From what I can gather in what went on this week. And stuff I was told. Nothing about the hire was really slow or inefficient. Parts kept moving and then finally aligned. Also knowing who was in the mix Spav is a solid choice of an OC who has succeeded as an OC at every P5 stop he has been to.
Solid hire where we know the floor with a coach that recruited here annd knows how to recruit at Cal. And that floor on the field is a conference leading offense with a top 15 offense in YPG, TDs, YPP and total yards.
I'd say we can undo the Jeremiah Hawkins transfer but he already grad transferred to Missouri Southern (and might be out of eligibility).
Just joking here. I don't see anyone offhand but maybe some OL (I see Dalton Cooper mentioned a number of places but not sure if he has eligibility). It looks like Spav heavily prioritized the transfer portal (which pissed off Texas HS coaches) so there probably aren't many with eligibility.
For those of you who wondered why this took so long......it was because I wad glued to twitter and looking at sources for the next move. Today I traveled.....and here we are. You're welcome :)
On a serious note: Spav has proven not only at other places but also at Cal that he can run an offense. I think Wilcox needed someone who was the anthesis of him and here we are. This benefits the receivers and Ott, who can attack the 2nd level and break a tackle and he's gone.
Also and I cannot stress this enough: his head coaching record DOES NOT have relevance here. The administrative work and purpose is completely different. I give this hire a B.
I'll take a B any day compared to the flat out F when Musgrave was calling plays. As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous: "Once you have hit bottom, there is nowhere to go but up."
This is true. There can be no offense without an offensive line. Doesn't matter what system, what manipulations are done. You need the trenches to succeed.
Surprised by all the negative reactions to this hire. Wherever he's been the OC, they've had top 25 offenses. Hell, when he was here at Cal we had the best offense in the PAC12. He's proven as an OC, even if he didn't succeed as a HC. I don't care about hiring someone that generates "hype," I care about hiring someone who can flat out coach.
This is similar to a Tim DeRuyter hire IMO. Back then I didn't understand the idea that really good coordinators can fail at being a HC and it doesn't take away from from their coordinating abilities. TDR showed us that this type can definitely work out. Also, I didn't expect Wilcox to be willing to match his defense with a modern offense. This has good signs written all over it.
100%. The reality is none of knows how this will turn out. I get the pessimism of being a Cal fan, but f&*#ing h#^&, I'd much rather sit back and embrace all the possible positives of this pick. My memory is fuzzy, but I remember liking Spav when he was here. Quick look at our schedule that year, and we had a 4-game losing streak when we averaged around 28 points. Like, um, I think most of us would be pretty happy with that if that's the low bar for what to expect. Bring it on. Mope all you want, sad bears, I'm going to be in the happy corner of the room.
Seriously, reddit is acting like this was the worse decision possible. Maybe the problem with him at Texas State was Texas State itself.
Personally I would have preferred an up-and-comer like Gunderson or someone whose style matches closer like Frost. Jake was a bit of a surprise, but I don't hate the choice at all, here's hoping that he's still got some #Drop50 in that head of his.
We all know Cal’s a tough gig and the pool of applicants was not as deep as we’d probably like, so on it’s face, Spav is definitely a solid hire…but we need to follow it up with an even better OL hire.
If the OL continues to be one of the worst in college football, we could have Sean Payton calling plays and it wouldn’t matter. Hopefully he nails the O-line hire.
I'm willing to bet it ends up being a good hire. It's just not in inspiring one, especially in this very moment. Glad they've got the position filled and can start moving forward.
Depended on the game - usually a balanced attack in terms of attempts at passing and rushing, but that 2016 team, for some reason, committed weird turnovers, couldn't stop the run, and would fall behind to teams with great running backs, forcing Cal to throw to catch up, to no avail.
Solid recruiter is an understatement. If I remember correctly he was instrumental in recruiting Demetrius Robertson. If he can keep recruiting like that then Cal will definitely improve.
Yeah, as long as the portal doesn't get too warm, we don't need DRobs (we have them), we need OLinemen. Toler will keep doing his magic, Spav and the next OLine coach need to KILL IT, and that means in the portal for now and with recruits in the long run
I dont hate it. Head coaching clearly wasn’t his thing, but we know his scheme can score points and can probably work reasonably well out the gate without needing pro level O line players. Wilcox needed a guy who runs a scheme that can score points yesterday, and he went and got one.
The prevailing hypothetical has been what if we could pair Wilcox’s defense with Sonny’s offense. Welp, this is about as close were going to get to see if that can happen. For me, it makes a lot of sense. The biggest question will be whether he can coerce the types of players he needs for his offense to run to come here.
Assuming we don’t lose a lot of our skill players on offense to the portal, I would say he has a fairly good core to work with right now at WR, TE, RB, and even QB. We just need to get the OL situated with a good OL coach and some portal additions.
This is objectively a good hire. Young, strong recruiter, established track record of success as a power 5 offensive coordinator. Period. Not a great head coach at Texas state? Who cares. Not all good coordinators make good head coaches. For anyone saying this is Beau Baldwin all over again, no it’s not. Beau Baldwin’s experience prior to Cal was Central Washington and Eastern Washington.
