Cal’s 2027 recruiting class took another hit with the loss of running back AJ Sanders III, who has de-committed from the Bears, according to Rivals.
Sanders, a three-star prospect from C.E. King High School in Houston, Texas, had pledged to Cal in April. He is listed at 6-foot and 205 pounds, and his offer sheet included LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, Houston, Missouri and others before he made that commitment.
His departure makes him the sixth member of Cal’s 2027 class to back off the pledge, joining four high school recruits and one junior college prospect. The other de-commitments are tight end Rahzario Edwards, now committed to Mississippi; safety Myles Baker, now committed to UCLA; offensive tackle Amaziah Siale, now committed to LSU; linebacker Broncs Baker, now committed to West Virginia; and defensive back Alius May, the No. 1-rated junior college prospect, now committed to Georgia.
Broncs Baker had originally committed while Justin Wilcox was still Cal’s head coach. The others had committed to current head coach Tosh Lupoi.
Cal still has a commitment from four-star quarterback Dane Weber, though he has reportedly been wavering as UCLA pushes to land him. The Bears also still have running back Jaxsen Stokes committed for 2027.
The class remains highly regarded despite the recent movement. Cal’s 2027 group is ranked 23rd nationally and fourth in the ACC by 247Sports Composite, while Rivals Industry Composite has it 25th in the country and fourth in the conference.
For now, the bigger concern is the state of the backfield on the field. Cal’s rushing attack has struggled badly over the past two seasons, and this year the Bears rank 137th out of 138 FBS teams in rushing yards per game at 82.8. Their 3.02 yards per carry is better than only three teams in the nation.
Cal enters Saturday’s road game at Virginia with a 3-6 record. The Bears are on a three-game losing streak, and all three defeats came by lopsided margins.
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