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Rugbear's avatar

Rolovich was brilliant at WASU before he was fired for ridiculous political reasons that had nothing to do with coaching football.

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Auricursine's avatar

Until your coaches fail to contain an outbreak of COVID among your players and the team loses a road game against Arizona.

I get that we won't agree on this Rugbear, but at the same time that Wilcox was failing to do his due diligence with his players to ensure they stayed healthy back in 2021, I had to shepherd a class of third graders through an entire school year when no kid vaccine had yet to be developed. I only had two kids miss time for COVID over the ten months of that school year. It could be done.

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Bob Dole's avatar

You’re comparing your class of third graders to a 80 person football roster not including staff members??? That’s a bit ridiculous

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Auricursine's avatar

You’re right. How silly to think that 18-20 year olds and their coaches can’t follow simple suggestions for distancing and masking like 8-9 year olds!

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Rugbear's avatar

I got the Covid shot and I was boosted and I still got Covid. The good news is the vaccine probably made the illness less severe for me than it otherwise would’ve been because of my age. However, we are now finding out that many people died because of the vaccine, and there are other serious side effects that impact millions of people. I think the jury is still out on the efficacy of the vaccine of the over time.

I made the choice to have the vaccine, but I do not hold it against anyone who made the choice not to have the vaccine. It’s a personal choice. It is clear the vaccine did not stop the spread of Covid. People who are not vaccinated were less of a threat to people who were vaccinated than they were to themselves, so any argument that unvaxxed people were a threat to others is an exaggeration.

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Bob Dole's avatar

People still did that and got covid…..

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mrjpark's avatar

People take the flu shot every year and still get the flu because there are variants that exist and vaccinations can't account for literally everything. It took decades for Polio to be nearly eradicated, and there were still recent signs of it coming back as people stopped taking the vaccinations.

I've generally been refraining from this conversation, but vaccinations aren't a magic cure. Everyone needs to take them and continue to take them so that we can all remain healthy.

You can take a vaccination and still get it, you can skip the vaccination and somehow avoid it. It's not a perfect cure. But it improves the probability that you avoid it, decreases your risk of spreading it, and ensures you don't get the worst of it if you happen to catch it.

Same thing with masks and social distancing during an epidemic or pandemic. They don't singlehandedly solve anything nor do they guarantee results, but can do wonders for public health if enough people follow guidelines.

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Auricursine's avatar

But as a teacher, in my case employed by the County of Los Angeles—a government entity—my first responsibility towards my students is duty of care. I need to take all precautions to ensure my students’ health and safety. Does that mean things will happen? Of course, they will. But did I, or my colleagues engage in due diligence? Because that’s where the issue will come to a head if I didn’t.

For coaches, especially ones employed by a public institution, like the University, I’m sure the mandate is somewhat the same. And the players, despite being older, still entrust the coaches to look after them. That’s what made the Teddy Agu incident so awful. And, it’s likely somewhat behind Fernando Mendoza’s father to push his kid so hard to leave Cal because of the punishment his kid was taking behind that O-line this year. Again, that question, is the kid being kept safe?

And that’s what so frustrating about this. Wilcox has shown that he overlooks the small details, and they always somehow manage to bite him in the ass.

None of this has anything to do with Rolovich’s coaching, except it may call to mind if, deep down, does the coach have the health and welfare of his players in mind at all times? Given how often the football program sits players with their various “body injuries” for weeks at a time, that does speak to the fact that there is a focus. So why not a similar focus about an airborne virus in the middle of a pandemic?

In the end, the City of Berkeley’s guidelines were not put in place to screw the team out of a win against Arizona. It was about trying to keep the city’s residents safe. As a public employee who likes his paycheck, I have a responsibility to honor such guidelines if I want to keep getting one. Wilcox, who’s earning way more cash, apparently didn’t feel those regs were worth taking very seriously.

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Bob Dole's avatar

They did follow the city guidelines. It still didn’t matter. Even if they were “ partying” which I’ve never heard was the reason, Wilcox cannot watch all those players 24/7.

Rolo followed the guidelines, just didn’t want to get the shot but was willing to follow all other protocols set forth by the college. He didn’t encourage anyone to do the same on his team, was his personal choice. I don’t recall any outbreaks at Wazzu

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VermontBear's avatar

I remember it was the City of Berkeley Covid protocol that kept those players out of the Arizona game and if it was the protocol the rest of college football followed they would have played.

