BERKELEY – Cal head coach Sonny Dykes announced Wednesday that Trinity Valley Community College transfers Alex Funches (DL – Denton, TX/Ryan HS) and Da'Quan Patton (LB – Cedar Park, TX/Vista Ridge HS) have signed national letters of intent on the first day of the midyear junior college transfer signing period and will enroll at Cal in January of 2017.

"We have brought in a pair of student-athletes that are great fits at Cal and will embrace and improve the culture of our program," Dykes said. "Alex and Da'Quan come from a program that has won a lot of football games and performed well on the field, and that is important to us. We will always continue to look to improve our program in every way both on and off the field, and we have taken a huge step in doing that with the addition of these two student-athletes."

Funches and Patton guided TVCC to a combined 18-4 record over the last two seasons including an 11-1 mark in 2016.

Funches is rated as high as the nation's No. 10 junior college weak-side defensive end according to 247Sports. Funches was a first-team All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference selection as a 2016 sophomore when he had career highs of 64 tackles and 7.0 sacks while he and Patton led Trinity Valley Community College to an 11-1 overall record, a second consecutive league title and a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory. Funches played in all 22 games possible during the past two seasons at TVCC totaling 86 tackles and 10.5 sacks.

Patton is rated as high as the nation's No. 5 junior college outside linebacker according to ESPN after capping two seasons at TVCC by earning SJCFC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors as a 2016 sophomore when he had 89 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Patton had career totals of 123 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

"We have some specific and immediate needs that we want to focus on in this recruiting class and we feel that we have begun to address those areas with Alex and Da'Quan," Dykes said. "These two student-athletes can both make an immediate impact on our defense."

The midyear junior college transfer signing period runs through Jan. 15, 2017. The regular signing period for the 2017 recruiting class begins with National Signing Day on Feb. 1, 2017.

CalBears.com along with the Cal football Twitter (@CalFootball), Instagram (Cal_Football) and Snapchat (CalFootball) social media accounts provide extensive coverage of Cal football including 2017 National Signing Day. Fans can join in the conversation using the hashtags #GoBears, #CalFamily, NationalSigningDay and NSD.

Additional biographical information on Funches and Patton is on the following pages.

2017 Cal Football Recruiting Class (as of December 14, 2016)
 
NAM – POS – HT – WT – YR – EXP – HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS)
^Alex Funches – DL – 6-3 – 225 – Jr. – JC – Denton, TX (Trinity Valley Community College/Ryan HS)
^Da'Quan Patton – LB – 6-2 – 225 – Jr. – JC – Cedar Park, TX (Trinity Valley Community College/Vista Ridge HS)
^Announced December 14, 2016
 
Alex Funches, DL, 6-3, 225, Jr., JC
Denton, TX (Trinity Valley Community College/Ryan HS)
Funches is rated as high as the nation's No. 10 junior college weak-side defensive end in the 2017 recruiting class according to 247Sports who also has him as the No. 13 overall player from Texas. Funches played in all 22 games possible during the past two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College with his 86 tackles and 10.5 sacks highlighting his two-year totals. Funches was a first-team All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference selection as a 2016 sophomore when he had career highs of 64 tackles and 7.0 sacks while he and fellow Cal signee Da'Quan Patton led the Cardinals to an 11-1 overall record, a second consecutive league title and a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory.
 
TWITTER: @Fruitsnackkilla
INSTAGRAM: fruitsnackkilla
 
TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CLASS OF 2017)
• Played for a pair teams that compiled an 18-4 overall record, a 12-2 Southwest Junior College Football Conference mark and a pair of league titles, as well as a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory during his 2016 sophomore season with the bowl victory the first junior college bowl game to be televised on ESPN3
• Played in all 22 career games possible as a 2015 freshman and sophomore, registering two-year totals of 86 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, one interception that he returned for seven yards, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles
• Earned first-team All-SJCFC honors as a sophomore when he was second on his squad with 7.0 sacks for a team-high 32 yards while he also led all TVCC defensive linemen with 64 tackles, co-led his squad with two forced fumbles and added one interception for seven yards and three pass breakups over his 12 games played
• Won a pair of team awards as a sophomore as his squad's Student-Athlete of the Month in November after earning Defensive and Co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition for his performances vs. Navarro and in the season-opener against Cisco
• Contributed 22 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one fumble recovery over 10 games played as a freshman
• Wore No. 33
 
*JUNIOR COLLEGE RECUITING RANKINGS AND NOTES (CLASS OF 2017)
Stars: 247Sports (3), 247Sports Composite (3), Rivals (3), Scout (2)
National Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports Composite (144), 247Sports (151)
National Weak-Side Defensive End Ratings: 247Sports (10), 247Sports Composite (12)
Texas Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports (13), 247Sports Composite (13)
Ratings/Scout Grades: 247Sports Composite (0.8188), 247Sports (80), Rivals (5.5)
*As of December 14, 2016
 
