Cal assistant general manager Marshall Cherrington threw up the bat signal five times on Saturday — and at least one commitment has gone public.
Elyjah Staples, a 6-foot-4 and 205-pound 2027 athlete/linebacker/edge of Marquez High School (Huntington Park, CA), announced his commitment to the Golden Bears in a late-night Instagram post, tagging Cal linebackers coach Bob Gregory.
http://instagr.am/p/DY_aGvFxesh
Staples is a four-star according to both On3 and 247 Sports’ composite rankings and chose Berkeley — which offered him a scholarship on March 7 — over BYU.
In April, he was the MVP among linebackers at Under Armour’s “Next Camp” in Los Angeles.
A multi-sport athlete with rich experience in volleyball, basketball and track, Staples is just the latest highly touted recruit to call Cal home. Elite 11 quarterback Dane Weber announced his commitment to the Bears on Thursday.
Staples made 95 tackles and nine sacks in 2025, according to MaxPreps. On offense, he made 35 receptions for 1,137 yards and 22 touchdowns; talk about a two-way player.
Staples shared his Hudl highlights to X, formerly known as Twitter, in December.
247 Sports’ Greg Biggins illuminated Staples’ athleticism in a write-up on the prospect.
“One of the region’s top two-spot athletes who earned League Player of the Year honors in football and basketball as a sophomore,” Biggins wrote. “Two-way player who shone as an edge rusher and tight end and is getting looks on both sides of the ball. Frame-wise, linebacker could be his best position at the college level, but he’s a dominant pass rusher off the edge. Physical at the point of attack and runs right through opposing tackles and fullbacks.
“Shows both short area burst getting up the field and has the speed to chase down plays from behind. Speed shows up at tight end and he has strong hands at the catch point and wins 50-50 balls. Plays with a relentless motor and has some real suddenness in his game. Upside will ultimately be determined by his frame and if he grows a few more inches, but the natural athleticism and skill set are high and he’s an easy high Power 4 prospect.”
Staples’ older brother, Ezavier, played wideout at UCLA, adding another storyline to the Week 1 matchup between the Bears and Bruins in Berkeley.
The Los Angeles Times did a nice feature on Staples in September; for those interested, here’s the link.
