Cal’s offense got little love from the preseason all-ACC magazines, and the biggest miss might be at quarterback.
Athlon, Lindy’s and Phil Steele all released their 2026 all-ACC picks, and none of them put a Cal player on the first- or second-team lists. Lindy’s went even further, leaving Golden Bears off its first-, second- and third-team squads entirely.
That’s a hard sell when you look at the Cal skill talent. Sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, wide receivers Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks, and tight ends Dorian Thomas and Mason Mini all have a case to be among the league’s better players at their spots. But the magazines didn’t see it that way.
The few Cal players who did surface were pushed down the board. Jayden Wayne landed on Athlon’s and Phil Steele’s fourth teams, Adam Mohammed made Athlon’s fourth team at running back, Ricky Fletcher was a fourth-team selection by Athlon, and punter Angus Davies was placed on Phil Steele’s fourth team.
The quarterback snub stands out the most. If the ACC were packed with elite passers, Sagapolutele getting brushed aside would make more sense. But the source material makes clear that Darian Mensah is the only ACC quarterback viewed as one of the nation’s best, which leaves plenty of room for Sagapolutele to have been rated higher.
His lone recognition was a fourth-team nod from Athlon. Phil Steele left him off entirely, which is a notable omission given the attention Cal and Tosh Lupoi drew for keeping him in Berkeley after his breakout freshman season.
Sagapolutele also closed 2025 on a strong note, throwing seven touchdown passes without an interception over the final four games. That late-season surge points upward. Still, two factors appear to be dragging down his preseason profile: Cal’s 7-6 finish in 2025 and the fact that the Bears are not projected to contend for an ACC title in 2026.
There’s also the coaching angle. Sagapolutele will be playing for a head coach in Lupoi who has never been a head coach before, and an offensive coordinator in Jordan Somerville who has never been a coordinator before. The article suggests that may be enough for “experts” to hold back.
The receivers got a little more traction, but not enough. Strong showed up on Athlon’s third team and Phil Steele’s fourth team, while Hendricks made Athlon’s fourth team and Phil Steele’s fourth team. Lindy’s left both off all three of its teams.
That feels light, especially when you consider how those publications spread the position around. Lindy’s listed four wideouts on its first- and second-team groups, while Phil Steele put three receivers on each of its four all-conference teams.
Hendricks’ résumé is strong, even if it comes with a caveat. He led his conference in receiving yards in 2025 with 1,037 and was a second-team all-conference selection, but that came in the Mid-American Conference. He now has to prove he can do it in the ACC.
Strong’s case is a little different. He ranked fifth in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game in 2025, but he was behind Rutgers teammate DJ Duff, a second-team all-Big Ten pick, and played on a Rutgers team that went 2-7 in the Big Ten.
At tight end, Dorian Thomas at least got some recognition. Athlon and Phil Steele both placed him on their third teams, while Lindy’s did not include him.
Thomas was a first-team all-Mountain West pick at New Mexico in 2025, when he ranked second in the country among tight ends with 56 receptions. But, again, that production came in the Mountain West.
Mini, meanwhile, didn’t appear on any of the three magazines’ all-ACC teams. That’s a little surprising given that he was Cal’s starting tight end last season as a redshirt sophomore and led all returning Bears with 35 catches, 387 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs in 2025.
How Cal handles the tight end position in 2026 will shape both players’ chances. Thomas is expected to be the Bears’ starting tight end, though that is not locked in. Offensive coordinator Somerville could also use two-tight end sets to get Thomas and Mini on the field together, but if they split the job, it may be tough for either one to post the kind of numbers that grab preseason attention.