California Bears

The Bears have the nation’s No. 17 Transfer Class, per 247Sports, highlighted by Utah wide receiver Mikey Matthews and Notre Dame wide receiver Tobias Merriweather.

With 23 transfers in total, per 247Sports, Wilcox’s willingness to adjust his recruiting strategy has paid off.

North Texas quarterback Chandler Rogers was brought in to compete with returning starter Fernando Mendoza while Old Dominion running back Kadarius Calloway was added for depth behind Jaydn Ott.

On top of that, the Bears return three of their top five defensive backs (Craig Woodson, Nohl Williams, and Lu-Magia Hearns) as well as arguably one of the top linebackers in the ACC in Cade Uluave.

The result is a reasonably complete team on both sides of the ball.

Former offensive line coach Mike Bloesch was made the offensive coordinator over the offseason and enters the 2024 campaign with a clear objective: Feed Jaydn Ott.

The Cal running back is one of the top players in the country and the entire offense should be built around him.

But the quarterback battle is somewhat of a curveball that many didn’t see coming at the end of last year.

Mendoza resurrected the program and may have saved Wilcox’s job by leading the Bears to bowl eligibility. And yet, Rogers was added to the roster, ostensibly to become the starter.

However, the development likely didn’t phase Mendoza at all after he started last season as the third-stringer and climbed his way to the top.

Still, it must be a little unsettling to have a transfer gunning for your role, and California struggled last year due to the prolonged quarterback battle that lasted well into the season.

As long as the quarterback situation is resolved by Week One and the starter maintains his position all season, California should be knocking on the door of an eight-win season or better.

Stanford Cardinal

The program was a shell of itself at the end of the David Shaw era, after going 14-27 over his final four seasons. Stanford had been viewed as one of the few West Coast programs that dominated the trenches.

But those advantages in the interior evaporated in Shaw’s final seasons and the program lost its identity.

Now, Taylor is forced to rebuild.

Getting transfers into Stanford is not easy and Taylor is attempting to build up through traditional high school recruiting. That takes time and Year No. 2 projects to be another transitional season.

Still, Stanford managed to reel in three four-star prospects, highlighted by quarterback Elijah Brown. The freshman has a chance to start immediately and could be the foundational piece of the rebuild.

Taylor’s offense itself is innovative and star receiver Elic Ayomanor is set to be the primary beneficiary.

One of the top receivers in the West, Ayomanor can bust chunk plays in the passing game and help open up Taylor’s Run-Pass option plays.

Still, unlike their rival across the Bay, Stanford faces significant challenges within its roster.

The offensive line was terrible last season and the defensive secondary was a certified liability. And without transfer portal additions to fill those gaps, another three or four-win season could be in the cards.

On the other hand, the linebacker corps is probably the top position group on the team.

Gaethan Bernadel is one of the best LBs on the West Coast and should help provide the leadership needed for improvement on that side of the ball.

Starting quarterback Ashton Daniels returns, as well, and at the very least provides stability in the QB room if Brown is not ready to go.

But there are no quick fixes for Stanford Football and traditional high school recruiting will remain the focus.

If Taylor can get some surprising production out of his 2024 Class, the Cardinal might be able to bust out of their funk sooner rather than later.