Cal defense undergoes a shakeup during transfer portal window

The California Golden Bears have undergone a shake up on defense during this transfer portal window. Starting with players who are departing Berkeley, redshirt sophomore inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, redshirt sophomore defensive back Tyson McWilliams, redshirt junior inside linebacker Blake Antzoulatos, and sophomore defensive back Jeremiah Earby have entered the transfer portal.

In 11 games played this past season, Elarms-Orr led the team with 92 total tackles (49 solo). He also had 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. He also had one interception. He is a major loss for a Bears defense that already was struggling. Elarms-Orr committed to Cal as a 3-star defensive end out of Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, CA. He had a 5.6 Rivals rating and was part of Cal’s 2021 class. After two quiet seasons, one of which was a redshirt, he really blossomed in 2023.

Moving on to McWilliams, he played four seasons at Cal, totaling 14 tackles (9 solo) and 1.0 tackle for loss in eight games played. All of his stats were accumulated in the 2022 season in which he played in six games.

McWilliams committed to Cal as a 3-star cornerback out of St. Augustine High School in San Diego, CA. He had a 5.6 Rivals rating and was part of Cal’s 2020 class. He never really did much at Cal, but he was a contributor for them in the 2022 season. In 2023, he only saw two games of action, so it makes sense why he would be looking for a new home.

As for Antzoulatos, during his four years at Cal, he played in 22 games. In those games, he finished with 32 total tackles (14 solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. This past season, he had 15 total tackles (4 solo), and the one interception of his career.

Antzoulatos committed to Cal as a 3-star inside linebacker out of Chaminade High School in West Hills, CA. He had a 5.6 Rivals rating and was part of the Bears’ 2019 class.

Wrapping up with Earby, during his two years at Cal, he totaled 62 tackles (39 solo) in 24 games played. He also had two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and 17 pass deflections. His freshman season in 2022 was better than his sophomore season. That season, he had 36 total tackles (19 solo), one interception, two fumble recoveries, and 11 pass deflections. So he had a slight dip in 2023, but was still very productive.

For Cal, none of these are guys who they would like to lose though Elarms-Orr is clearly the name that pops out the most. He was the heart and soul of the Bears’ front seven this past season and is a guy who they would have loved to have built around for the coming seasons. Earby while not as productive as Elarms-Orr, is a tough guy for them to lose as well. He showed a lot of potential and promise during his first two seasons in Berkeley.

On the bright side, Cal did pick up UC Davis transfer linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who was a real tackle machine during his four years with the Aggies. He seems to be a really nice pick up for the Bears, who should be able to make an immediate impact on their defense. It’ll be fun to see what impact he has and how he makes the adjustment to power five football. For more on what Buchanan will bring to the Bears, check out what GoldenBearReport.com had to say about him here.