MONTEREY PARK, California — Jayden Crowder was the first member of Cal's now three-man 2026 recruiting class. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound recruit saw everything he needed to see from the Bears back in the fall to make a choice about his future.

Since that time his bond with the Bears has continued to grow stronger, and he feels comfortable with his original decision. However, Crowder is now rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals and as such other schools are going to continue poking around in his recruitment.

North Carolina and new head coach Bill Belichick have entered the picture and are now the biggest threat to pull Crowder away from his pledge to Cal. The Bears have also gone through some changes on the staff with defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon and defensive backs coach Tre Watson both moving on from the program this winter.

Crowder was on campus last month for Cal's junior day giving him an opportunity to reconnect with secondary coach Terrence Brown and new defensive backs coach Allen Brown.

The four-star prospect has more to think about now than he did just a couple months ago, but Cal remains in strong position to keep him as part of its 2026 class.