Yeah I remember all the talk on Golden Blogs back then was keeping Spav as the OC would’ve been the dream scenario, but I think he thought he was ready to be the head coach. Ultimately, he left for WVU which frankly, under Dana Holgerson, was probably a better job than Cal. I’m getting increasingly stoked about this hire. Maybe third times a charm for Wilcox…
I like this hire because I see 2 definitive outcomes:
1. Wilcox is adapting and growing. He’s accepted that he needs some modern concepts on offense which includes pace. He’s willing to sacrifice some of the advantages his defense gets by slower play.
2. If the offense continues to play at slow paces and ultra conservative, we’ll know that it’s been Wilcox dictating offensive strategy to the OCs. If that’s the case, there is no need to keep him behind next season.
I would almost guarantee you that Greatwood advised WIlcox to go this direction. BB was a spread guy and Wilcox decided that he would go to a more ball control offense with Musgrave. It didn't work so now he's going to a high scoring offensive system that will create points and allow us to recruit some great offensive players. We're gonna need more depth on defense though because Spav's offense will move down the field quickly when it works.
Hello WFC overlords. In the comments to the WFC OC Big Board I asked why no mention of Spav. No one replied. I’d love to say I have special CFB insight but that isn’t true. I’d love to say I have a gift of prescient name dropping but that also is not true. It was dumb luck that I saw he was fired and asked about him. Still, seeing this announcement gave me a good LOL!
From what I can gather in what went on this week. And stuff I was told. Nothing about the hire was really slow or inefficient. Parts kept moving and then finally aligned. Also knowing who was in the mix Spav is a solid choice of an OC who has succeeded as an OC at every P5 stop he has been to.
Solid hire where we know the floor with a coach that recruited here annd knows how to recruit at Cal. And that floor on the field is a conference leading offense with a top 15 offense in YPG, TDs, YPP and total yards.
Good points…now let’s nail the O-line hire.
It's been only 23 days since Musgrave was fired.
Also a very good point.
Does Texas State have any potential difference makers that may join Spav?
There might be an OL or two that looks very intriguing.
I'd say we can undo the Jeremiah Hawkins transfer but he already grad transferred to Missouri Southern (and might be out of eligibility).
Just joking here. I don't see anyone offhand but maybe some OL (I see Dalton Cooper mentioned a number of places but not sure if he has eligibility). It looks like Spav heavily prioritized the transfer portal (which pissed off Texas HS coaches) so there probably aren't many with eligibility.
For those of you who wondered why this took so long......it was because I wad glued to twitter and looking at sources for the next move. Today I traveled.....and here we are. You're welcome :)
On a serious note: Spav has proven not only at other places but also at Cal that he can run an offense. I think Wilcox needed someone who was the anthesis of him and here we are. This benefits the receivers and Ott, who can attack the 2nd level and break a tackle and he's gone.
Also and I cannot stress this enough: his head coaching record DOES NOT have relevance here. The administrative work and purpose is completely different. I give this hire a B.
I'll take a B any day compared to the flat out F when Musgrave was calling plays. As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous: "Once you have hit bottom, there is nowhere to go but up."
Sounds akin to Gruden’s FFCA.
B is good.
Let’s get competent O-line play and the offense should be fine…which is saying something.
This is true. There can be no offense without an offensive line. Doesn't matter what system, what manipulations are done. You need the trenches to succeed.
You don’t even need to be Michigan or UGA with a line stacked with NFL picks…just a decent unit that gives the O a chance!!
North Texas?
Surprised by all the negative reactions to this hire. Wherever he's been the OC, they've had top 25 offenses. Hell, when he was here at Cal we had the best offense in the PAC12. He's proven as an OC, even if he didn't succeed as a HC. I don't care about hiring someone that generates "hype," I care about hiring someone who can flat out coach.
This is similar to a Tim DeRuyter hire IMO. Back then I didn't understand the idea that really good coordinators can fail at being a HC and it doesn't take away from from their coordinating abilities. TDR showed us that this type can definitely work out. Also, I didn't expect Wilcox to be willing to match his defense with a modern offense. This has good signs written all over it.
Norv Turner Pantheon of Good Coordinators and Bad Head Coaches
100%. The reality is none of knows how this will turn out. I get the pessimism of being a Cal fan, but f&*#ing h#^&, I'd much rather sit back and embrace all the possible positives of this pick. My memory is fuzzy, but I remember liking Spav when he was here. Quick look at our schedule that year, and we had a 4-game losing streak when we averaged around 28 points. Like, um, I think most of us would be pretty happy with that if that's the low bar for what to expect. Bring it on. Mope all you want, sad bears, I'm going to be in the happy corner of the room.
Just to remind everyone:
28 points would have been enough to beat Notre Dame and Colorado, and tie Wazzu and Washington this year.
Seriously, reddit is acting like this was the worse decision possible. Maybe the problem with him at Texas State was Texas State itself.
Personally I would have preferred an up-and-comer like Gunderson or someone whose style matches closer like Frost. Jake was a bit of a surprise, but I don't hate the choice at all, here's hoping that he's still got some #Drop50 in that head of his.
