2024 California
6–7 (2–6 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Justin Wilcox. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Oregon State 44–7Oct 26
By 37 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Wake Forest 46–36Nov 8
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs UC Davis | W 31–13 | 75% |
| Sep 7 | at Auburn | W 21–14 | 43% |
| Sep 14 | vs San Diego State | W 31–10 | 71% |
| Sep 21 | at Florida State | L 9–14 | 40% |
| Oct 5 | vs 8Miami | L 38–39 | 46% |
| Oct 12 | at 22Pittsburgh | L 15–17 | 39% |
| Oct 19 | vs NC State | L 23–24 | 61% |
| Oct 26 | vs Oregon State | W 44–7 | 54% |
| Nov 8 | at Wake Forest | W 46–36 | 55% |
| Nov 16 | vs Syracuse | L 25–33 | 65% |
| Nov 23 | vs Stanford | W 24–21 | 80% |
| Nov 30 | at 9SMU | L 6–38 | 22% |
| Dec 18Bowls & playoff | vs 24UNLVLA Bowl | L 13–24 | 38% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to UNLV 24–13 in the LA Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In program history: The 45th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 112 on file).
- Record
- 6–7
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 14th in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 326–290
- Coach
- Justin Wilcox
- Elo
- 1521 +15 this season
- SP+ rating
- 4.0 No. 55 of 134; offense No. 65, defense No. 40, special teams No. 83
- SRS
- 1.8 No. 59 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 59% of last season’s EPA, No. 43 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 55 roster talent No. 47 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Mike Bloesch
- Defensive coordinator
- Peter Sirmon
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 2–4–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.11 | 41% | 1.35 | 63rd of 134 |
| Defense | 0.08 | 40% | 1.36 | 53rd of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.10 off 0.09 def | 41% off 39% def | — | 72nd off 55th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.1 | own 30 | 20% allowed |
| Defense | 3.2 | own 29 | 19% caused |
CORE rating 5.9, 46th of 134 (offense 0.6, defense -5.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Fernando Mendoza QB | 3,004 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Fernando Mendoza QB | 16 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jaivian Thomas RB | 626 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jaivian Thomas RB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jack Endries TE | 623 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Nyziah Hunter WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Teddye Buchanan LB | 108 tkl |
| Sacks | Xavier Carlton LB | 9 sacks |
| Interceptions | Nohl Williams DB | 7 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Trevor Rogers WR | ★★★★ | No. 454 |
| B.J. Canady DL | ★★★ | No. 646 |
| E.J. Caminong QB | ★★★ | No. 703 |
| Josiah Martin WR | ★★★ | No. 738 |
| Brooklyn Cheek S | ★★★ | No. 801 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 3.0 | 0.858 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.871 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.3 | 0.877 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.8 | 0.832 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.865 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.811 |
| Whole class | 20 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2025
The 2025 draft| Rd 3 | Nohl Williams CB | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Rd 4 | Craig Woodson S | New England Patriots |
| Rd 4 | Teddye Buchanan LB | Baltimore Ravens |
| Rd 6 | Marcus Harris CB | Tennessee Titans |
Roster 116
The 2024 roster116 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 23
The 2024 portal Marcus Harris CB | ★★★★ | from  Idaho |
 Kadarius Calloway RB | ★★★★ | from  Old Dominion |
 Mikey Matthews WR | ★★★★ | from  Utah |
 Tobias Merriweather WR | ★★★★ | from  Notre Dame |
 Chandler Rogers QB | ★★★ | from  North Texas |
 Jasiah Wagoner CB | ★★★ | from  Oklahoma |
 Kyion Grayes WR | ★★★ | from  Ohio State |
| Teddye Buchanan LB | ★★★ | from  UC Davis |
 Corey Dyches TE | ★★★ | from  Maryland |
 Jonathan Brady WR | ★★★ | from  New Mexico State |
 Ryan Yaites S | ★★★ | from  LSU |
 Liam Johnson LB | ★★★ | from  Princeton |
And 11 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 23
 Kaleb Elarms-Orr LB | ★★★★ | to  TCU |
| Jeremiah Hunter WR | ★★★ | to  Washington |
| Jeremiah Earby CB | ★★★ | to  Boise State |
| Sam Jackson WR | ★★★ | to  Auburn |
| Kaylin Moore CB | ★★★ | to  UCLA |
| Raymond Woodie III S | ★★★ | to  Bethune-Cookman |
| Sailasa Vadrawale CB | ★★★ | to  Oregon State |
| Myles Jernigan DE | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| Tiumalu Afalava DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Andy Alfieri TE | ★★★ | to Oregon State |
| Martin Tine OL | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| Ben Finley QB | ★★★ | to  Akron |
And 11 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMU | 8–0 | 11–3 | 12 |
 Clemson | 7–1 | 10–4 | 14 |
| Miami | 6–2 | 10–3 | 18 |
| Syracuse | 5–3 | 10–3 | 20 |
 Louisville | 5–3 | 9–4 | |
 Duke | 5–3 | 9–4 | |
 Georgia Tech | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
 Boston College | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 Virginia Tech | 4–4 | 6–7 | |
| Pittsburgh | 3–5 | 7–6 | |
| NC State | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 North Carolina | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
 Virginia | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| California | 2–6 | 6–7 | |
| Wake Forest | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Stanford | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida State | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.