Cal Secures Commitment From 4-Star Running Back in Class of 2026

He was first offered by Cal two years ago, Rivals reported.

"It's a beautiful city, and the academics as well," Santino told Rivals. "They play in the ACC, that's a pretty big conference. Another thing that drew me into it was the education.”

His commitment is good news for coach Justin Wilcox in the wake of the program losing five running backs to the transfer portal this offseason, including star senior-to-be Jaydn Ott, who transferred to Oklahoma. 

Santino, who would arrive on the Cal campus in the fall of ’26, had scholarship offers from Arizona, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington, Utah, UCLA, Boise State and Minnesota, among other schools.

Cal welcomes another four-star running back this fall. Anthony League, a 6-1, 205-pound graduate of Millikan High in Long Beach, signed with the Bears earlier this year. League was ranked as the 25th-best player at his position nationwide by Rivals.

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