 – Fr. – HS – Aurora, CO (Regis Jesuit HS)

Sioape Vatikani – OL – 6-3 – 320 – Fr. – HS – Sun Valley, NV (Bishop Manogue Catholic HS)

^ - Ott and Starling are early enrollees in Berkeley

- Cal filled a couple big needs with a couple of their late additions, as landing Ashton Hayes and Jaydn Ott. Speed has been a need for the Bears at the running back position, and grabbing both those guys fills that hole, as well as fills the hole of needing two more running backs to replace Chris Brooks (transferred to Purdue) and Marcel Dancy (eligibility)

- The OLB room also got two additions in Curlee Thomas and Nunie Tuitele, two players with length and ready-made size to hold the edge

- The offensive line, though Jackson Brown remains unsigned, added Nick Morrow and Trent Ramsey as tackles to a roster that needs them. Ramsey in particular has the strength and mobility to play right away. Sioape Vatikani will likely end up as a guard, but Wilcox praised his strength, noting that he'll be one of the strongest players on the team when he steps on campus next June.

- At 6'8", Morrow will be the tallest player on the Cal team when he gets on campus. Cal also brought in long pieces in Ramsey, Mason Starling (81 inch wingspan), Thomas, Tuitele, Jaiven Plummer, and Jeremiah Earby. Building a bigger roster has long been a priority for Cal

- Sterling and Ott will be the two early enrollees for the Bears going into the spring, along with any other portal additions they make prior to the start of the next semester who can make things work. In past years, guys like Ray Woodie have committed and come in right before the semester starts.

Needs Going Forward:

- There's an obvious need for a quarterback, and the Bears have a few targets in Jack Plummer, Adrian Martinez, and Kedon Slovis, among others. Ideally, they'd like to get a quarterback in to compete in spring ball, which would point away from Martinez, who is dealing with an injury suffered late in the season at Nebraska.

- With Damonic Williams flipping back and forth and eventually to TCU, Cal may need another defensive lineman down the line, but the Bears are in relatively good shape at the spot. Where the need may be lies at outside linebacker, where there is a lot of youth who can go, but not too much experience at this point. Orin Patu and Braxten Croteau have the most experience here, and will likely be flanked by a bevvy of freshmen, as Cal took four OLB types in the 2021 class.

- Cal also didn't sign a tight end, something they may look to the portal or to late blooming high schoolers who didn't commit early.