Jaydn Ott said in a video posted on social media Friday he would be entering the transfer portal and leaving Cal after two seasons with the program.

The caption with the video said “Thank you Cal” and included a broken heart emoji. Ott asked that fans respect his decision, then got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked off camera. At that point, the black-and-white video suddenly became saturated and Ott poked his head back into the frame.

“Nah, I’m playing. I’m finna stay,” he said with a huge grin on his face.

Highlights rolled. Cal fans slowly recovered from the near heart attack they’d just suffered.

The star running back is returning to Cal for the 2024 season. Despite what would have been rampant interest in his services, Ott will remain with the Golden Bears as the program makes its move to the ACC. Coach Justin Wilcox can officially check the top box on his checklist for the offseason.

Ott led the Pac-12 in rushing this season, posting a 1,260-yard, 11-touchdown campaign. He averaged 5.5 yards a carry and ranked seventh nationally in per-game production. He had five 100-yard games this fall — including a 153-yard, three-touchdown day against USC on Oct. 28 — as he helped Cal to a bowl game for the first time since 2019.

With Jake Spavital leaving Cal to take the offensive coordinator position at Baylor this offseason, Ott will go into his third year with the program with a third offensive coordinator. Concerns about a departure were very real, and the Big Ten-bound Southern California schools seemed like a threat to try and lure Ott away if he did decide to jump in the portal.

But those fears can officially be put to bed.

“It’s the worst joke I’ve ever heard,” Wilcox said with a laugh at his Friday news conference, per Cal Rivals’ Maria Kholodova.

Ott finished fifth in the conference in rushing as a true freshman, when he ran for 897 yards and eight scores on 170 carries.

Heading into Year 3, he’ll partner with quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the backfield.