Cal Sports Report

Texas A&M Transfer Tight End Jerry Johnson III Commits to Cal

Johnson did not play in a game last season at Texas A&M after being a fullback at Rice

Jake Curtis

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First-year Cal offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch likes to use a lot of tight ends in his schemes, sometimes having two or three tight ends in the game at the same time. With that in mind, the Bears added a tight end on Thursday when Texas A&M transfer Jerry Johnson III announced on social media that he has committed to Cal.

This will be the second transfer for the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Johnson, who began his college career as a fullback at Rice after playing guard and center at Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated from high school with an Associate’s Degree.

He attended Rice for his first three college seasons, and was used as a fullback and on special teams.  Some sites still list him as a running back. However, Johnson did not have any carries, and did not record any tackles in the 26 games in which he played at Rice. He did catch one pass for minus-3 yards.

After the 2022 season, Johnson transferred to Texas A&M as a graduate transfer, and in the spring of 2023 he was switched from fullback to tight end. But he did not play in a game for the Aggies in the 2023 season, serving as a backup to Earnest Crownover.

By not playing, Johnson preserved a year of eligibility.

The addition of Johnson as well as Maryland transfer tight end Corey Dyches gives Cal seven tight ends on its projected 2024 roster. Jack Endries is the returning starter at tight end.

Johnson's versatility suggests Cal might have the option of switching his position when he arrives in Berkeley.

As you can see in these highlights at Rice, he was used as a blocker at fullback and H-back:

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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.