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Nico Iamaleava is not the only high-profile college football player making a move in the transfer portal this spring.
Cal running back Jaydn Ott entered the portal and has committed to Oklahoma. The Sooners announced Ott's commitment on Tuesday. Oklahoma also announced that it has landed former Stanford offensive lineman Jake Maikkula.
Ott has been one of the most productive running backs in college football in recent seasons. As a sophomore in 2023, he rushed 246 times for 1,315 yards and 12 TDs while also catching 25 passes for 169 yards and two scores. Only 13 players had more rushing yards than Ott did two years ago.
Ott was hampered by injuries in 2024 and missed two games. He also wasn’t his usual self when he was on the field. He had just 116 carries for 385 yards and four scores. It was the worst season of his career after he had 170 attempts for 897 yards and eight touchdowns with 46 catches for 345 yards and three TDs through the air as a freshman.
His departure is an obvious loss for a Cal team that went 6-6 in its first season in the ACC in 2024. And the Bears were already pretty thin at running back with him in the fold. Ott will be the fourth Cal running back to leave the program via the transfer portal after the season, though the team does return Jaivian Thomas for 2025. Thomas ended up leading the team in rushing a season ago with 100 carries for 626 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the only player with double-digit carries to average more than five yards a rush for Cal in 2024.
Maikkula made 11 starts in 12 appearances for the Cardinal last season on the interior line. He'll have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