RYAN HS (CLASS OF 2014)
• Helped lead his squad to the quarterfinals of the 5A D2 playoffs, a 10-3 overall record and a final No. 16 ranking in state of Texas as a 2013 senior
• Played for a squad that was 6-5 overall and reached the second round of playoffs as a 2012 junior
• Wore No. 18
 
OTHER
• Born November 9, 1996
• Son of Daphne Johnson Fields
 
SONNY DYKES ON ALEX FUNCHES
"We need to recruit and sign as many athletic players on the defensive side of the ball as we can and adding Alex will certainly help us in this area. He was a late bloomer coming out of high school but has added more size while retaining his athletic ability during two junior college seasons. He had his most productive season as a sophomore a year ago and is really just beginning to come into his own as a football player. We look forward to him arriving in January and getting right into the mix."
 
Da'Quan Patton, LB, 6-2, 225, Jr., JC
Cedar Park, TX (Trinity Valley Community College/Vista Ridge HS)
Patton is rated as high as the nation's No. 5 junior college outside linebacker according to ESPN after capping two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College by earning Southwest Junior College Football Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors as a 2016 sophomore when he had 89 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Patton had career totals of 123 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while helping his teams compile an 18-4 overall record, a pair of league titles and a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory as a sophomore.
 
TWITTER: @IamkingKurt
INSTAGRAM: IamkingKurt
 
TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CLASS OF 2017)
• Played for a pair teams that compiled an 18-4 overall record, a 12-2 Southwest Junior College Football Conference mark and a pair of league titles, as well as a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory during his 2016 sophomore season with the bowl victory the first junior college bowl game to be televised on ESPN3
• Racked up 123 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception that he returned seven yards, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles over 20 games played
• SWJCFC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selection as a sophomore when he registered 89 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception that he returned seven yards and two forced fumbles
• Named his school's Co-Defensive Player of the Week vs. Cisco in the season opener as sophomore
• Had 44 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and two pass breakups as a 2015 freshman
• Wore No. 29
 
*JUNIOR COLLEGE RECRUITING RANKINGS AND NOTES (CLASS OF 2017)
Stars: 247Sports (3), 247Sports Composite (3), ESPN (3), Rivals (2), Scout (2)
National Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports Composite (147), 247Sports (148)
National Outside Linebacker Ratings: ESPN (5), 247Sports (6), 247Sports Composite (7)
Texas Overall Player Ratings: 247Sports (12), 247Sports Composite (14)
Ratings/Scout Grades: 247Sports Composite (0.8132), 247Sports (80), ESPN (78), Rivals (5.4)
*As of December 14, 2016
 
VISTA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL (CLASS OF 2015)
• Finished his three-year prep career with totals of 157 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks (-30 yards), 12 quarterback hurries, one interception that he returned 20 yards, one pass deflection, four fumble recoveries he returned 81 yards, five forced fumbles and two blocked kicks on defense and special teams as a 2014 senior for a team that finished 8-3 overall
• Had 100 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks (-23 yards), 12 quarterback hurries, one interception that he returned 20 yards, one pass deflection, four fumble recoveries he returned 81 yards, five forced fumbles and two blocked kicks on defense and special teams as a 2014 senior for a team that finished 8-3 overall
• Also added for 89 yards and four scores on 17 carries on offense and 89 yards on four kick returns on special teams that along with his 20 interception return yards gave him 198 all-purpose yards as a senior
• Scored seven touchdowns and 44 points as a senior, adding two fumble return touchdowns, one kick return touchdown and one two-point conversion rush to his four touchdowns on the ground
• Earned first-team All-District honors as a 2013 junior when he had 75 tackles and three interceptions
• Contributed 28 tackles and one pass breakup on defense as a 2012 sophomore while adding one kick return for 18 yards for a team that finished 8-4 and reached the second round of the Conference 4A Division 2 playoffs
• Wore No. 44
 
OTHER
• Born February 4, 1997
• Son of Tamara Brown
• Fed the homeless growing up in Topeka, Kansas
 
SONNY DYKES ON DA'QUAN PATTON
"Da'Quan was one of the best junior college defensive players in the country last year. We have a need for strong and athletic linebackers with a lot of game experience, and he will certainly fill that need and challenge for playing time immediately. He checks all the boxes in what we are looking for at that position."

ESPN ON DA'QUAN PATTON
"Patton has a lot of physical qualities you look for in a Power 5 linebacker and should be able to step in and contribute right away."