Cal safety Kingston Lopa is turning heads at a pace few players in the country can match.
In just three games, the Oregon transfer has piled up 17 tackles and a nation-best five interceptions, numbers that have him rated by Pro Football Focus as the second-best safety in the FBS. That production has pushed him into the national spotlight, with plenty of projections already placing him as a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
The biggest jolt in his breakout came after Cal’s first ACC win of the season, when Lopa picked off Syracuse three times. The haul brought a wave of recognition: Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik Award National Player of the Week and ACC Defensive Back of the Week.
“It’s a blessing to be in those types of positions,” Lopa said in the Syracuse postgame press conference. “I trust in what I do everyday and (go) out there on Saturday and (do) what I do all week.”
The 6’5” Sacramento native followed head coach Tosh Lupoi from Oregon to Cal and has wasted no time making an impact in his redshirt sophomore season. Every interception seems to send his draft stock higher, and the early returns have been loud enough to make him one of the season’s fastest risers.
His three-interception night against Syracuse also put him in rare company. He became the first Bear since now-Baltimore Ravens safety Jaylinn Hawkins in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl to record three picks in a game.
Lopa’s emergence also fits neatly into Cal’s recent reputation for producing defensive backs. He joins names such as Nohl Williams, who was the last Cal player to finish a season leading the nation in interceptions, and Hezekiah Masses, who tied for the NFL lead in interceptions after Week 2 this season. It all feeds into the program’s “Defensive Back University” label.
“Lopa has probably been the biggest NFL Draft riser during the early part of this college football season,” wrote Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated.
His bond with Lupoi has been a major part of the story, too. The head coach said Lopa is “like a son” to him, and that kind of trust matters on a defense with a lot of new faces trying to come together quickly.
The breakout may feel sudden, but Lopa arrived with real credentials. He was a four-star recruit out of Grant High School, though even across all of his high school seasons he totaled just four interceptions - a number he has already surpassed at Cal in three games. He also played wide receiver in high school, where he caught 16 touchdowns and gained 711 yards, and that background may be helping him see the ball the way he does now on defense.
Bears defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings said the production is no surprise.
“It’s really a show of his work over the last nine months since he’s gotten here,” Hutchings said. “The public is starting to see it, but we’re going to keep building. The work is not done at all.”
Lopa will try to keep the streak going Friday night, when Cal hosts Clemson under the lights at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. He’s looking for his fourth straight game with an interception.
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Cals Swinney Just Became An Unexpected Clemson Storyline
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For Cal, the more relevant part is who Bastian Swinney has become up front. The sixth-year center has settled in as a steady leader on the offensive line, giving the Bears a veteran presence in the middle while an unexpected off-field storyline gives the matchup a little extra color. The question now is less about any actual connection and more about how Cals line handles the attention that has come with it. [Read more 🡒]