Oregon State 2025 Opponent Outlook: California Golden Bears

When summer starts winding down and the long-awaited first week of college football is upon us, Oregon State will welcome a familiar opponent to Reser stadium. Entering his ninth year at the helm, Justin Wilcox is facing a critical season as the head coach at Cal. Following a 2024 campaign highlighted by heartbraking loses, the Golden Bears will head into 2025 with an entirely different roster, which naturally provides a lot of unknowns. Something we can say with certainty, however, is that this will be a very interesting week one matchup between former conference foes.

Offense

With the departure of key skill position players, Cal will have a focus on replacing offensive production from last year. It all starts at quarterback, where Justin Wilcox has two intriguing options in Ohio State transfer Devin Brown and freshman Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele. Brown, who was a four-star rectuit out of high school, brings some experience after three years in the Buckeyes' elite program. Spending hsi first years of eligibility behing highly-rated guys, there is a chance that Devin Brown could shine if given an opportunity to start. Hawaii recruit Keawe-Sagapolutele, on the other hand, is only a freshman but there is little question about his abilities. Rated as a top ten QB in the class of 2025, he threw a staggering 46 TD passes his senior year, with only three interceptions. Both Keawe-Sagapolutele and Brown are described as pro-style quarterbacks, and a fall camp competition between them will likely decide the starter.

Cal's leading rushers from last season, Jaivian Thomas and Jadyn Ott, were both lost to the transfer portal. While these two won't be easy to replace, the Golden Bears are bringing in starting experience at the halfback position. Brandon High, who will be only a sophomore this year, ran for 495 yards and 8 touchdowns last season at UTSA. NC State transfer Kendrick Raphael averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 78 touches. LJ Johnson, who played a decent role on SMU's playoff team, will be another solid option in the mix. This trio of transfer backs, combined with an experienced offensive line, suggests that Cal has the potential for a strong ground game.

With the style of offense that Wilcox likes to run, we can say with near certainty that the Bears will want to throw the ball this season. Idaho transfer Mark Hamper, who nearly hit 1,000 receiving yards last season at the FCS level, will likely be a key part of Cal's passing attack, as could Arkansas transfer Dazmin James. In addition, Cal will be returning junior Trond Grizell, who was third on the team in receiving yards in 2024. Especially with the loss of star TE Jack Endries, replacing pass-catching production won't be easy. But with the talent they've brought in at quarterback, Cal could once again be efficient through the air if one or two targets can establish themselves.

Defense

Much like the offensive side, Cal's defense is going to be comprised mostly of new faces this fall. No position group on the team has been hit harder than the secondary. The Bears lost four DBs to NFL rosters(a staggering number), and won't be returning any starters at corner or safety. On the bright side, they've filled up with experience in the portal. USF transfer Brent Austin and FIU transfer Hezekiah Masses are both solid options at corner, and power five transfers add depth to the safety position. While it might take a few games to get acclimated, the defensive backfield is looking like it could be an area of relative strength.

The Bears will be reutrning three pieces to their front seven, part of a group that finished with a top 15 run defense last season. With the quality of transfers they are bringing in, Cal has hope of rebuilding a strong defensive line. At linebacker, they've brought in Buom Jock from Colorado State and Harrison Taggart from BYU.

Cal football is in a bit of a bizarre spot. Disdain that coach Wilcox hasn't yet met expectations should be tempered with reality of the cards he's working with this season. Being the Bears' first game with a completely different roster, Oregon State might see a prime opportunity to start the year out with a victory over a power five opponent. And after being shutout in Berkely in 2024, the Beavers shouldn't be hurting for motivation.