North Texas transfer QB Chandler Rogers commits to Cal
North Texas transfer quarterback Chandler Rogers committed to Cal, he announced via Instagram Monday. Rogers will be the third scholarship quarterback for the Bears in 2024, alongside redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza and current commit EJ Caminong, and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Rogers spent just one season at North Texas after transferring from the University of Louisiana Monroe. The junior threw for 3,382 yards, with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. With a completion percentage of just over 62% through 12 games, Rogers is a proven addition to the Bears’ quarterback room, especially one that struggled with consistency early in the season.
Prior to transferring to UNT, Rogers spent two years at ULM, appearing in all 12 games both years while making 18 starts in that time. In the season prior to transferring to the Mean Green, Rogers threw for 1,311 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
Rogers spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Southern Miss and Blinn Community College, respectively. He redshirted his first season, at Southern Miss in 2019. At Blinn in 2020, Rogers started four out of five games in the shortened COVID-19 season.
While in the transfer portal last offseason, Rogers was offered by Cal and considered the Bears a strong option after forming a connection with now-former offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, especially after playing against him while Spavital was at Texas State. However, Rogers ended up at North Texas, while Cal added two transfer signal callers in Ben Finley and Sam Jackson V.
Rogers has the potential to add a dynamic aspect to the Cal offense as a rusher with four rushing touchdowns to go along with 180 yards on the ground. A highlight performance last season came against Navy, where Rogers broke off a season-best 75-yard run in addition to runs of 41 yards and 23 yards against Tulsa and Florida International, respectively.
As a passer, the new Cal quarterback commit had six games in the 2023 season with over 300 yards passing including two games with over 400 yards through the air. Rogers threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns against Memphis this season.
His 29 touchdowns this year are ninth-best among all FBS quarterbacks while he sits at No. 14 in passing yards, nationally.
Rogers’ commitment comes in the wake of two of Cal’s scholarship quarterbacks entering the transfer portal: Finley and Jackson V. Both transferred to Cal last season — Finley from NC State and Jackson from TCU — and both started games early in the season in a quarterback carousel that ended with Mendoza earning the starting job Week 6.
As it currently stands, Rogers will be the lone scholarship quarterback alongside Mendoza for the spring, as Caminong isn’t expected to join the Bears until the summer.
Rogers is also the second transfer pickup for the Bears so far this offseason, after UC Davis inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan announced his commitment last week.