Cal Sports Report

Wisconsin Transfer Defensive Lineman T.J. Bollers Commits to Cal

T.J. Bollers did not play a lot at Wisconsin but was a four-star high school recruit out of Iowa

Jake Curtis

Wisconsin transfer defensive lineman T.J. Bollers announced on social media on Thursday that he has committed to Cal.

He was an outside linebacker in Wisconsin's 3-4 scheme in 2022 and was switched to defensive line as part of of the 3-3-5 alignment the Badgers used in 2023. Neither seemed to suit Bollers, and it's unclear how he will fit into Cal's defense, which typically uses two down linemen, two inside linebackers, two edge or outside linebackers and five defensive backs.

Cal needs help on its defensive line where a number of players are vying for starting jobs, but the Golden Bears' don't have much depth at outside linebacker beyond projected starters Xavier Carlton and David Reese.

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Bollers is from Tiffin, Iowa, and was a four-star recruit out of Clear Creek Amana High School. Iowa State, Northwestern, Nebraska, Alabama and Cal wew among the finalists for Bollers before he selected Wisconsin.

However, he did not get a lot of playing time in three years at Wisconsin. Bollers has two years of college eligibility remaining.

New Mexico, Kent State, Ohio, Northern Iowa and Miami (Ohio) were among the schools along with Cal that reportedly pursued Bollers once he entered the transfer portal.

Bollers played in four games in 2023, mostly on special teams. He was not credited with any statistics.

In 2022, Bollers played in 11 games off the bench as well as on special teams. He made two tackles, both coming in Wisconsin’s season-opening win over Illinois State.

Bollers played in one game in 2021 and that was in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State.

Bollers apparently had developed a relationship with members of Cal's coaching staff while he was being recruited out of high school.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.