All but one of Cal’s scholarship running backs that appeared on the team’s spring roster last month are in the transfer portal or have already left the team. That is the reality facing Justin Wilcox and the new offensive staff in Berkeley following a decision by Jaivian Thomas to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday.
The rising junior from Oakland remained as one of the last two scholarship running backs Tuesday after the decision by four of his teammates to enter the transfer portal upon the Bears reaching the end of spring practice over the weekend.
That group was highlighted by star Jaydn Ott, who has since signed with Oklahoma, in addition Byron Cardwell, Kadarius Calloway and Justin Williams-Thomas.
Cal RB Jaivian Thomas is entering the transfer portal, he tells @RivalsFriedman
Thomas ran for 626 yards and 7 TDs last season.
He is the 5th running back from Cal to transfer this spring pic.twitter.com/pBzQzrHtIj
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) April 16, 2025
Now that Thomas, who was set to be the top returner at the position for the Bears this season after rushing for 626 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore, has made his intentions known, the only scholarship running backs remaining for the Bears rising sophomore Jamaal Wiley and incoming freshman Anthony League.
Walk-on players Jayden Parker, who shined in Saturday’s showcase, and Dean-Taylor Chapman are the other two players at the position still on the team as of now.
The roster movement comes amid plenty of changes on the offensive side of the ball and in the running back room itself. Wilcox completely revamped his offensive staff this winter by bringing in former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin as the new offensive coordinator leading to sweeping changes on that side of the ball.
Harsin added Julian Griffin as the new running backs coach after longtime Cal assistant Aristotle Thompson decided to leave the Bears for Northwestern. Thompson recruited each of the players who has now entered the portal.
Griffin used a steady rotation throughout the spring but Ott and Thomas were poised to be the top two players at running back for the Bears this season ahead of their decisions to enter the portal.
The message from Harsin and other staff members has been that the Bears will lean heavily on the rushing attack in his new offense, but now the Cal offensive coordinator faces a different challenge as the staff now needs to replace a majority of its group.
Griffin may have already been preparing for some shakeup when he spoke with Golden Bear Report last month.
“Everybody is trying to figure me out, because obviously I’m the new coach and I’m different from the previous coach that was here,” Griffin said. “The way that I communicate, the way that I handle things, we’re just two different men, right? And it’s no knock against him, but they’re trying to understand me for me instead of trying to understand, like, ‘Who is this other player who is trying to take my spot?’
“Like I told them, hey, we get it. It is the world of the transfer portal. Things happen. People are gonna change their mind, people are gonna wanna leave, people are gonna wanna come here. At the end of the day, between now and then, just give me all you have because I’m here to make you better. That’s all I care about. I wanna win games and I wanna make sure that you’re successful, because everything that these kids put on video that’s their resume. So, if you wanna go get paid, you wanna go get whatever, your resume has to speak for itself. So, make the plays and let’s do it together.”
Thomas, in particular, had added weight this offseason and looked poised to be part of a strong one-two punch alongside Ott in the Cal lineup.
“I’d say I changed a lot more mentally,” he said this spring. “I feel like I got my mind right. I’ve been more focused since I’ve been here. As a freshman, I got put in a lot more early, and since then to now I’ve had a drastic change and it starts with my coaches and teammates.”
Running back will now become a clear need for the Bears who will have to begin replacing the production lost with Ott and now Thomas likely moving on (portal players are able to return, so Thomas could theoretically return to Cal for his junior season). The duo accounted for 1,011 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Calloway rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries while Cardwell had 24 attempts for 75 yards in 2024.
Wiley, who now suddenly finds himself as the top returning running back, carried the ball six times for 18 yards and a touchdown in four appearances as a freshman last fall.
All but one of Cal’s scholarship running backs that appeared on the team’s spring roster last month are in the transfer portal or have already left the team. That is the reality facing Justin Wilcox and the new offensive staff in Berkeley following a decision by Jaivian Thomas to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday.
The rising junior from Oakland remained as one of the last two scholarship running backs Tuesday after the decision by four of his teammates to enter the transfer portal upon the Bears reaching the end of spring practice over the weekend.
That group was highlighted by star Jaydn Ott, who has since signed with Oklahoma, in addition Byron Cardwell, Kadarius Calloway and Justin Williams-Thomas.
Now that Thomas, who was set to be the top returner at the position for the Bears this season after rushing for 626 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore, has made his intentions known, the only scholarship running backs remaining for the Bears rising sophomore Jamaal Wiley and incoming freshman Anthony League.
Walk-on players Jayden Parker, who shined in Saturday’s showcase, and Dean-Taylor Chapman are the other two players at the position still on the team as of now.
The roster movement comes amid plenty of changes on the offensive side of the ball and in the running back room itself. Wilcox completely revamped his offensive staff this winter by bringing in former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin as the new offensive coordinator leading to sweeping changes on that side of the ball.
Harsin added Julian Griffin as the new running backs coach after longtime Cal assistant Aristotle Thompson decided to leave the Bears for Northwestern. Thompson recruited each of the players who has now entered the portal.
Griffin used a steady rotation throughout the spring but Ott and Thomas were poised to be the top two players at running back for the Bears this season ahead of their decisions to enter the portal.
The message from Harsin and other staff members has been that the Bears will lean heavily on the rushing attack in his new offense, but now the Cal offensive coordinator faces a different challenge as the staff now needs to replace a majority of its group.
Griffin may have already been preparing for some shakeup when he spoke with Golden Bear Report last month.
“Everybody is trying to figure me out, because obviously I’m the new coach and I’m different from the previous coach that was here,” Griffin said. “The way that I communicate, the way that I handle things, we’re just two different men, right? And it’s no knock against him, but they’re trying to understand me for me instead of trying to understand, like, ‘Who is this other player who is trying to take my spot?’
“Like I told them, hey, we get it. It is the world of the transfer portal. Things happen. People are gonna change their mind, people are gonna wanna leave, people are gonna wanna come here. At the end of the day, between now and then, just give me all you have because I’m here to make you better. That’s all I care about. I wanna win games and I wanna make sure that you’re successful, because everything that these kids put on video that’s their resume. So, if you wanna go get paid, you wanna go get whatever, your resume has to speak for itself. So, make the plays and let’s do it together.”
Thomas, in particular, had added weight this offseason and looked poised to be part of a strong one-two punch alongside Ott in the Cal lineup.
“I’d say I changed a lot more mentally,” he said this spring. “I feel like I got my mind right. I’ve been more focused since I’ve been here. As a freshman, I got put in a lot more early, and since then to now I’ve had a drastic change and it starts with my coaches and teammates.”
Running back will now become a clear need for the Bears who will have to begin replacing the production lost with Ott and now Thomas likely moving on (portal players are able to return, so Thomas could theoretically return to Cal for his junior season). The duo accounted for 1,011 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Calloway rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries while Cardwell had 24 attempts for 75 yards in 2024.
Wiley, who now suddenly finds himself as the top returning running back, carried the ball six times for 18 yards and a touchdown in four appearances as a freshman last fall.
