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Logo for West Coast Sevens, a Rugby Sevens Tournament in vibrant coastal colors.

Where Are They Now- Rand Santos

RAND SANTOS

📸 Alex Ho / USA Rugby / World Rugby


One of the best parts of running West Coast Sevens is watching where our players end up. This year, that story belongs to Rand Santos, a Cal Berkeley captain who's gone from the West Coast Sevens fields to the USA Men's Sevens roster.  He played a significant role in getting Team USA back into rugby's top tier.


From Berkeley to the Eagles

Santos has been a fixture at Cal for years, a versatile back who's played center, fullback, and flyhalf for the Golden Bears, and who captained the team in 2026 after serving as vice-captain the year before. He's a proven points-scorer in the XVs game, too, converting 26 of 47 kicks last season alone.


His path to the international stage started early. Santos earned his first USA Eagles call-up as a Cal junior, training with the XVs team over the summer before being named to the Eagles' Match Day 23 for a Test against Fiji in Tokyo. He went on to make his full international debut for the Eagles during the Pacific Nations Cup, part of a group of young college talents Head Coach Scott Lawrence trusted with real minutes on the biggest stage.


“West Coast 7s was instrumental in my development and played a huge role in my pathway to the Eagles Sevens program.” -Rand Santos



The Move to Sevens and a Big Moment for Team USA

This year, Santos made the jump from the XVs game to the sevens format with USA Men's Eagles and the timing couldn't have mattered more. Head Coach Zack Test named Santos to the 14-man roster for the Spain and France stops of the 2026 HSBC SVNS season, calling him a natural playmaker.


The results were immediate. Santos helped lead the Eagles to wins over Spain, Australia, and Uruguay in his first appearances for Team USA 7s, scoring conversions against Spain and Uruguay. After a quarterfinal loss to Spain, the team beat Fiji in the fifth-place game, a result that secured promotion back into the top-tier championship series.  The winning try in stoppage time was an offload from Santos to Lucas Lacamp (another Eagles player identified at the West Coast Sevens a few years ago by coach Mike Friday).  In other words: Santos didn't just make the roster. He helped get Team USA back where it belongs.


📸 Alex Ho
📸 Alex Ho

What West Coast Sevens Meant Along the Way

Long before the Eagles jersey, Santos was building his sevens game on our fields, playing alongside the Cal squad in West Coast Sevens tournaments during his college career. It's exactly the kind of pathway we set out to build: high-level competition, in front of the coaches and scouts who matter, at a stage in a player's career when those reps count the most.


“​​Competing against top collegiate talent on the West Coast gave me invaluable experience and helped prepare me for the next level. I’m excited to see the next generation come through, and I’m grateful to the Spieker family for everything they’ve done to make this competition possible.” -Rand Santos 


Why It Matters

Santos's rise from a West Coast Sevens competitor to a Cal captain to a difference-maker for Team USA is exactly the kind of story we hope to keep telling. For every high schooler and collegiate player stepping onto our fields this season, his path is proof of where the game can take you.



Follow us on Instagram @westcoast7s and check back on this page for schedules, results, and livestream links as each stop approaches.




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