The Golden Bears have made a major defensive acquisition, securing a commitment from BYU linebacker Harrison Taggart. As first reported by @Hayesfawcett3 on X, formerly Twitter, Taggart chose Cal football over Colorado, giving head coach Justin Wilcox a big win in the college football transfer portal as the program looks to bounce back from a 6-7 season.

“BREAKING: BYU transfer LB Harrison Taggart has Committed to Cal,” Fawcett tweeted, highlighting his 69 tackles, one sack, and one interception in 2024.

After starting his career at Oregon, Taggart transferred to BYU and became a central piece of their Big 12 defense, logging over 650 defensive snaps across two seasons. Now, he brings both production and experience to a Golden Bears squad that finished just 2-6 in ACC play last year and is in need of impact defenders in 2025.

Taggart's addition comes at a critical time. Cal's defense, which ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense in 2024, is undergoing a secondary rebuild after key contributors like Nohl Williams and Craig Woodson departed for the NFL. With a retooled defensive backfield, the linebacker unit– now bolstered by Harrison Taggart– will take on an even larger role under co-defensive coordinators Terrence Brown and Vic So'oto.

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Winning a recruiting battle over a former conference rival like Colorado shows that Cal remains aggressive in the college football transfer portal, even after joining the ACC. The move also signals the coaching staff's intent to reinforce their defense after a disappointing first season in the new conference.

For Cal football, the expectation is that Taggart will compete for a starting linebacker role immediately. His production at BYU, including three tackles for loss and three pass breakups, makes him a plug-and-play option. If he performs as expected, the Golden Bears could find themselves climbing the ACC standings in 2025.

The former BYU linebacker may be exactly what Cal needs to turn its defensive promise into wins– and he arrives just in time.