The only surprise with Cal's firing of head coach Sonny Dykes last Sunday was that it happened last Sunday. Typically college football coaching changes are made in November or December. The closer the change is to February the more it messes with recruiting. The kids have to know who's going to coach them. Dykes did some great things in Berkeley. He turned around the academic standing and culture of the program in an incredibly quick and efficient manner. That should be applauded rather than dismissed as a pleasant side. His offense had some brilliant moments. But. Cal's defense was a complete disaster for nearly every minute of his four years. The defense was so bad that it made every game a difficult and frustrating watch. That could be seen in declining season ticket renewals. Then there was Dykes' annual interest in other jobs. It would be best for any college sports program if their coach shows some commitment to that program. Cal Athletic Director Michael Williams didn't see that commitment from the football coach. The only surprise was that he waited until the second Sunday of January to fire Dykes.
Who replaces Sonny Dykes?
According to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports, Cal's new coach will be Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. Negotiations took place last night and it's expected that Wilcox signed a term sheet. The contract must still be approved by UC Regents so it might not be official official for another 10-12 days. Wilcox has a Cal connection as he was the linebackers coach under Jeff Tedford from 2003-05. He might have had a longer stay in Berkeley if not for the fact that Bob Gregory was doing a fine job as Cal's defensive coordinator. The only way for Wilcox to move up was to move on and he did.
Boise State defensive coordinator 2006-09
Tennessee defensive coordinator 2010-11
Washington defensive coordinator 2012-13
USC defensive coordinator 2014-15
Wisconsin defensive coordinator 2016
Justin Wilcox has plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball and Cal needs a lot of help there. It's been rumored that he might bring in current Alabama linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi as defensive coordinator. Lupoi has an interesting Cal history. First, he played for Wilcox. Then, he coached Cal's defensive linemen from 2008-11. He probably made his biggest mark on the program as a recruiter. He was so good at it that he was named Rivals recruiter of the year in 2010. In January of 2012 he bolted to Washington and took some of his recruits with him. It wasn't a pretty parting and some Bears fans might not be too thrilled about a possible reunion.
As for the offense, perhaps 2016 offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is retained in the same capacity. That would probably be the most smooth transition. He's been the interim head coach since Sunday and interviewed for the permanent head coaching job on Tuesday. It sounds like the Cal decision-makers are high on him and several players have thrown support his way. He's widely considered one of the bright, young offensive minds in the country. He's not far from his own shot as a head coach but a couple more years as a coordinator couldn't hurt. He's only 31 and his coaching future is a bright one. It could be a nice combination to have Wilcox run the team and fix the defense (possibly with Lupoi) while Spavital handles the offense. For four years Cal has recruited players that fit Dykes' hurry-up/spread-em out/flood the field with receivers offense. It's an offense with players that Spavital was brought to Berkeley to coach. Wilcox might even offer him more independence to run an offense than he's ever had.
Then there's the chance that Wilcox will want to scrap the offense that Dykes installed and Spavital knows. Bruce Feldman reported, after the Wilcox news slowed late last night, that a Cal coaching reunion is a possibility. Feldman mentioned Eric Kiesau as a possibility at offensive coordinator and Ron Gould perhaps as running backs coach. Both were offensive assistants during the Tedford days.
With letter of intent day coming up in about three weeks Wilcox doesn't have much time to put his coaching staff together, keep current Cal commits, and recruit others. Busy days are ahead.
For what it's worth, Cal reportedly interviewed Wilcox, Spavital, Illinois defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson (a Cal alum), Navy head coach Ken Niumatololo, and long-time NFL assistant Bill Musgrave for the head coach position. They reached out to Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera but he said that he has unfinished business in Carolina. They also reached out to the suddenly available Chip Kelly but he declined.
Justin Wilcox will be the 34th coach in the history of Cal football.
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