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Utah transfer DE Xaiver Carlton picks Cal

New Cal defensive end Xavier Carlton played in 11 games and made two starts at Utah during the 2021 season
New Cal defensive end Xavier Carlton played in 11 games and made two starts at Utah during the 2021 season (Jeffrey Swinger | USA Today Sports)

Cal's latest addition is coming from right inside the Pac-12. Utah edge rusher Xavier Carlton announced Wednesday evening that he will be making the move to Cal to play for the Bears after two seasons with the Utes. The 6-foot-6 pass rusher played in 11 games during the 2021 season and made two starts.

Carlton finished the season with 18 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. He played in four games as a freshman in 2020 and finished with one tackle.

He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last week after the season came to a close for the Utes and ultimately drew interest from numerous programs around the country. Wednesday, Carlton thanked several schools for expressing interest in him since entering the portal including Oregon, Ohio State, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, TCU, Arizona and Miami.

Carlton was a considered a top-200 recruit by Rivals in the 2020 class, and he ended up as the 11th-rated strong-side defensive end that year. He held offers from USC, Ohio State, Oregon, LSU, Texas, Michigan, UCLA, Oklahoma and Stanford, among others, during his first recruitment.

Cal also pursued Carlton during that time, and he ultimately made a visit to the school during the process. He has ties back to the West Coast as he played most of his high school career at Modesto Christian where he shined on both sides of the ball.

Carlton is the latest notable addition this offseason for Cal via the transfer portal. Quarterback Jack Plummer (Purdue) made his move official Wednesday by tweeting out a photo of himself in a Cal uniform after previously making his decision in December.

The Bears also recently added Washington linebacker transfer Jackson Sirmon last week when he decided to leave the Huskies after leading the team in tackles in his fourth season with that program.

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