Cal’s top football recruiter and wide-receivers coach, Pierre Ingram, was arrested Thursday as part of a prostitution sting conducted by the Oakland Police Department Special Victims Section, officials told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday.

Police said that Ingram was arrested after allegedly soliciting an undercover officer online and then showing up at a motel on Embarcadero, the paper reported. A total of five “Johns” were arrested as part of the sting, officials told the paper. He was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor solicitation of a lewd act and has been given a court date for next month. Ingram was booked, cited and released, according to the paper.

Widely considered the football program’s most successful recruiter, Ingram has been responsible for bringing in some of Cal’s top offensive recruits.

Ingram, who is listed as the recruiting coordinator, was instrumental in the signing of four-star wide receiver Carlos Strickland, who committed to Cal on Jan. 27. Strickland is ranked as highly as No. 12 at his position, according to Rivals.com, and received offers from schools such as the University of Alabama, University of Oklahoma, University of Wisconsin and Ohio State University.

Cal Athletics announced Monday that Ingram has been placed on administrative leave, and it released the following statement:

“We are aware of the situation and at this time the University is in the process of gathering more information. We were first made aware of the situation prior to the spring game. Coach Ingram did not participate in the spring game and has been placed on administrative leave while the University looks into the matter. Once that process is complete and the situation has been fully assessed, we will be in a position to comment further.”

Ingram, 30, joined Cal football’s staff with head coach Sonny Dykes before the start of the 2013 season. Before arriving in Berkeley, Ingram was Dykes’ running-backs coach at Louisiana Tech University, where the Bulldogs finished 18th in the nation in rushing offense in 2012, the same year Ingram was named Western Athletic Conference recruiter of the year by ESPN.

Ingram spent his first two seasons with Cal as the running-backs coach and served as the team’s run-game coordinator in 2014, when the team averaged 149.2 rushing yards per game. Ingram has also overseen the emergence of running back Daniel Lasco, who finished the season with 14 touchdowns and totaled 1,115 rushing yards. Ingram was promoted to passing-game coordinator this spring before the Bears’ workouts began. His contract with Cal is set to expire at the end of April.

According to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Mike Vernon, Ingram’s attorney, Darryl Stallworth, said in a written statement that Ingram is “deeply sorry for the embarrassment or pain that he’s caused to his family, first and foremost, and to the University.” Stallworth stressed the use of “solicitation,” adding that Ingram “did not have physical contact with anyone and there was no money exchanged.”

Ingram is married and has two children.

Michelle Lee is the assistant sports editor. Contact her at [email protected].