After being recruited to play for California, Vereen redshirted for the 2007 season.

In 2008, he served as the primary backup to Jahvid Best as part of Cal's two running back system, playing in all of the team's 13 games.
In the season opener against Michigan State, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The game marked the first time that two Cal running backs had completed over 100 yards rushing since the 2006 Holiday Bowl, with Best tallying 111 yards in the victory.
For the season, he rushed for 715 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 27 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown.

After Best suffered a severe concussion versus Oregon State, Vereen took over the job of primary running back for the final four games of the 2009 season.
 In the 2009 Big Game against Stanford, Vereen rushed a career-high 42 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns, helping Cal upset Stanford 34-28.
 For the season, Vereen rushed for 952 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 25 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
He also competed on the track team during the 2009 season in the 100 metres.

In the 2010 season opener against UC Davis on September 4, Vereen had 67 rushing yards for two touchdowns, with a third receiving in a 52–3 blowout victory.
He followed this up with 60 rushing yards and one score as well as a receiving touchdown the following week against Colorado.
On September 17 he had a career-high 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Cal fell to Nevada in Reno, and 102 rushing yards while being kept out of the end zone in a narrow loss to Arizona on September 25.
On October 9, Vereen had a 151-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns against UCLA.
He finished the season with 1,167 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to go with 22 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns.

After graduating in December 2010 in three and a half years with a degree in Media Studies, Vereen decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the NFL Draft.
After being recruited to play for California, Vereen redshirted for the 2007 season.
In 2008, he served as the primary backup to Jahvid Best as part of Cal's two running back system, playing in all of the team's 13 games. In the season opener against Michigan State, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. The game marked the first time that two Cal running backs had completed over 100 yards rushing since the 2006 Holiday Bowl, with Best tallying 111 yards in the victory. For the season, he rushed for 715 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 27 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown.
After Best suffered a severe concussion versus Oregon State, Vereen took over the job of primary running back for the final four games of the 2009 season.  In the 2009 Big Game against Stanford, Vereen rushed a career-high 42 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns, helping Cal upset Stanford 34-28.  For the season, Vereen rushed for 952 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 25 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He also competed on the track team during the 2009 season in the 100 metres.
In the 2010 season opener against UC Davis on September 4, Vereen had 67 rushing yards for two touchdowns, with a third receiving in a 52–3 blowout victory. He followed this up with 60 rushing yards and one score as well as a receiving touchdown the following week against Colorado. On September 17 he had a career-high 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Cal fell to Nevada in Reno, and 102 rushing yards while being kept out of the end zone in a narrow loss to Arizona on September 25. On October 9, Vereen had a 151-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns against UCLA. He finished the season with 1,167 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to go with 22 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
After graduating in December 2010 in three and a half years with a degree in Media Studies, Vereen decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the NFL Draft.
Shane Vereen