Cal's exit and departure may soon be like it used to be. The Bears reorganized after several departures this spring, and now post coach Julian Griffin is starting to build for the future.

The Bears announced his promise as a key part of the Bears after Victor Santino visited Berkeley on Sunday night. Utah, Boise State and Sacramento State are all lined up on Torrance-Bishop’s Montgomery Star, but his hiring is closed and he is now the latest member of Cal’s 2026 2026 recruitment class.

The visit was a decision on Santino, a decision provided by Cal two years ago. It gives him the opportunity to spend more time around the staff and the school to fulfill his commitments.

“For me, the most memorable part has to be the meetings I attended,” he said. “Cal has a lot of resources for student-athletes.”

Santino has developed a strong relationship with the CAL coaching staff over the past few years, and the Bears have grown in recruiting. However, his growing bond with Griffin, who moved to California in the offseason five years later at UTSA, is crucial to pushing things to the program.

"I already know him very well," Santino said earlier. "I have something in common with him. He is a cool coach and I like him trying to connect with me instead of keeping all the football on it. He also checked my personal life."

Santino's previously mentioned "culture" has attracted his appeal about the Bears and now he will have the opportunity to be a key part of the CAL's backcourt future.

His decision also continued the trend of landing in Berkeley's advanced running prospects. This is the second straight cycle, with Cal adding four-star prospects after the 2025-grade Anthony League vows.

The league will join the Bears in the coming weeks to start his freshman campaign.

Santino made it clear that his recruitment wasn't just football, but the resources he could provide him throughout the process certainly attracted him.

"It's a beautiful city and a scholar," Santino said. "They went to the ACC, which was a big conference. Another thing attracted me into education."

Santino's commitment pushes the bears into the top 40 in the competitor team recruitment rankings. Overall, Cal added three commitments to its latest big visit weekend, including offensive tackles Elisha Faamatuainu and De la Salle defensive lineman Nemyah Telona.