Special teams could end up shaping Cal football in 2026 more than just about any other part of the roster.
That might sound like a bold claim, but the Bears spent the offseason treating that phase like a priority, not an afterthought. New head coach Tosh Lupoi and special teams coordinator Zach Tinker have clearly made it a point to raise the standard.
“We want to be known as the culture of the team,” Tinker said in April. “The pillars of the program - what we’re all about - relentless effort, ball excellence, power of unit - those are all encompassed in special teams.”
That message matters because Cal has lived through the kind of games where one kick, one punt or one snap changes everything. The kicking game in particular has been a sore spot for years, and the Bears are trying to turn that page with a new mix of familiar and fresh faces.
Meyer, who rejoined the Bears for 2026 after entering the transfer portal, was perfect on extra points in 2025, finishing 39-for-39. The problem has always been range. His career-long sits at just 47 yards, which leaves a clear opening for a bigger-legged option to handle the longer work.
That’s where Towns McGough comes in.
The Auburn, Alabama, native owns the high school state record for the longest field goal, a 60-yarder he drilled as a senior. But his college start was uneven after he was handed the kicking job as a true freshman with his hometown Tigers. McGough went 27-for-27 on extra points, but he made only 5 of 12 field goals and missed all five tries beyond 40 yards.
He then spent his sophomore year as Auburn’s second option before entering the portal.
Even with that rocky stretch, Cal sees a leg that can help stretch the field. McGough also brought serious kickoff value as a freshman, averaging 63.5 yards on 61 kickoffs with 44 touchbacks.
“At first, my strengths were my leg power and ball height for field goals and kickoffs. But now I can do a little bit of everything,” McGough said during Cal’s spring camp.
“I feel comfortable with anything probably inside of 53, 54 and in. I look forward to stretching out a little bit more as we get into the fall.”
Punting was another major problem area last season. Cal’s net punting average in 2025 was 37.73 yards per boot, which left the Bears No. 101 out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The new answer there is Angus Davies, an Australian punter who should give Lupoi a much different look on fourth down in 2026. Davies helped Tulsa finish as the No. 30 punting unit in FBS, totaling 2,044 yards on 47 punts and uncorking a long of 80 yards.
The Bears will also have redshirt freshman Erik Peters in the mix as a reserve option. Peters has a long of 49 yards from his senior year in high school and, despite never having punted before arriving in Berkeley, can back up both the kicking and punting units.
Behind all of them is a steady presence at long snapper in David Bird. Bird was originally recruited to Cal by Tinker, who was then a special teams quality control analyst.
Bird, the former No. 1 long snapper in his high school class, left Cal for a junior season at Alabama before returning. His experience and bowl game pedigree could matter a lot for a unit where clean execution can decide close games.
“I started with Cal. I wanted to finish with Cal,” Bird said during Cal’s spring camp.
“Tosh is building something really special here, and it’s rare that you’re able to be a part of the genesis of an elite program. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
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