Brian Hightower Joins 2023 Recruiting Class

Brian Hightower has joined Cal’s 2023 recruiting class.

FB1/10/2023 8:11 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Sixth-Year Senior Wide Receiver To Finish Collegiate Career With Golden Bears

BERKELEY – Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox announced Tuesday that wide receiver Brian Hightower has joined Cal’s 2023 recruiting class. Hightower will be a sixth-year senior in 2023 with a single campaign of collegiate eligibility remaining when he joins the Golden Bears later this month. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Miami (2018-19) before playing each of the last three at Illinois (2020-22).

“Brian is a talented veteran wide receiver who came into his own last season and we are excited that he has decided to finish his collegiate career in our football program,” Wilcox said. “The transfer portal is a tremendous vehicle to add talented players like Brian to our roster.”

Hightower had his most productive collegiate season in 2022 with 37 receptions and 452 yards receiving along with two touchdown catches in 12 games played for an Illinois team that reached the ReliaQuest Bowl and finished with an 8-5 record for its highest win total since posting a 9-4 mark in 2007.

Hightower was a consensus four-star recruit who ranked as high as ESPN’s No. 20 wide receiver and No. 141 player overall in the 2018 recruiting class after posting three-year prep totals of 119 receptions, 2,155 yards receiving and 23 touchdown catches at Calabasas HS (2015) and IMG Academy (2016-17) for teams that combined for 34-2 overall record.

Cal has now announced the first 19 members of its 2023 recruiting class including 10 transfers who will be mid-year enrollees this month – TE Asher Alberding, ILB Sergio Allen, TE J.T. Byrne, RB Byron Cardwell, Hightower, DB Matthew Littlejohn, DB Kaylin Moore, RB Justin Williams-Thomas, DB Nohl Williams and P Lachlan Wilson.

Cal also signed nine prep players during the early signing period last month that will arrive in Berkeley in June in DL Tiumalu Afalava, DL Zurich Ashford, WR Nyziah Hunter, TE Ben Marshall, OLB Ryan McCulloch, RB Jaivian Thomas, ILB Cade Uluave, DB Sai Vadrawale and ATH Frederick Williams III.