Cal received a big recruiting boost Sunday when four-star running back Victor Santino gave the Bears a verbal commitment to their 2026 class after a weekend campus visit.

Santino is a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif.

Rivals, which reported the news, ranks Santino as a four-star prospect, the 20th-best running back in the class of 2026 and the No. 43 overall recruit in California.

The website 247Sports lists Santino as a three-star player, the 20th-best running back and the No 35 prospect in California.

, Santino rushed for 857 yards and eight touchdowns on 116 carries (7.4 yards per carry) in nine games as a junior, and he ran for 1,0128 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore. He also ran track and had a personal-best time of 10.96 seconds in the 100 meters as a sophomore.

He was first offered by Cal two years ago, Rivals reported.

"It's a beautiful city, and the academics as well," Santino told Rivals. "They play in the ACC, that's a pretty big conference. Another thing that drew me into it was the education.”

His commitment is good news for coach Justin Wilcox in the wake of the program losing five running backs to the transfer portal this offseason, including star senior-to-be Jaydn Ott, who transferred to Oklahoma. 

Santino, who would arrive on the Cal campus in the fall of ’26, had scholarship offers from Arizona, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington, Utah, UCLA, Boise State and Minnesota, among other schools.

Cal welcomes another four-star running back this fall. Anthony League, a 6-1, 205-pound graduate of Millikan High in Long Beach, signed with the Bears earlier this year. League was ranked as the 25th-best player at his position nationwide by Rivals.

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