When Cal’s starting quarterback Jack Plummer announced his entrance into the transfer portal, it seemed that it was finally Kai Millner’s time to shine. However, Millner made the decision to shed his blue and gold origins not long after his teammate.

“Both Jack (Plummer) and Kai (Millner), who’ve been great for us, those guys have individual decisions to make,” said head coach Justin Wilcox preceding the quarterbacks’ decisions.

Millner made his Cal debut as a redshirt freshman in 2022, notably making his presence known in the matchup against Oregon, where he accumulated an amalgamation of career highs from completions and attempts to passing yards and touchdowns. Despite garnering substantial attention from the Cal faithful following his performance against the Ducks, Millner remained Plummer’s understudy. 

Following Millner’s departure from Cal, the blue and gold roster boasts three remaining quarterbacks in Fernando Mendoza, Noah Mitcheom and Zach Johnson, none of whom have seen a collegiate snap thus far. To make matters more urgent, none of the first 14 members of Cal’s 2023 recruiting class are quarterbacks. 

It’s no coincidence that the Bears’ offensive rebuild is in full swing following the arrival of Cal’s new offensive coordinator, Jack Spavital. The question that remains is whether the blue and gold can scour the transfer portal for a competent quarterback who has what it takes to steer Cal in the right direction.