Former Duck Kingston Lopa expected to breakout at Cal in 2026

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In Kingston Lopa's first two seasons with the Oregon Ducks in 2024 and 2025, his talent and abilities were evident whenever he was on the field. Though he totaled just 13 tackles, a sack and a pass deflection, his 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame suggested that there was a star in the making.

But as was the case for a handful of Ducks reserves from last year's roster, there just wasn't much of a path to playing time for the former blue-chip recruit. Ahead of him last season was Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman and fellow four-star Aaron Flowers, who was in competition with Lopa for the starting nod before Lopa went down with a high ankle sprain. By the time he'd regained full strength, the Oregon secondary was solidified, relegating Lopa to a rotational role.

Still without a clear path to playing time in Eugene, Lopa made the decision to follow former Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to Cal, where he was hired as the head coach. Now with the Golden Bears, there's a direct path to starter-level reps for the former Oregon safety, and it could result in a breakout season in the eyes of ESPN college football analyst Adam Rittenberg.

"Despite losing his starting job at Oregon following an injury last season, Lopa followed Tosh Lupoi to Cal," Rittenberg wrote. "He has incredible length for a safety at 6-foot-5, and brings 19 games of experience, mostly as a reserve on defense and on special teams. Lopa's size and ball skills stood out during spring practice and the offseason, and he joins a mix of other transfers and holdovers in Cal's secondary."

Lupoi, who surely had a significant hand in wooing Lopa to join his defense at Cal, spoke highly of the redshirt sophomore.

"A guy that's got really strong potential," Lupoi told ESPN. "His true freshman year, he started in the Big Ten championship game — that was the first time he played. Just his demeanor, he's like, 'What's my job?' And he [was told] 'You're going to erase Tyler Warren,' a top-10 pick, the Mackey Award winner, and he's like, 'OK.' That's how he's built, and he did a great job in that game. Going into the next season, he was our starter, and then he had a high ankle sprain, went out … and became more of a rotational player."

The Golden Bears overachieved early in the 2025 season, recording a 4-1 record through five weeks. But then, the defense began to fall apart. In the ensuing eight games, the Cal defense allowed 32.9 points per game, culminating in a 3-5 finish to the year and the firing ofhead coach Justin Wilcox.

In comes Lupoi, who's defensive acumen should rise a unit that plummeted last season. He's relying on several former Ducks, but Lopa may be the one that shines the most this fall in a starring role competing in the ACC.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Former Duck Kingston Lopa expected to breakout at Cal in 2026

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