Cal has been in search of a high school quarterback for quite some time. The Bears failed to sign one in the last recruiting cycle and ultimately turned to the transfer portal for help. Fernando Mendoza, who is heading into his redshirt freshman season in Berkeley, was the last high school quarterback to sign with the program.

This spring it became increasingly clear that Cal had its eye on one target and one target only at the position for the 2024 class, Seattle-Garfield star EJ Caminong.

The Bears began recruiting the three-star prospect when he was still committed to Washington, and eventually he backed away from that pledge allowing him to freely explore his options.

He took several visits in June with Oregon State, Texas A&M and BYU being among the top contenders. Cal hosted him last this month, and Tuesday he announced his commitment to the Bears.

Caminong's pledge is a notable one for Cal in the cycle, and his decision could ultimately influence some other program targets to make a similar decision. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has worked to reshape the Bears quarterback group, and Caminong could be his next key piece to the unit moving into next year.

Golden Bear Report caught up with Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney, who watched Caminong this spring, to find out what the Bears are getting in their new quarterback commit and what kind of influence his decision could have on the team in the rest of the 2024 cycle.