Cal Adds Three More To 2022 Recruiting Class

BERKELEY – Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox announced Wednesday on National Signing Day that Cal has signed a trio of student-athletes to National Letters of Intent in OL Jackson Brown (Danville, CA/San Ramon HS), QB Fernando Mendoza (Miami, FL/Columbus HS) and CB Cam Sidney (Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei HS). The signing of the trio increases the size of Cal's 2022 recruiting class to 17.

"We are excited to add three talented players to our 2022 recruiting class," Wilcox said. "You are always looking to improve the personnel in your program any way you can, and we have done that by bringing in this trio of student-athletes. In today's college football world, there are many opportunities to improve your personnel including by signing student-athletes on what has been the traditional National Signing Day on the first Wednesday in February."

Twelve of the 17 student-athletes in Cal's current 2022 recruiting class list hometowns in the footprint of Pac-12 schools with six from California (Brown; DL Nate Burrell, Los Angeles, CA; DE Xavier Carlton, Modesto, CA; DB Jeremiah Earby, East Palo Alto, CA; RB Jaydn Ott, Norco, CA; Sidney), two from both Arizona (OL Nick Morrow, Flagstaff, AZ; QB Jack Plummer, Gilbert, AZ) and Nevada (RB Ashton Hayes, Reno, NV; OL Sioape Vatikani, Sun Valley, NV), and one each from Colorado (OLB Nunie Tuitele, Aurora, CO) and Washington (WR Mason Starling, Tacoma, WA).

OL Trent Ramsey (Palm Harbor, FL), ILB Jackson Sirmon (Brentwood, TN) and WR Jaiven Plummer (Alexandria, VA) also have ties to the Pac-12 footprint. Ramsey played at Higley High School in Arizona as a freshman and sophomore before moving to Florida and was the right guard in his second prep season when Cal quarterback Kai Milner was a senior. Plummer lived in the Sacramento area, as well as Texas and Japan, before moving to Virginia. Sirmon, the son of Cal defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator Peter Sirmon, played four collegiate seasons at Washington and one varsity high school campaign as sophomore at Loyola High School in Los Angeles.

Nine high school players in the 2022 recruiting class have a top-60 national ranking within their position group including a pair of top-30 running backs in Ott (Rivals, No. 15) and Hayes (Rivals, No. 28). The others include Vatikani (No. 26 247 Sports, No. 26 IOL), Ramsey (Rivals, No. 26 OT), Burrell (ESPN, No. 35 DE), Sidney (ESPN, No. 44 CB), Thomas (247Sports Composite, No. 45 EDGE), Brown (247Sports Composite, No. 51 OT) and Javien Plummer (ESPN, No. 59 WR). In addition, Starling is ESPN's No. 4 wide receiver in the 2022 junior college recruiting class, while Carlton was a consensus four-star recruit and checked in as 247Sports' No. 9 strongside defensive end in the 2020 high school class, Sirmon was the No. 17 inside linebacker according to Rivals and Jack Plummer the No. 17 pro style quarterback of 247Sports, both in the prep class of 2018.

Cal's current 2022 recruiting class includes 10 offensive players (Brown, Hayes, Mendoza, Morrow, Ott, Jack Plummer, Jaiven Plummer, Ramsey, Starling, Vatikani) and seven on the defensive side of the ball (Burrell, Carlton, Earby, Sidney, Sirmon, Thomas IV, Tuitele).

Further additions to the 2022 Cal football recruiting class are expected via the transfer portal, as well as during the regular signing period that started Wednesday with National Signing Day and runs through Apr. 1, 2022.
Cal has five mid-year enrollees who have started classes during the 2022 spring semester in Berkeley in Carlton, Ott, Plummer, Sirmon and Starling. The remaining members of the class are expected to join the program prior to the team's 2022 season.

2022 Cal Football Recruiting Class (As Of February 2, 2022)
 
NAME – POS – HT – WT – YR – EXP – HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS) – DATE ANNOUNCED
Jackson Brown – OL – 6-6 – 295 – Fr. – 1st – Danville, CA (San Ramon Valley HS) – February 2, 2022
Nate Burrell – DL – 6-2 – 265 – Fr. – 1st – Los Angeles, CA (St. John Bosco HS) – December 15, 2021
Xavier Carlton^ – DE – 6-6 – 270 – Jr. – 3rd – Modesto, CA (Utah/Juan Diego Catholic HS/Modesto Christian HS) – January 20, 2022
Jeremiah Earby – DB – 6-2 – 170 – Fr. – 1st – East Palo Alto, CA (Menlo-Atherton HS) – December 15, 2021
Ashton Hayes – RB – 6-0 – 185 – Fr. – 1st – Reno, NV (McQueen HS) – December 15, 2021
Fernando Mendoza – QB – 6-5 – 215 – Fr. – 1st – Miami, FL (Columbus HS/Belen Jesuit HS) – February 2, 2022
Nick Morrow – OL – 6-8 – 255 – Fr. – 1st – Flagstaff, AZ (Flagstaff HS) – December 15, 2021
Jaydn Ott^ – RB – 6-0 – 210 – Fr. – 1st – Chino, CA (Norco HS) – December 15, 2021
Jack Plummer^ – QB – 6-5 – 215 – R-Jr. – 5th – Gilbert, AZ (Purdue/Gilbert HS) – January 20, 2022
Jaiven Plummer – WR – 6-3 – 200 – Fr. – 1st – Alexandria, VA (Episcopal HS) – December 15, 2021
Trent Ramsey – OL – 6-5 – 290 – Fr. – 1st – Palm Harbor, FL (Carrollwood Day School) – December 15, 2021
Cam Sidney – CB – 5-11 – 175 – Fr. – 1st – Riverside, CA (Mater Dei HS) – February 2, 2022
Jackson Sirmon^ – ILB – 6-2 – 235 – R-Jr. – 5th – Brentwood, TN (Washington/Brentwood Academy/Loyola HS) – January 20, 2022
Mason Starling^ – WR – 6-4 – 205 – Jr. – 5th – Tacoma, WA (College of San Mateo/Rainier Beach HS) – December 15, 2021
Curlee Thomas IV – EDGE – 6-3 – 240 – Fr. – 1st – Keller, TX (Nolan Catholic HS) – December 15, 2021
Nunie Tuitele – OLB – 6-4 – 240 – Fr. – 1st – Aurora, CO (Regis Jesuit HS) – December 15, 2021
Sioape Vatikani – OL – 6-3 – 320 – Fr. – HS – Sun Valley, NV (Bishop Manogue Catholic HS) – December 15, 2021
^January 2022 Mid-Year Enrollees