Cal star running back Jaydn Ott announces return to Bears for junior season
His post may have stopped the hearts of some Cal fans Friday morning, including rock band Counting Crows, but Jaydn Ott is returning to Berkeley next season — officially. It has been one of the burning questions heading into the offseason for the Bears. The star running back is about to wrap up another stellar season when Cal faces Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana, but the question about his future had remained.
In the age of NIL, it can come down to the haves vs. have nots and players have been quick to jump ship for other opportunities throughout college football. Cal was able to keep Ott in the mix after a standout freshman season last winter, and it will again have him back onboard in 2024, he confirmed through a social media post Friday.
His video message, which was posted as the team's press conference in Shreveport was getting underway, first starts out with Ott expressing appreciation for the fans and staff at Cal before declaring that he would be entering the transfer portal.
The black and white video then cuts to color when Ott comes back on screen to say, "Nah, I'm playing, I'm finna stay" before cutting to highlights of the sophomore.
When Ott was asked about the video at Friday's press conference, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox stepped in to express his feelings on the matter.
"It's the worst joke I've ever heard," Wilcox said in jest.
Ott first posted the video to Instagram before doing the same on Twitter, and that was followed by an official announcement from Cal's own social media team shortly after.
In Ott, the Bears return one of the top running backs in the country and the program has already started floating his Heisman Trophy hopes now that his future decision has been solidified.
Ott finished the regular season as the top rusher in the Pac-12 with 1,260 yards on the ground to go with 11 rushing touchdowns, which was good enough to put him in a tie for second among all players in the conference.
He also led the league in all-purpose yards (1,501) highlighted on special teams by a 100-yard kickoff return against UCLA in a game that sealed bowl eligibility for the Bears last month.
Nationally, Ott's 114.5 yards per game on the ground has him ranked seventh among all FBS players.
The Bears head into 2024 with a new offensive coordinator after offensive line coach Mike Bloesch, who will call plays Saturday, was recently promoted after the departure of Jake Spavital. Bloesch said this week that the plan will be for Cal to continue focusing its offense around the running game signaling plenty of potential for Ott to continue producing at a high level heading into his junior season.
In his two-year career with the Bears, the 6-foot, 200-pound back has rushed for 2,157 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 486 yards receiving on 67 catches and another five scores as a receiver.