The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear. We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.Here is the next athlete in our countdown: 27. Jacob FrenchSport: BaseballArrival year at Cal: 2024-25Previous school: San Francisco State (Batted .347 as a freshman in 2024)Contributions at Cal: — The second baseman and utility player batted .390 — highest on the team by nearly 50 points and third-best in the ACC — in his debut season with the Bears in 2025. He also had a .440 on-base percentage and his 20 strikeouts were the fewest among any player in the conference who batted at least .350.-- French's 2025 batting average was the fourth-highest by a Cal player in the past 30 years, earning third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore.— He completed his sophomore season by batting .667 (16 for 24) over the Bears’ final six games. He scored eight runs and drove in eight in those six outings.— Had back-to-back four-hit performances against Cal State Bakersfield and San Diego in March of the 2026 season, scoring four runs and driving in six in the two non-conference outings.— French was 7 for 13 with a double, a home run, five runs scored and five RBIs in three ACC games vs. Pitt, a mid-April road sweep in 2026 in which the Bears outscored the Panthers 39-9.— He was leading the Bears in batting at .344 through May 12 of the 2026 season, but was shelved by an injury in late April.Standout performance: French was chosen to the 2025 ACC all-tournament team after batting .692 (9 for 13) in three games. In a 14-12 win over Wake Forest, French was 4 for 6 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He also had four hits in a third-round loss to Georgia Tech.Impact on his team: Despite his prowess at the plate, the Bears were 24-31 in 2025, including 9-21 in their first season in the ACC. This year, they finished 29-26 overall, 12-18 in conference games.Previously on our list: No. 28: Anna PurchaseNo. 29: Justin PippenNo. 30: Fardaws AimaqFollow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and BlueskyAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow