In the current landscape of college football where a team's roster can look significantly different each year, a long list of new teammates every season is to be expected. California is no exception as the Golden Bears have welcomed more than 50 new players to the program in each of the last two campaigns.

It is important that those new players quickly bond and become entrenched in a program's culture to increase the chemistry and ultimately the chance to win.

Two of Cal's new teammates hailing from the same Minneapolis region as Saturday night's visiting Golden Gophers got a head start while growing up in the shadow of the Big Ten program.

With a five-year age gap, brothers Bastian and Meyer Swinney growing up together in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and have a lot in common – enjoying summers in the great outdoors, having a similar affinity for good food, and hanging out at "Evolution" -  a hair salon owned by their professional hair stylist father, Matt, in the same hip Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis made famous by Prince.

"There was always such a good vibe in the salon," Meyer said. "You could tell that people just enjoyed being there."

"It was important for me to bring my kids into work," added Matt, who now travels the world as the creative director for American hair care brand Redken. "It helped them understand what I was doing, why I would have to spend time away traveling, and know that when I came home it was all about family time."

And while they enjoyed the salon and hanging out with their dad, it might have been the tall jar of M&M's they remember most.

"We emptied that thing regularly," Meyer said with a mischievous chuckle.

This year, Bastian and Meyer have strengthened their bond not only by being teammates for the first time but also by taking in their love of the outdoors and enjoying the food that Berkeley has to offer.
"There is a lot of outdoors stuff around here that many people don't know about like Grizzly Peak and the fire trails by campus," Bastian said.

And when it comes to food, one of Bastian's favorites is Rose Pizzeria, while Meyer listed Yogurt Park -  which confirmed he was likely the main culprit in the missing M&M's mysteries in Minneapolis.

But succeeding at Cal requires much more than enjoying the local surroundings, snacks and good vibes, and Meyer is quick to point out the helpful advice he gets from his 22-year-old brother, who came to Berkeley in 2021 and is in his fifth season in the Cal program.

"Go to class; meetings start 15 minutes early; hydrate; get in the playbook; don't think too much about the play, you name it," Meyer said.

Bastian says his advice for his brother extends to all of his Cal football teammates and is given with the best intent.

"My biggest advice for Meyer or anyone else is to go out there and have fun," Bastian said. "If you are on top of everything else, the rest of the story is to just have fun. I've really been trying to push that with the guys, and I think that's going to pay dividends for us this season."

Two other people who are having a lot of fun are Matt and Heidi, the brothers' mom. The pair plan to go to every game this year and are thrilled they have just one trip to make on football weekends.

"We don't have to divide and conquer anymore," said Heidi, who is an entrepreneur in her own right as the owner of BBH Pilates and Training in Edina. "Last year, we would go to Meyer's games at Edina High School on Fridays and then fly out early Saturday to get to Bastian's games. Those were long days."

This year, they still have some long days but the schedule is much more manageable. For home games they can fly into Berkeley on Friday, see their sons and have dinner at the team hotel that night, and then take in all of the gameday festivities Saturday rather than flying across the country to make it just in time for kickoff. On Sunday morning, they take their sons to breakfast before flying home. And when they do return, they know their sons are in a good environment in Berkeley.

"Cal is the definition of a melting pot," Bastian said. "There are so many different people from so many different walks of life that you've got to try really hard not to make friends here."

"People are very welcoming here and want to be your friend," Meyer added.