Cal's running back departures might just soon feel like a thing of the past. The Bears have regrouped after several departures at the position this spring, and now position coach Julian Griffin is beginning to build for the future.
The Bears landed a key piece of the puzzle Sunday evening when four-star prospect Victor Santino announced his pledge following a weekend visit to Berkeley. Utah, Boise State and Sacramento State all had official visits lined up with the Torrance-Bishop Montgomery star, but instead his recruitment is closed and he is now the latest member of Cal's 2026 recruiting class.
The visit was an important one to seal the decision for Santino, who was offered by Cal over two years ago. It gave him an opportunity to spend more time around the staff and school leading to his commitment.
"The most memorable part of the visit for me has to be the meetings I had," he said. "Cal has a lot of resources for the student athletes."
Santino has built a strong relationship with the Cal coaching staff over the last couple years, and the Bears had gained momentum in his recruitment. However, his growing bond with Griffin, who made the move to Cal this offseason after five years at UTSA, proved to be vital in pushing things over the top for the program.
"I've gotten to know him pretty well," Santino previously said. "I've got a few things in common with him. He's a pretty cool coach, and I like that he tried to reach out to me and not keep everything football. He checks up on my personal life, too."
"Culture" is something that Santino previously mentioned appealed to him about the Bears, and now he will get an opportunity to be a key part of the future of the backfield at Cal.
His decision also continues the trend of high-level running back prospects landing in Berkeley. It is the second cycle in a row that Cal has added a four-star prospect after earning a pledge from four-star prospect Anthony League for the 2025 class.
League is set to join the Bears in the coming weeks to begin his freshman campaign.
Santino has been clear that his recruitment has been about more than just football, and the resources that will be available to him at Cal certainly appealed to him throughout the process.
"It's a beautiful city, and the academics as well," Santino said. "They play in the ACC, that's a pretty big conference. Another thing that drew me into it was the education."
Santino's commitment pushed the Bears inside the top 40 of the Rivals team recruiting rankings. In all, Cal added three commitments from its latest big visit weekend including offensive tackle Elisha Faamatuainu and De La Salle defensive lineman Nemyah Telona.