I've still got my alpha t - shirt. Keep calm and drop 50!
Same!
I have two! :)
Gunderson with Justyn was my dream.
Or Marion with Hudson Card transferring…
Same, this is a home run hire IMO.
I like this hire much better than Gunderson because he had so little play calling experience and no track record developing QBs.
I liked Gundy if he brought Martin.
I liked Marion if he brought Hudson Card.
We all know Cal’s a tough gig and the pool of applicants was not as deep as we’d probably like, so on it’s face, Spav is definitely a solid hire…but we need to follow it up with an even better OL hire.
If the OL continues to be one of the worst in college football, we could have Sean Payton calling plays and it wouldn’t matter. Hopefully he nails the O-line hire.
I'm willing to bet it ends up being a good hire. It's just not in inspiring one, especially in this very moment. Glad they've got the position filled and can start moving forward.
We gotta nail the O-line hire!
Remind me, was his iteration of the spread like pass all the time, or did it incorporate a run game?
Depended on the game - usually a balanced attack in terms of attempts at passing and rushing, but that 2016 team, for some reason, committed weird turnovers, couldn't stop the run, and would fall behind to teams with great running backs, forcing Cal to throw to catch up, to no avail.
I’m as negative as any bear fan. I feel like this is a solid hire. I’m firing up my sunshine pump machine tonight.
He is a solid recruiter and we will score points. Two major issues in the Wilcox era.
Solid recruiter is an understatement. If I remember correctly he was instrumental in recruiting Demetrius Robertson. If he can keep recruiting like that then Cal will definitely improve.
He may have recruited Kyler Murray (who was at Texas A&M as a freshman).
Yeah, as long as the portal doesn't get too warm, we don't need DRobs (we have them), we need OLinemen. Toler will keep doing his magic, Spav and the next OLine coach need to KILL IT, and that means in the portal for now and with recruits in the long run
I knew about the points. Glad to hear the part on recruiting.
I dont hate it. Head coaching clearly wasn’t his thing, but we know his scheme can score points and can probably work reasonably well out the gate without needing pro level O line players. Wilcox needed a guy who runs a scheme that can score points yesterday, and he went and got one.
The prevailing hypothetical has been what if we could pair Wilcox’s defense with Sonny’s offense. Welp, this is about as close were going to get to see if that can happen. For me, it makes a lot of sense. The biggest question will be whether he can coerce the types of players he needs for his offense to run to come here.
Assuming we don’t lose a lot of our skill players on offense to the portal, I would say he has a fairly good core to work with right now at WR, TE, RB, and even QB. We just need to get the OL situated with a good OL coach and some portal additions.
This is objectively a good hire. Young, strong recruiter, established track record of success as a power 5 offensive coordinator. Period. Not a great head coach at Texas state? Who cares. Not all good coordinators make good head coaches. For anyone saying this is Beau Baldwin all over again, no it’s not. Beau Baldwin’s experience prior to Cal was Central Washington and Eastern Washington.
It did cross my mind over how Cal would have looked in 2017-18 with Spav kept on as OC over the decision to go with Baldwin instead...
Yeah I remember all the talk on Golden Blogs back then was keeping Spav as the OC would’ve been the dream scenario, but I think he thought he was ready to be the head coach. Ultimately, he left for WVU which frankly, under Dana Holgerson, was probably a better job than Cal. I’m getting increasingly stoked about this hire. Maybe third times a charm for Wilcox…
I’m shocked but in a good way. I’m very excited for this hire.
Wilcox and Spav can make a very good team. We just need to get a good OL coach hire and then hit that portal HARD!
I'm legit excited by this hire
Time is a flat circle.
I like this hire because I see 2 definitive outcomes:
1. Wilcox is adapting and growing. He’s accepted that he needs some modern concepts on offense which includes pace. He’s willing to sacrifice some of the advantages his defense gets by slower play.
2. If the offense continues to play at slow paces and ultra conservative, we’ll know that it’s been Wilcox dictating offensive strategy to the OCs. If that’s the case, there is no need to keep him behind next season.
Either way, I see this as a positive move.
I would almost guarantee you that Greatwood advised WIlcox to go this direction. BB was a spread guy and Wilcox decided that he would go to a more ball control offense with Musgrave. It didn't work so now he's going to a high scoring offensive system that will create points and allow us to recruit some great offensive players. We're gonna need more depth on defense though because Spav's offense will move down the field quickly when it works.
I'll plan an extra hour of game time next year!
Well I guess this is the closest thing we can do to hire Dykes as OC.
Hello WFC overlords. In the comments to the WFC OC Big Board I asked why no mention of Spav. No one replied. I’d love to say I have special CFB insight but that isn’t true. I’d love to say I have a gift of prescient name dropping but that also is not true. It was dumb luck that I saw he was fired and asked about him. Still, seeing this announcement gave me a good LOL!
Mostly was because he was a sitting HC at the time of us brainstorming that list. Great pull.
I mentioned him once too. Bad fit because he’s a Texas guy was the main reaction
#drop50
I believe this is a great hire. He's familiar with Cal, has a good record as an OC coach. He's a good recruiter as well.