CALIFORNIA (Aug. 28) – The California (PA) football program announced on Friday morning that junior defensive back Keith Charney, junior linebacker Grant Hopple, junior wide receiver D'Avay Johnson and junior offensive lineman Jacob King will serve as captains for the 2025 campaign with Charney earning the distinction of being the Michael Perry Team Captain.

The captains were selected in a vote among the players and the individual with the most votes earned the honor of being the Michael Perry Team Captain.

Perry '62 was a longstanding supporter of the Cal football program before passing away in 2021. He played receiver for the Vulcans while earning his degree in secondary education. Perry immediately enlisted in the Navy after his time at California State College and became a Naval aviator with over 200 carrier landings. Following retirement from United Airlines in 2001, he co-founded and became managing partner of Opus Private Client, LLC, and Opus Advisory Group, LLC, in Westchester County, New York. Additionally, Perry served on the board of directors and committees of numerous charities, including the Foundation for Cal U, National Football Foundation (NFF) and the College Football Hall of Fame.

A two-year starter, Charney was selected the 2023 PSAC West Freshman of the Year before setting a career high with 56 tackles (34 solo) last fall. He has totaled 86 stops (52 solo), four interceptions and 4.0 TFL while playing all 23 games over the past two seasons.

Hopple registered 43 tackles (23 solo) last year in his first season as a starter. He also tallied 3.0 TFL, posted an interception return for a touchdown and registered one fumble recovery. Hopple earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District status in 2024 in his first year eligible for the award.

A native of Texas, Johnson finished with career highs of 488 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 27 receptions last year. He has averaged nearly 19 yards per reception over his career and scored six touchdowns on 44 catches.

King started all 13 games at left tackle in 2024, his first season as a starter. He helped the Vulcans rank among the top five in the PSAC last year in total offense, scoring offense, rushing offense and passing offense.

The Vulcans begin the year with three-consecutive home games, starting on Thursday, Sept. 4, against nationally-ranked Charleston (W.Va.) with kickoff at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles opened the 2025 campaign with a Week Zero win last night after having earned the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship in each of the last two seasons.