FB8/14/2025 4:30 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Football Position Breakdown: Tight Ends

New Faces Lining Up At Tight End

The Room:

TE Notes:

Cal's tight ends unit includes two returnees (Jeffrey Johnson and Ben Marshall), two transfers (Mason Mini - Idaho and Landon Morris - Temple) and one incoming freshman (Jake Houseworth - Fortuna, CA/Fortuna Union HS).
Johnson played in nine games off the bench and logged a pair of receptions for 13 yards.
Marshall appeared in all 13 games off the bench last season.
Mini, a transfer from Idaho, played in 12 games and logged five catches for 61 yards for the Vandals in 2024.
Morris, who transferred to Cal from Temple, played in nine games for the Owls and caught 16 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown.
Houseworth, an incoming freshman, was a multi-sport athlete who played offense and defense at Fortuna Union High School. As a prepster, he was rated a consensus 3-star recruit according to On3, 247, ESPN and Rivals.

Tight Ends Coach: Mike Saffell, 2nd Season

Saffell, who was a four-year letterwinner as an offensive lineman for the Golden Bears (2017-20), has spent the past four seasons on Cal's football staff as a student coach (2021), graduate assistant (2022-23) and tight ends coach (2024-present).
Saffell played in 28 career games with 23 starts including all 17 Cal contests at center during his 2019 junior and 2020 senior campaigns.
Helped Cal to back-to-back bowl games with the Bears appearing at the Cheez-It Bowl in 2018 before knocking off Illinois at the 2019 Redbox Bowl to finish 8-5 overall.
Named the Pac-12's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a 2020 senior, as well as a team captain, and a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy that are considered college football's premier academic and community service awards, respectively.

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