Five-Star Safety Fa'alave-Johnson Excludes Cal from Top 6 Schools

The highly-recruited 2027 prospect has narrowed his list, leaving the Golden Bears on the outside looking in.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, a five-star safety prospect in the class of 2027, has announced his top six schools, and the University of California, Berkeley is not among them. Fa'alave-Johnson, who had previously expressed interest in Cal and head coach Tosh Lupoi, has instead named USC, Miami, LSU, Texas, Oregon, and Notre Dame as his finalists.

Why it matters

Fa'alave-Johnson is considered one of the top recruits in the 2027 class, and his exclusion of Cal from his top choices is a setback for the Golden Bears' efforts to rebuild their football program under Lupoi. The competition for elite prospects like Fa'alave-Johnson is fierce, and his decision to focus on other schools is a blow to Cal's recruiting aspirations.

The details

Fa'alave-Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety from San Diego, was previously impressed with his visit to the Cal campus and the coaching staff led by Lupoi. However, the highly-touted prospect has now narrowed his list to six schools, with the Golden Bears not making the cut. Fa'alave-Johnson is ranked as the top safety prospect in the 2027 class by multiple recruiting services.

  • Fa'alave-Johnson announced his top six schools on February 11, 2026.
  • The 2027 prospect had previously visited the Cal campus in January 2026.

The players

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson

A five-star safety prospect in the class of 2027, ranked as the top safety recruit in his class by multiple recruiting services.

Tosh Lupoi

The head coach of the University of California, Berkeley football team, who was leading the effort to recruit Fa'alave-Johnson to the Golden Bears program.

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What they’re saying

“When five-star safety Honor Fa'alave said he was impressed with Cal and coach Tosh Lupoi following his visit to the Berkeley campus last month, there was hope in the Cal community that the Golden Bears might be in contention for his services in the class of 2027.”

— SI.com (si.com)

The takeaway

Cal's exclusion from Fa'alave-Johnson's top six schools is a significant setback in the Golden Bears' efforts to rebuild their football program under Tosh Lupoi. The competition for elite prospects like Fa'alave-Johnson is fierce, and his decision to focus on other schools is a blow to Cal's recruiting aspirations. The university will need to continue to work hard to attract top talent and compete with the powerhouse programs that are pursuing Fa'alave-Johnson.