Cal’s 2021 roster continues to grow as the Bears added Raymond Woodie III, a former four-star recruit, through the transfer portal.

Woodie III, who has played safety at Florida State for the past two seasons, received an offer from Cal in 2017 and was reportedly recruited heavily by the Bears. The Florida local eventually elected to attend Florida State, where his father, Raymond Woodie, coached the inside linebacker unit. Woodie has since left the Seminoles for an assistant position with Florida Atlantic University.

The blue and gold’s newest defensive back played with the Seminoles for two seasons and made 14 appearances, including six as a true freshman. In that time, Woodie III had 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a pass defended and a fumble recovery.

Woodie III entered the transfer portal Jan. 3 and chose Cal within a week. The 6’1”, 192-pound safety joins a defensive back unit that is losing senior Camryn Bynum to the draft and could desperately use the additional depth. Woodie III, however, will likely compete for playing time with senior Elijah Hicks and redshirt junior Daniel Scott, both of whom started at the safety position this season. Redshirt freshman Craig Woodson and true freshman Trey Paster should also find themselves in the mix.

Regardless of his ultimate place on the roster, however, Woodie III will be an infusion of size and experience into a relatively young safety position. He should be able to contribute from day one, and he will a position group that produced two NFL draft picks just a year ago.