# 2015 California Golden Bears football team

The 2015 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Sonny Dykes and played their home games at Memorial Stadium.
At the beginning of the season, Cal jumped out to a 5–0 start, their best since 2007. In Week 3, the Bears defeated Texas 45–44 in Austin, marking the program's first-ever victory over the Longhorns. The following week, Cal beat Washington 30–24, earning their first victory in Seattle since 2005 and snapping a six-game losing streak to the Huskies. Cal then went on to lose five of its next six games, including losses to rivals UCLA, USC, and Oregon, and a 13-point loss to arch-rival Stanford for their sixth consecutive Big Game defeat. The Golden Bears rebounded with a 54–24 win over last-place Oregon State, in which Cal gained a school-record 760 yards while becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011. With a 48–46 win over Arizona State on Senior Day, Cal finished the regular season with a 7–5 record, clinching their first winning season since 2011. They finished the year 8–5 including a 55–36 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Nevertheless, at 4–5 Cal finished with a losing Pac-12 record for the third consecutive season.
The 2015 season was the last at Cal for three-year starting quarterback Jared Goff, who entered the program at the same time as Dykes and set 26 team records during his time in Berkeley. Following the Armed Forces Bowl, Goff declared for the 2016 NFL draft. He was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Rams, and went on to lead the Rams to Super Bowl LIII.
Following the season, Sonny Dykes' contract was extended until 2019, owing to the team's athletic and academic improvements during his tenure.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Grambling State* | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 73–14 | 60,606 |
| September 12 | 2:00 p.m. | San Diego State* | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 35–7 | 50,830 |
| September 19 | 7:30 p.m. | at Texas* | | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX | FOX | W 45–44 | 91,568 |
| September 26 | 2:00 p.m. | at Washington | | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | W 30–24 | 61,066 |
| October 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Washington State | No. 24 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 34–28 | 42,042 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Utah | No. 23 | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT (College GameDay) | ESPN | L 24–30 | 47,798 |
| October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at UCLA | No. 20 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 24–40 | 57,046 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | USC | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | FOX | L 21–27 | 52,060 |
| November 7 | 7:30 p.m. | at Oregon | | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | ESPN2 | L 28–44 | 56,604 |
| November 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Oregon State | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 54–24 | 41,874 |
| November 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Stanford | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (Big Game) | ESPN | L 22–35 | 51,424 |
| November 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Arizona State | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | FS1 | W 48–46 | 45,385 |
| December 29 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Air Force* | | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (Armed Forces Bowl) | ESPN | W 55–36 | 38,915 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Before Cal |
| Sonny Dykes | Head Coach | Louisiana Tech - Head Coach 2010-2012 |
| Tony Franklin | Offensive coordinator/QB/RB | Louisiana Tech – Offensive coordinator/QB 2010-2012 |
| Art Kaufman | Defensive coordinator | Cincinnati – Defensive coordinator/linebackers 2013 |
| Greg Burns | Linebackers | Umass – Defensive backs 2013 |
| Brandon Jones | Run Game Coordinator/offensive line | East Carolina – Offensive line 2010-2014 |
| John Lovett | Defensive backs | Philadelphia Eagles – Defensive backs 2013-2014 |
| Jacob Peeler | Wide receivers | Cal - Graduate assistant, offense/wide receivers 2013-2014 |
| Fred Tate | Defensive line | Cincinnati - Defensive tackles (2013) |
| Mark Tommerdahl | Assistant head coach/special teams coordinator | Louisiana Tech - Special teams coordinator/inside receivers 2009–2012 |
| Damon Harrington | Head Strength and Conditioning | Louisiana Tech - Head strength and conditioning 2006–2012 |
| Dr. Casey Batten | Team Physician | University of California San Francisco, Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedics - Prior to 2006 |
| Source: California Golden Bears Football 2015 Coaching Staff |||

