2026 University of California Depth Chart
Quarterback leverage and offensive context
Cal’s fantasy engine is still Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: he already handled a true “QB-as-offense” workload as a freshman (492 attempts, 3,454 yards, 18 TD) and returns as the clear starter with program-level priority on keeping him in Berkeley.
The bigger story for projections is that the pass rate and the coaching context both support banking on volume rather than chasing a surprise style shift—Cal threw 506 times last year, and Tosh Lupoi’s first OC hire (Jordan Somerville) comes from a QB-development/passing-game background, with the published scheme label across depth-chart services pointing toward an up-tempo spread ecosystem.
With that as the baseline, the QB2/QB3 ordering is purely contingency value: Jackson Brousseau profiles as the most plausible “next man up” transfer-add behind the entrenched starter, while EJ Caminong is the most relevant stash of the remaining depth if chaos hits.
Receiver hierarchy and target concentration
The depth-chart tension at WR isn’t “who’s talented,” it’s “how targets redistribute if Jacob De Jesus doesn’t return”—because he soaked up elite PPR volume (108 catches) in 2025, and his 2026 status has been publicly framed as uncertain/limbo-dependent rather than a clean return.
In that likely-vacuum, Chase Hendricks and Ian Strong separate from the field: both arrive with top-of-portal validation from both 247Sports and On3, and both bring production that translates into immediate route priority (Hendricks: 71-1,037-7 at Ohio; Strong: 52-762-5 at Rutgers).
I’m ranking Hendricks slightly ahead because his portal consensus is marginally stronger (including being labeled the No. 16 transfer WR by both outlets) and because he’s already demonstrated true alpha-volume capability on a weekly basis, whereas Strong’s appeal is more “Power-conference proof + efficiency,” which can land anywhere from co-WR1 to high-end WR2 depending on how Cal sequences touches.
Backfield, tight ends, and scoring roles
The RB room is the opposite of bankable: last year’s touchdown-heavy lead back Kendrick Raphael (232 carries, 13 rush TD) is now an outgoing portal departure, and the replacements are multiple credible committee pieces rather than a single obvious bell cow.
Adam Mohammed gets the first fantasy back slot because his portal profile is the cleanest “talent + role-fit” combination (rated as high as a top-6 transfer RB by both 247Sports and On3) and he has enough pass-game involvement (17 catches at Washington in 2025) to survive game scripts.
Ashten Emory is the most direct challenger for weekly usability thanks to comparable rushing volume plus receiving TDs at UTEP, while Carter Vargas is the high-leverage upside piece (explosive per-touch profile and receiving efficiency) but carries the classic small-school/step-up translation and durability risk (his UC Davis bio notes an injury-shortened 2025).
At TE, Dorian Thomas is the clearest “bet on routes” addition—he produced true TE1 usage last season (56-560-4) and is labeled a top-6 transfer TE by both major outlets—while Mason Mini stays fantasy-relevant as the most proven in-house red-zone/route-running complement (35-387-4 in 2025).
Kicker stays Chase Meyer for projection purposes: he has the returning job-resume (10-of-13 FGs in 2025), even with Towns McGough added as real competition.