BERKELEY – Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox announced the first 11 members of Cal's 2022 recruiting class Wednesday on the first day of the Early Signing Period that runs through Friday.

"We are excited about the student-athletes of the 2022 recruiting class we have signed to this point," Wilcox said. "It was refreshing to be able to evaluate games and meet recruits and their families in person again this season following the 2020 shutdown, and I think our coaches did a great job identifying players with physical traits, passion for the game, and a commitment to academics that will help our program."

"We decided to retain some roster flexibility by not signing a massive class while also executing our goal of bringing in talented players who will add size and athleticism to our roster," Wilcox added. "Cal continues to provide elite resources for our student-athletes, so it was critical to identify student-athletes with a passion for the game who will take advantage of what Cal offers. We are accomplishing that with this group."

Further additions to the 2022 Cal football roster are expected via the transfer portal, as well as through the remainder of the early signing period that ends Friday, and during the regular signing period that starts with National Signing Day on Feb. 2 and runs through Apr. 1, 2022.

Eight of the 11 student-athletes that signed National Letters of Intent with Cal on Wednesday list hometowns in the footprint of Pac-12 schools with three from California (DL Nate Burrell, Los Angeles, CA/St. John Bosco HS; DB Jeremiah Earby, East Palo Alto, CA/Menlo-Atherton HS; RB Jaydn Ott, Norco, CA/Norco HS), two from Nevada (RB Ashton Hayes, Reno, NV/McQueen HS; OL Sioape Vatikani, Sun Valley, NV/Bishop Manogue Catholic HS), and one each from Arizona (OL Nick Morrow, Flagstaff, AZ/Flagstaff HS), Colorado (OLB Nunie Tuitele, Aurora, CO/Regis Jesuit HS) and Washington (WR Mason Starling, College of San Mateo/Rainier Beach HS).

OL Trent Ramsey (Palm Harbor, FL/Carrollwood Day School) and WR Jaiven Plummer (Alexandria, VA/Episcopal HS) also have ties to the Pac-12 footprint. Ramsey played at Higley High School in Arizona as a prep freshman and sophomore before moving to Florida and was the right guard in his second season at Higley when current Cal quarterback Kai Milner was a senior. Plummer lived in the Sacramento area, as well as Texas and Japan, before moving to Virginia.

Six high school players in the 2022 recruiting class have a top-40 national ranking within their position group including a pair of top-30 running backs in Ott (Rivals, No. 14) and Hayes (Rivals, No. 30). The others include Vatikani (ESPN, No. 24 OG), Ramsey (ESPN, No. 30 OT), Burrell (ESPN, No. 35 DE) and Thomas (247Sports Composite, No. 38 EDGE). In addition, Starling is the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2022 class among junior college players according to ESPN.

The class currently includes seven offensive players (Hayes, Morrow, Ott, Plummer, Ramsey, Starling, Vatikani) and four on the defensive side of the ball (Burrell, Earby, Thomas IV, Tuitele). Cal has not signed a specialist in the early signing period.

Ott and Starling are expected to begin their Cal careers as mid-year enrollees in January of 2022 with the others slated to arrive in June.
 
2022 Cal Football Recruiting Class (As Of December 15, 2021)
 
NAME – POS – HT – WT – YR – EXP – HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS)
Nate Burrell – DL – 6-2 – 265 – Fr. – HS – Los Angeles, CA (St. John Bosco HS)
Jeremiah Earby – DB – 6-2 – 170 – Fr. – HS – East Palo Alto, CA (Menlo-Atherton HS)
Ashton Hayes – RB – 6-0 – 185 – Fr. – HS – Reno, NV (McQueen HS)
Nick Morrow – OL – 6-8 – 255 – Fr. – HS – Flagstaff, AZ (Flagstaff HS)
Jaydn Ott^ – RB – 6-0 – 210 – Fr. – HS – Chino, CA (Norco HS)
Jaiven Plummer – WR – 6-3 – 200 – Fr. – HS – Alexandria, VA (Episcopal HS)
Trent Ramsey – OL – 6-5 – 290 – Fr. – HS – Palm Harbor, FL (Carrollwood Day School)
Mason Starling^ – WR – 6-4 – 205 – Jr. – JC – Tacoma, WA (College of San Mateo/Rainier Beach HS)
Curlee Thomas IV – EDGE – 6-3 – 240 – Fr. – HS – Keller, TX (Nolan Catholic HS)
Nunie Tuitele – OLB – 6-4 – 240 – Fr. – HS – Aurora, CO (Regis Jesuit HS)
Sioape Vatikani – OL – 6-3 – 320 – Fr. – HS – Sun Valley, NV (Bishop Manogue Catholic HS)
^Mid-Year Enrollees In January 2022