California

THE FOUNDATION — Sagapolutele completed 316 of 492 passes for 3,454 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games as a freshman in 2025. Cal therefore begins with a quarterback who has already managed a full season's workload. His experience gives Somerville a stable starting point while the new staff decides how best to arrange the backs, receivers and tight ends around him.

California Golden Bears On SI projects Washington transfer Adam Mohammed to lead the backfield, with UC Davis transfer Carter Vargas the leading second option after averaging 6.6 yards per carry in 2025. The outlet projects Rutgers transfer Ian Strong and 2025 second-team All-MAC selection Chase Hendricks outside, with Oregon transfer Cooper Perry the leading slot candidate. Strong's 54 catches last season give Sagapolutele a prospective target with recent volume, while a productive backfield rotation could keep defenses from treating Cal as a pass-only offense.

Tight end may offer Somerville his most valuable flexibility. New Mexico transfer Dorian Thomas arrives after earning first-team All-Mountain West recognition, while Mason Mini's 35 catches make him Cal's leading returning receiver. Those options could support conventional three-receiver formations or two-tight-end packages that add protection and run leverage. Somerville has not previously been a college offensive coordinator, and his base structure had not been established before camp, so personnel usage will be an early clue to his priorities.

THE PRESSURE POINT — The offensive line will determine how much of that flexibility Cal can use. Tyson Ruffins and Sioape Vatikani supply returning experience at guard, but center and both tackle alignments remain unsettled. California Golden Bears On SI identified Jimothy Lewis Jr. as the likely right tackle, an especially important job because that side protects the left-handed Sagapolutele's blind side. Tight ends and formation choices can provide help; dependable tackle play remains essential to building around the offense's best-established player.

THE DEFENSIVE BUILD — California Golden Bears On SI expects Cal to resemble the structure Lupoi used at Oregon, commonly featuring two down linemen, two edge players and five defensive backs, with labels changing by matchup. That multiplicity can disguise pressure and coverage. It also places a premium on disciplined run fits from a front seven undergoing substantial change.

Jericho Johnson, Nate Burrell and Derek Wilkins are the leading down-line candidates, though no combination was considered settled. Burrell missed 2025 after making 21 starts over the previous three seasons, making his return potentially important to the interior. At inside linebacker, transfers Tristan Jernigan and AJ Tuitele are projected as the favorites, with Aaron Hampton and Kamar Mothudi also competing after 2025 starters Cade Uluave and Luke Ferrelli departed. That room must replace both tackling and communication experience.

The secondary carries similar uncertainty. Ole Miss transfer Ricky Fletcher is the clearest projected starter, while Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Daniel Harris compete at the other corner. Kingston Lopa, Aiden Manutai and Isaiah Crosby are among the safety contenders, with Crosby returning from injury and his final readiness not yet established. Because Cal is expected to use five defensive backs frequently, resolving the corner, safety and nickel combinations will be central to avoiding communication errors.

THE OPENING TEST — Cal starts at home against UCLA, travels across the country to Syracuse in Week 2, hosts Wagner and then welcomes Clemson for a Friday-night ACC game. The sequence gives the Bears little room for a gradual introduction: a rivalry opener, immediate eastern travel and a major conference test all arrive in September. Wagner separates Syracuse from Clemson, but the broader demand is clear—the new staff must establish working combinations quickly.

Sagapolutele gives Lupoi a firmer foundation than most first-year coaches inherit. Mohammed, Strong, Hendricks, Thomas and Mini offer plausible ways to support the quarterback, and Lupoi's expected defensive structure supplies a clear conceptual direction. The season's defining questions are more practical than theoretical: whether the line can protect Sagapolutele and whether the reconstructed defense can communicate well enough to turn multiplicity into an advantage. Cal's talent has recognizable shape; cohesion will determine what that shape means on the field.

Season outlook

Projected win