The California Golden Bears continue to add to their special teams squad with the addition of Texas transfer kicker Michael Kern.
The towering 6’3″ kicker spent his freshman season handling the punting duties in Austin for Texas. He joins two other recent transfers, Chase Meyer (Penn State) and Abram Murphy (Miami), in a now crowded room.
Texas Transfer Michael Kern Commits to Cal in Special Teams Boost
Kicker/punter Michael Kern had a solid season last year, averaging 41.6 yards per punt, but he has big shoes to fill.
Former Cal kicker Lachlan Wilson finished his Golden Bears career, never averaging less than 43 yards per punt, and posted a 45.2 average last year. Wilson also had 21 punts inside the 20 on 57 attempts compared to Kern’s 10 on 41.
BREAKING: Texas transfer kicker Michael Kern has signed with Cal, @PeteNakos_ reports🐻https://t.co/7C5L1nnm7M pic.twitter.com/q6XqNxVdX3
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) May 12, 2025
Kern is young and still has plenty of opportunities to develop, and Cal is a good place to do so. Cal’s head coach, Justin Wilcox, will likely welcome a place-kicking competition ahead of the 2025 season after last year’s struggles.
The Cal kicker committee last year was just 25-for-37 (67.56%) and six misses on kicks inside the forty. According to MaxPreps, Kern hasn’t been a place kicker in a few years, but was 57-of-63 on all place kicks in high school.
It was a massive area of weakness for the Golden Bears, so Kern should have opportunities on multiple fronts at Cal.
KEEP READING: How Steve Sarkisian Reshaped Texas Football into a Title Contender After His 2021 Induction
Marquee positions steal the transfer portal headlines, but this is an excellent move for Cal, which looks to round out a few areas of weakness in 2025.
Cal has been busy the past few weeks adding special teamers as it looks to bounce back from a losing season in 2024. A stronger special-teams unit should help them in that mission.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
