Elite recruit Hayden Stepp’s final four schools show Tosh Lupoi has Cal on the rise

This offseason, Cal made the decision to move on from head coach Justin Wilcox, despite the fact that the team had shown some promise for the future. Cal has the potential to be a power in this NIL and revenue-sharing era, but the program needed a head coach who could help drive interest in the program. General Manager Ron Rivera seemingly hit a home run with his decision to hire Tosh Lupoi.

Before his coaching career, Tosh Lupoi played for the Golden Bears which will help Cal retain their head coach long term. Add in the fact that Lupoi has been an ace recruiter and an incredible defensive coordinator for Oregon, and the hiring seemed perfect. In his first recruiting cycle as Cal's head coach, Tosh Lupoi is proving a new era is here.

Cal shows major strides cracking the final 4 for elite recruit Hayden Stepp

On Friday, elite defensive back recruit Hayden Stepp named his final 4 schools with Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, and Cal making the cut.

Typically, for a player like Hayden Stepp, who could end the cycle as a 5-star recruit, seeing Oregon, Georgia, and Alabama in the mix is normal. Cal becoming a team contending for this level of player, however, isn't the norm, and shows just how powerful the Golden Bears are becoming.

Hayden Stepp is the 27th ranked player in the Country, the 4th ranked cornerback in the class, and the top player out of Nevada. Considering that every program would love to land a player like Stepp, Cal landing on that short list shows the momentum Lupoi is building.

The Golden Bears still have to try and beat out the traditional powers in Hayden Stepp's recruitment, but making this point is huge. Cal has a chance to start contending for every highly touted recruit on the West Coast, and if this season is promising, Cal could quickly become a new power in college football.