### Recruiting
#### Incoming class 2015

SCOUT RIVALS, ESPN, as well as the official roster are the primary sources. The incoming class was ranked #25 by Rivals, #36 by Scout, and #53 by ESPN.
College recruiting information (2015) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Ross Bowers QB | Bothell, WA | Bothell High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Jul 18, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Austin Aaron WR | Napa, CA | Napa High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | -- | Apr 19, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Greyson Bankhead WR | Corona, CA | Centennial High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | -- | May 2, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Kanawi Noa WR | Honolulu, HI | Punahou School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | -- | Dec 18, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Brandon Singleton WR | Boutte, LA | Hahnville High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.5 | -- |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Carlos Strickland WR | Dallas, TX | Skyline High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 4.48 | Jan 27, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Lonny Powell RB | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | -- | May 8, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Ryan Gibson OL | Bay Saint Louis, MS | St. Stanislaus High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | 5.0 | Jun 19, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Patrick Mekari OL | Westlake Village, CA | Westlake High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | -- | Dec 16, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Semisi Uluave OL | Honolulu, HI | Punahou School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | -- | Feb 4, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Trevor Howard DE | Westlake Village, CA | Oaks Christian High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | -- | Aug 10, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Zeandae Johnson DE | Fresno, CA | Central High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.66 | Jun 28, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Cameron Saffle DE | Sammamish, WA | Skyline High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | -- | Dec 17, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| DeVante Wilson DE | Riverside, CA | Riverside City College | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | 4.6 | Dec 14, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Russell Ude DT | Atlanta, GA | Westminster Schools | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 264 lb (120 kg) | -- | -- |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Luc Bequette DT | Little Rock, AR | Catholic High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 5.0 | Aug 3, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Derron Brown S | Laveen, AZ | San Diego Mesa College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | -- | Dec 1, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Billy McCrary III S | Leander, TX | Rouse High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 4.38 | Nov 25, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Evan Rambo S | Pasadena, CA | La Salle High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | -- | Nov 18, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Khari Vanderbilt S | San Jose, CA | San Jose City College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | -- | Jun 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Jaylinn Hawkins CB | Buena Park, CA | Buena Park High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | -- | Feb 4, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Malik Psalms CB | Chino Hills, CA | Ayala High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | -- | Apr 20, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Antoine Albert CB | Pleasant Hill, CA | Diablo Valley College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.50 | Dec 18, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Dylan Klumph P | Encino, CA | Golden West College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | -- | -- |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

#### Commitments for 2016

SCOUT RIVALS and ESPN are the primary sources. As of 10/9/2015 the 2016 class is ranked #25 by Rivals# and #38 by Scout.
College recruiting information (2016) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Zion Echols ATH | Covina, CA | Charter Oak High School | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 169 lb (77 kg) | 4.53 | May 23, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Armani Rogers QB | Los Angeles, CA | Alexander Hamilton High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.72 | Feb 23, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Max Gilliam QB | Thousand Oaks, CA | Thousand Oaks High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 4.62 | Apr 10, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Derrick Clark RB | San Diego, CA | Mission Bay Senior High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | -- | Apr 11, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Drew Kobayashi WR | Honolulu, HI | Saint Louis School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.54 | Jun 18, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Matt Laris WR | Sammamish, WA | Eastside Catholic School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 4.75 | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Melquise Stovall WR/RB | Lancaster, CA | Paraclete High School | 5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | -- | Dec 21, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Logan Gamble WR | Long Beach, CA | Saint Anthony High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 4.70 | Jun 15, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Jordan Veasy WR | Itawamba, MA | Itawamba Community College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | -- | Dec 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Marloshawn Franklin CB | Detroit, MI | Mesa Community College | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | -- | Dec 16, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Traveon Beck CB | Bellflower, CA | St. John Bosco High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.54 | May 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Josh Drayden CB | Dallas, TX | Bishop Dunne Catholic School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.40 | Jun 14, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Camryn Bynum CB | Corona, CA | Centennial High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 4.66 | Jul 1, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Evan Weaver DE | Spokane, WA | Gonzaga Preparatory School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.75 | Aug 14, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Russell Becker DE | Fergus Falls, MN | Minnesota State Community and Technical College | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | -- | Jun 22, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Chris Yaghi DT | Santa Ana, CA | Foothill High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | 5.2 | Jul 4, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Tevin Paul DT | Austin, TX | Lake Travis High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 268 lb (122 kg) | 4.85 | Jul 13, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| A.J. McCollum OL | San Francisco, CA | City College of San Francisco | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | -- | Jul 24, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Gentle Williams OG | Florence, MS | Florence High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 278 lb (126 kg) | 5.17 | Aug 4, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Gentle Williams OG | Florence, MS | Florence High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 278 lb (126 kg) | 5.17 | Aug 4, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Dwayne Wallace OG | Riverside, CA | Riverside Community College | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 340 lb (150 kg) | -- | Dec 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Jake Curhan OT | Larkspur, CA | Redwood High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | -- | May 15, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Daniel Juarez OT | Corona, CA | Centennial High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 292 lb (132 kg) | 5.57 | Apr 15, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Francisco Perez OT | Baldwin Park, CA | Baldwin Park High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 301 lb (137 kg) | 5.75 | Jul 2, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | 23 | 20 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | 23 | 19 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Grambling State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Golden Bears | 35 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 73 |

### San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aztecs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### Texas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 45 |
| Longhorns | 7 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 44 |

### Washington

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
| Huskies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 24 |

### Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| #24 Golden Bears | 7 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 34 |

### Utah

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #23 Golden Bears | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| #5 Utes | 10 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 30 |

### UCLA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #20 Golden Bears | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 24 |
| Bruins | 10 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 40 |

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 27 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |

### Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 10 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 28 |
| Ducks | 3 | 28 | 3 | 10 | 44 |

### Oregon State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Beavers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 17 | 20 | 10 | 54 |

### Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 22 |
| Cardinal | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |

### Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sun Devils | 10 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 46 |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 7 | 21 | 17 | 48 |

### Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 14 | 21 | 17 | 3 | 55 |
| Falcons | 7 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 36 |