BERKELEY – Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox has announced the first 15 members of Cal's 2023 recruiting class during the Early Signing Period that ends on Friday.

"Today is an exciting day for everyone involved with Cal football to welcome a talented new group of Golden Bears that will help us win football games," Wilcox said on Wednesday. "We have a tremendous coaching staff in place that will help them succeed. It's the start of a new chapter for everyone in the group and such an important day for the signees and their families."

"In the ever-changing world of college football recruiting, the early signing period is just the beginning," Wilcox added. "It is important to both bring in this strong group now but also remain flexible and hold spots as we continue to build our roster throughout the year via the transfer portal and additional signings."

Cal's 15 signees include six transfers that will all be mid-year enrollees in January of 2023 in ILB Sergio Allen (Fort Valley, GA/Clemson/Peach County HS), RB Byron Cardwell (San Diego, CA/Oregon/Morse HS/St. Augustine HS), DB Matthew Littlejohn (San Antonio, TX/Citrus College/Stevens HS), DB Kaylin Moore (Westlake Village, CA/Colorado/Oaks Christian HS), DB Nohl Williams (Oxnard, CA (UNLV/Pacifica HS) and P Lachlan Wilson (Eaglemont, Australia/Tulsa/Xavier College).

Allen ranked as high as ESPN's No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 149 player overall in the class of 2020 while Cardwell was ESPN's No. 10 running back and No. 167 player overall in the class of 2021. Cardwell also had a strong first season at Oregon, ranking second among all Pac-12 freshmen with 417 yards rushing while leading the entire conference with an average of 6.84 yards per carry. Williams (26) and Moore (14) have 40 collegiate starts between them, while Littlejohn ranks as high as No. 4 among the nation's junior college safeties by 247Sports Composite. Wilson, who became the 15th member of the class on Friday after the first 14 were announced on Wednesday, was on the Ray Guy Award watch list during each of the three collegiate seasons he saw action at Tulsa, played in all 34 games possible during the period and registered a career average of 44.3 yards per punt.

Cal has nine signees from the prep ranks including three productive offensive players in WR Nyziah Hunter (Salinas, CA/Salinas HS), TE Ben Marshall (Murfreesboro, TN/Blackman HS) and RB Jaivian Thomas (Oakland, CA/McClymonds HS).

Hunter earned back-to-back first-team All-Pacific Coast League honors while compiling 93 receptions for 1563 yards and 22 touchdowns in his final two seasons as a prep. Marshall was the Offensive MVP of Tennessee's Region 4-6A as a senior after career highs of 65 receptions, 834 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. Thomas was a hometown hero seven miles from the Berkeley campus at West Oakland's McClymonds, where he ran for 4,028 yards and 50 touchdowns in his final two seasons to lead the Warriors to a state title as a junior and runner-up finish in his final campaign. He was the Oakland Athlete League MVP as a senior with a school-record 2,528 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns on the ground.

Signees on the defensive side of the ball from the prep ranks include a pair of defensive linemen in Tiumalu Afalava (Baldwin Park, CA/Bishop Amat HS) and Zurich Ashford (Las Vegas, NV/Arbor View HS), as well as an athlete who played mostly on the defensive line in Frederick Williams III (Los Angeles, CA/Junipero Serra HS).

Ashford (109 tackles, 23.0 TFL, 16.0 sacks) put up the biggest career numbers of the trio, while Afalava (67 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks) and Williams (50 tackles, 12.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks) were productive with Williams also playing on a state championship squad as a 2021 junior.

OLB Ryan McCulloch (Duarte, CA/Rio Hondo Prep), ILB Cade Uluave (South Jordan, UT/Mountain Ridge HS) and DB Sai Vadrawale (Concord, CA/Rancho Cotate HS) are the remaining defensive signees, with all putting up huge numbers while playing both ways in high school.

McCulloch was the leader of the trio in defensive production with 171 tackles, 48.5 TFL, 25.5 sacks and 40 quarterback hurries while Uluave (154 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks) and Vadrawale (145 tackles, 6 INT, 5 fumble recoveries) also had strong numbers.

All of the high school signees will join the Bears next June.

Nine of the first 15 signees in the class list a California hometown while there is also one each from Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, in addition to Australia's Wilson.

2023 Cal Football Recruiting Class (As Of December 23, 2022)

NAME – POS – HT – WT – YR – EXP – HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS) – DATE ANNOUNCED
Tiumalu Afalava – DL – 6-2 – 275 – Fr. – 1st – Baldwin Park, CA (Bishop Amat HS) – December 21, 2022
^Sergio Allen – ILB – 6-1 – 225 – R-So. – 3rd – Fort Valley, GA (Clemson/Peach County HS) – December 21, 2022
Zurich Ashford – DL – 6-2 – 275 – Fr. – 1st – Las Vegas, NV (Arbor View HS) – December 21, 2022
^Byron Cardwell – RB – 6-0 – 210 – R-So. – 4th – San Diego, CA (Oregon/Morse HS/St. Augustine's HS) – December 21, 2022
Nyziah Hunter – WR – 6-2 – 200 – Fr. – 1st – Salinas, CA (Salinas HS) – December 21, 2022
Matthew Littlejohn – DB – 5-11 – 180 – R-Jr. – 3rd – San Antonio, TX (Citrus College/Stevens HS) – December 21, 2022
Ben Marshall – TE – 6-4 – 220 – Fr. – 1st – Murfreesboro, TN (Blackman HS) – December 21, 2022
Ryan McCulloch – OLB – 6-3 – 240 – Fr. – 1st – Duarte, CA (Rio Hondo Prep) – December 21, 2022
^Kaylin Moore – DB – 5-10 – 185 – Jr. – 3rd – Westlake Village, CA (Colorado/Oaks Christian HS) – December 21, 2022
Jaivian Thomas – RB – 5-10 – 175 – Fr. – 1st – Oakland, CA (McClymonds HS) – December 21, 2022
Cade Uluave – ILB – 6-1 – 230 – Fr. – 1st – South Jordan, UT (Mountain Ridge HS) – December 21, 2022
Sai Vadrawale – DB – 5-11 – 170 – Fr. – 1st – Concord, CA (Rancho Cotate HS) – December 21, 2022
Frederick Williams III – ATH – 6-5 – 265 – Fr. – 1st – Los Angeles, CA (Junipero Serra HS) – December 21, 2022
^Nohl Williams – DB – 6-1 – 185 – Jr. – 4th – Oxnard, CA (UNLV/Pacifica HS) – December 21, 2022
^Lachlan Wilson – P – 6-3 – 195 – R-Jr. – 5th – Eaglemont, Australia (Tulsa/Xavier College) – December 23, 2022
^January 2023 Enrollee