Cal’s local inside linebacker with real early-career traction
BJ Jones is a 6-foot-2, 230-pound redshirt junior inside linebacker for California in the 2026 season, and he made appearances in eight games in 2025 after earlier seasons of no game action. His appeal is as a sturdy, homegrown linebacker from Oakland who gives Cal depth, physicality, and special-teams-ready experience, with the added bonus of a developmental arc that suggests more runway ahead. He also carried a meaningful off-field presence around the program, including community events, which hints at the kind of energy and buy-in teams love in a linebacker room.
