By Ray Hamill — From one family environment to another, Fortuna’s Jake Houseworth made his commitment to Cal official on Wednesday afternoon.

The Huskies senior standout, who had verbally committed to play football for the Golden Bears this past summer, signed this letter of commitment in front of a large gathering of family, friends, coaches and teammates at Fortuna High School.

He becomes the first Fortuna football player to become a Division-I recruit in at least 30 years.

And he said choosing Cal had a lot to do with the family environment he felt at the Berkeley school.

“I choose (Cal) because the guys down there, the coaching staff, it felt like family,” Houseworth told Humboldt Sports after signing his letter. “It felt like a good environment to me.”

Houseworth, who had his choice of top-notch Division-I programs to choose from, admitted he didn’t like the look of Berkeley much when he first visited the area earlier in the year.

But after several visits to the campus and frequent conversations with the Cal coaches, the idea of going to college there and playing for the team began to take hold.

“I went on multiple visits over the summer and in the spring,” he said. “And as I went down there more and more, it felt like home.”

Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow believes Houseworth has the tools and mental aptitude to succeed at that level.

“All of his successes didn’t just happen by chance,” Benbow said earlier this year when Houseworth verbally committed. “He is that player who puts in the extra time in the weight room, studies the playbook, asks questions and strives to improve after every game.

“His work ethic and positive outlook will serve him well as he ventures into the next level of football.”

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Jake Houseworth signs his letter of commitment.

Houseworth follows in the footsteps of a handful of recent H-DNL players who have taken their talents to the Division-I college level, many of whom enjoyed tremendous success.

Eureka’s Isaak Gutierrez played at the University of New Mexico, while former McKinleyville Panthers Bryce Petersen (Akron and Nevada) and Kyle Spalding (San Diego State) each also made it to the Division-I level over the past decade, as did Eureka’s Miles Meynell (UC Davis) and Jake Hanson, who has started with the New York Jets this season after playing collegiately at Oregon.

Now it’s Houseworth’s turn to represent the Huskies and the H-DNL at the highest level of college football, and it’s an opportunity he is relishing.

“He is a great representative not just for Fortuna but for the entire HDN,” Benbow added.

Houseworth’s family was on hand at Wednesday’s letter signing, including his mother Karen, but naturally the player’s thoughts also included his father Ed, who sadly passed away in 2020.

Jake has no doubt his father would have been proud of his achievement.

“He’d be proud,” he said. “I can only imagine what he’s thinking right now, I can’t really put words to it.”

An emotional Benbow told the gathering, which also included a number of Ferndale players, he knew Houseworth was a special player from a young age.

“I got to watch him grow up and we knew at a very young age that he was a little bit different in the sense that, you know, not too many kids that big and fast and everything else,” the longtime coach said. “But more importantly the quality of his character.

“He’s grown into an incredible leader and I’m really, really proud of him.”

The Fortuna coach also was impressed with how the in-demand young player handled the recruiting process.

“He handled it really well for a 17-year-old,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure and a lot of folks promised him a lot of things and I just have to say he was pretty smart through the whole process.”

An emotional Houseworth, who admitted that his choice came down to Cal and Washington State, also spoke to the gathering and thanked his teammates and coaches, as well as his mother.

“To my mom, I want to thank you for everything you have done for me and always being by my side no matter we’ve been through,” he said.  “Thank you for coming to all my games and supporting me no matter what.

“I am ready to start my next journey at the next level and play with the Cal Bears.”

Houseworth, who also is a standout basketball player for the Huskies, says he tried his hand at various sports over the years, but football was always his favorite.

“Football is just the one that stuck,” said Houseworth, who has been playing the game since he was eight years old. “Football’s always been my thing.”

And playing football is what he’ll remember the most from his time at Fortuna High, as he gets set for the next chapter in his life. 

“There’s a lot of things I’ll remember,” he said. “Just the family environment, and the great coaching staff and (my teammates), it was just a great group of people to be around every day.”

Houseworth says he will major in “something in forestry.”

Interestingly, for a player who has yet to appear in a game for the Golden Bears, Houseworth already has a nickname with his new team.

His mother told the gathering all about it.

“The Cal coaches have a nickname for Jake,” she said. “They like to call him Milk Can Jake. Often times when they reached out to him, he was working on the dairy milking cows, or in the field on the tractor, and they love that part of him.

“Definitely not your typical Berkeley student.”