Ever since NIL and the portal have seeped into the college football world, there have been an immense number of changes all around. Players are taking off at a moment’s notice, and the coaches are deploying any ‘extreme’ measures they are allowed to do. Take the example of Matt Rhule, the man who has canceled spring games altogether and even made statements to support that. Other coaches, like Kirby Smart, are also facing the heat of the portal. While some, like Mario Cristobal, take advantage of it with their sneaky moves. Still, one head coach has been facing the negative aspects of the portal, quite brutally.

Justin Wilcox’s time at the California Golden Bears hasn’t been easy over the years. The team hasn’t finished with a winning season since 2019, and last season, moving to ACC from Pac-12 took a heavier toll on the team than expected. Many had thought that a change of scenery might do more good than harm since ACC isn’t as competitive as other conferences like SEC and Big10. Still, California finished at 6-7 even after starting their season with three straight wins. One of them is against Auburn. But the troubles for Justin Wilcox aren’t over yet.

So far, 4 running backs have opted for the transfer portal in just one day on April 15th and will be looking for pastures anew. Those players are Byron Cardwell, who was the 4-star RB of the 2021 class. Jaydn Ott and Justin Williams-Thomas are the 4-star running backs of the 2022 class. Lastly, the fourth player to request a transfer is Kadarius Calloway, another running back of the 2021 class. But why the sudden decision?

Wilcox had recently roped in a whole new coaching staff with changes at all the major positions. At offensive coordinator came Bryan Harsin, the former Auburn head coach, and at running backs came Julian Griffin, the former UTSA RBs coach. The hiring of Julian Griffin was expected to bring optimism within the RB room. Since this is the coach who had developed players like Sincere McCormick, who had two almost 1,500-yard seasons and had consistently helped deliver yards at UTSA. Even then, the RBs at California don’t seem too convinced by the idea and have decided. Although it’s just speculation as of now, the actual reason behind their transfer isn’t known yet.

All four running backs were some of the crucial pieces in California last year. For instance, Ott was the second-highest rusher last year and had produced 385 rushing yards. Calloway stood at third and helped California register 124 rushing yards whereas Cardwell produced 75 rushing yards last season. At first glance, the players do not look quite adept at their job. But that’s where stats get them wrong.

Are losing 4 players in one go a major loss for California and Wilcox?

Cardwell had played in nine games for Wilcox last year and was a crucial depth player in the setup. The only problem with Cardwell is that the majority of the player’s career is marred with constant injuries, due to which he missed the whole of the 2023 season. Before that, the player was at Oregon, and there too his career was marred by injuries as he managed to gain just 493 yards in the two seasons (2021,2022) he played. Then there is Jadyn Ott.

The running back had been with the Golden Bears for the past three seasons and had just one year of eligibility left in the tank. The Norco, California native’s first season was momentous as he ran for almost 900 yards, scoring eight touchdowns along with 345 receiving yards. This earned him a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Ott backed his freshman season performance up with another 1,000+ rushing yard season and was selected in the all-conference first team. The RB’s last season was a bit shaky, but his previous record surely will help him land in a ‘power’ team.

Lastly, Justin Williams and Kadarius Calloway, although not as prolific as Ott, still had their moments. Calloway transferred in from Old Dominion, where he had 623 rushing yards and was looking to be a solid player in the 2015 season. On the other hand, Williams had a less shiny tenure as the better part of his career was marred by injuries, as he played just 3 games for the team last year. The verdict?

The departure of 4 RBs in one go would surely hurt Wilcox and California. Now it remains to be seen how the RB room takes shape. Or could we see more RBs like Javian Thomas opting for the portal route?