The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.
We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear.
We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.
Here is the next athlete in our countdown:
2. Jacob De Jesus
Sport: Football
Arrival year at Cal: 2025-26
Previous schools: Modesto Junior College (2021 & 2022, 1st-team JC All-America as a sophomore); UNLV (2023 & 2024, 96 receptions, 1,118 yards, 5 TDs & 1,521 yards on kickoff and punt returns)
Contributions at Cal:
— A 5-foot-7, 170-pounder from Manteca in the California Central Valley, De Jacob caught 108 passes for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. His reception total led the NCAA and broke Cal’s all-time record. He caught 8.31 passes per game, which was No. 2 in FBS.
— De Jesus recorded four games with at least 12 catches, including a late-season stretch of three consecutive outings where he totaled 42 receptions for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Louisville, Stanford and SMU.
— A talented return specialist, De Jesus brought back 22 punts for an 11.8-yard average and 19 kickoffs for a 22 yards per return. That gave him a season total of 1,652 all-purpose yards or 126.5 yards per game, which was No. 8 nationally
— ACC coaches recognized De Jesus three ways, naming him first-team All-ACC all-purpose and return specialist and second-team wide receiver.
— De Jesus hoped that his time in junior college might allow him to secure an additional year of eligibility for a return to Cal this fall. The matter wasn’t resolved before the NFL draft, and De Jesus ended any chance of playing again for the Bears when he signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Standout performance: De Jesus delivered his best game of the season on Nov. 8 on the road against a once-beaten Louisville team as the Bears worked to snap a two-game losing streak. He caught 16 passes for 158 yards — both career highs — and the biggest touchdown of his career in a 29-26 overtime victory. On fourth down and the Bears trailing 26-23, De Jesus wiggled himself free at the goal and caught a 3-yard TD pass from Jaron-Keawe Sagapoloutele, making Cal bowl eligible with its sixth win of the season.
Impact on his team: De Jesus provided Sagapolutele, the Bears’ freshman quarterback, with a consistently dependable target. Cal benefitted by posting a 7-6 record and earning a third consecutive bowl bid, even as long-time coach Justin Wilcox was dismissed after a loss in the Big Game.
Previously on our list:
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