California Golden Bears Have Lofty NIL Goal with College GameDay Coming to Town

California is trying to capitalize on College GameDay coming to town.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

For the first time in school history this week, College GameDay is headed to Berkeley for the California Golden Bears' matchup against the No. 8 ranked Miami Hurricanes.

The Golden Bears are off to a 3-1 start including an impressive road win at Auburn and the only loss coming on the road against Florida State. A game that did not appear to have much juice in the preseason between Miami and California is all of the sudden one of the games of the year in the ACC, and the brass at Cal is trying to take full advantage.

Cal's 'Legends' NIL collective is looking to raise a staggering $2 million this week with a Cal donor pledging a $1 million match for any donations given to the collective this week, meaning that the donor will match anything given into the pool this week up to $1 million. As of early Monday morning, the GameDay Match Campaign had already seen nearly $100,000 poured into it and counting.

The Golden Bears have gotten a ton of their production directly from the transfer portal this season, which of course in today's day and age goes hand-in-hand with NIL funds. Tight end Corey Dyches, who arrived in Berkeley from Maryland, is the team's second leading receiver with 10 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown on the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Teddye Buchanan transferred in from UC Davis and immediately took on a captaincy role and is the team's leading tackler thus far this season. Buchanan was dominant in the victory over Auburn with 11 tackles including three for loss and two sacks as well as a forced fumble. His transfer to California has been a huge reason for the stifling nature of the defense this season.

Defensive back Marcus Harris has also slotted into a starting role after transferring from Idaho and has two interceptions on the season. The impact that the transfer portal and NIL have had on this team is undeniable, and with excitement for the program at an all-time high, it's a brilliant initiative during what will be a huge week on campus and around the nation among the alumni base.

Head coach Justin Wilcox has been in Berkeley since the 2017 season, but thus far has only put together two winning seasons and none since 2019. In their first season in the ACC, he has the Golden Bears in a phenomenal spot as they chase Wilcox's program's best season yet. While it looks like the team has a great chance to do just that, the Legends Collective is after success for not just this season, but beyond.