This is a continuing series running down Cal's football roster for the 2020 season.

Marcel Dancy, an Allstate Good Works Team member and a senior running back, returns for the Bears as a change of pace back for projected starter Chris Brown Jr. Dancy's time at Cal has been marked by his contributions in the community and a break-out second half against Washington that sparked Cal to a win in Seattle.

Dancy got to Cal in 2018 as a walk-on from nearby Laney College, and played in four games, redshirting to preserve eligibility. Dancy made his biggest impact against Idaho State, rushing 11 times for 80 yards and his first touchdown at Cal. Injuries kept him on the redshirting path in addition to Patrick Laird and Chris Brown taking the vast majority of RB reps that year.

2019 saw Dancy make his first start, against Ole Miss, along with playing a massive role in a road victory in Seattle. Dancy carried the ball only seven times, but he went for 72 yards and both of Cal's touchdowns in the 20-19 win over the Huskies. Dancy carried the ball 57 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns in 2019, along with 20 receptions for 153 yards. Dancy has a reputation as Cal's shiftiest running back, as per Pro Football Focus, he has has avoided 25 tackles in his 71 carries and 7 tackles over his 22 receptions. He has not fumbled over his time at Cal.

Dancy has also earned Allstate Good Works team honors for his work as a coach for the Oakland Dynamites, a youth football and cheer squad. He also raised over $14,000 for Burkhalter Elementary in Oakland, helping to purchase groceries for 100 low-income families that have been impacted by COVID-19 during the past four months.

Dancy is a part of a crowded backfield for 2020, with Chris Brown set to start, and the likes of grad transfer Bradrick Shaw and fellow senior DeShawn Collins. Dancy will see some time in two running back sets for the Bears as they'll look to utilize the experience they have at the running back position.

As he has been the past two years, Dancy will continue to be a change of pace back, capable of catching passes out of the backfield in addition to being the shiftiest member of Cal's running back group.

Dancy was not rated by Rivals out of Laney College in Oakland, where he put up 1994 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in his two seasons on 313 rushes while adding 27 receptions for 302 yards and three scores. He rushed for 1033 yards as a sophomore, earning all-State, all-Region, and all-National-Valley League honors in 2017.