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Auricursine's avatar

Had the coaches, starting with Wilcox, had instilled in the team a culture of looking out for each other’s health through that period, then an outbreak would have been contained.

Instead, team members are out partying on the eve of a team flight. That’s the height of short-sightedness and selfishness.

If anything is a condemnation of Wilcox’s lack of self-awareness of building a team environment that looks to win even the smallest battles on the margins, it’s that week leading up to the game in Arizona.

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Andrew P's avatar

How many kids and adults were negativity affected or died from sheltering at home? We could be debate this forever and never agree.

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Auricursine's avatar

That's a separate issue. I am addressing public guidelines and mandates that I had to follow as a public school employee. My kids were in my classroom with me every day starting in the 2021-22 school year, which is the time period that I am addressing.

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Rose Bowl Oski's avatar

"Public guidelines and mandates" are at best guesses. At worst they are motivated by politics or economic gain for a public official's friends. Remember, for many years the government told mothers that formula was better than breast milk. They also hawked trans-fat laden margarine over butter, and sugary cereals over anything with fat in it. There are many more head-scratching examples.

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HawaiiBear's avatar

Denying science isn’t a political stance. It’s ignorance.

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Rugbear's avatar

Wilcox is going to the Saban model. He brought in a great guy as the offensive coordinator, a great receivers coach with offensive coordinator experience, and brought in a former really good head coach who has fallen from favor as an offensive consultant. This reminds me of Lane Kiffin and steve Sarkesian under Saban. What it does is it gives us a back up offensive coordinator when Brian Harsin moves on to be a head coach in a year or two. We’ve got three really smart people that are also respected by players in the world of football. It also makes a big statement. I’m guessing Nando is kicking himself right now because Rolovich is every quarterbacks dream coach with his system.

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BearlyThere's avatar

Not to be snarky, and respect your analysis on just about all things football, but might the Saban model work best if you’ve got an actual Saban at the helm? Need a singular authority at the head of the table. Hope Wilcox can be that. And fix our offensive line.

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mrjpark's avatar

Yeah, I'm pretty freaking liberal but don't mind these hires because they're pure football hires. Rolo isn't even a coach and can't interact with the kids, he's purely here to help Harsin run an effective offense.

That said, the Saban model requires you have someone at the helm who knows how to win and everyone falls in place behind him.

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Rugbear's avatar

I think you are 100% correct, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to emulate the best system in football. If the model works, adopt it.

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DoubleBear's avatar

Seriously I remember when we hired a bunch of kids straight out of school (a lot of cal students) and after 2 years when they became competent at their jobs they hopped because the grass is always greener.

I can’t imagine what that like for kids not even out of school with bags being thrown at them.

My hunch is the portal thing will eventually settle once people see enough evidence that hopping around isn’t always the best choice. Really hard to explain that to a kid who hasn’t seen the other side.

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Bowlesman 80's avatar

Great point.

Reminds me of how I would weave in and out of traffic passing cars right and left, but only to end up at my destination about a 1/2 a minute faster than the "slow suckers" I passed.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Sure seems like the sense of urgency we’ve been hoping for.

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Strut’88's avatar

That, or desperation.

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Bhec's avatar

Rolovich is good enough to make a qb!

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GoldenSD81's avatar

With all due respect, this is a lot of hopium and sunshine pumping.

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Rugbear's avatar

You may be right and only time will tell

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GoldenSD81's avatar

You might be right and I hope you are right but I am just a little apprehensive about hiring two new coaches who flamed out at their last head coaching jobs and have been unemployed for 2 and 3 years.

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David's avatar

Nando can always come back; as can Nyziah. If you look at the On3 data base a number of those who initially filed for the portal have just in the last two days have reversed their decision and are returing. We can always hope.

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Rugbear's avatar

I’d like to believe that but I’m being realistic. Our bowl game is next Weds. they are missing practice and the game. I don’t see them coming back.

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Andrew P's avatar

I am still waiting for Tosh Lupoi (Rivals recruiter of the year) to return to Cal also....

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Justbear's avatar

I was thinking exactly the same when we got Harsin. It reminded me of Sark and Kiffin hires at Alabama and I thought we pulled off a similar move. If a good coach is available, go get them.

I'm wondering if Wilcox is keeping Gilbert until the bowl game and then going to replace him with Rolovich.

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Daniel K's avatar

Now we can solicit RFK Jr. for NIL funds.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

It would nice to be able to recruit the Boston-metro area better!

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MCBear's avatar

Great if he can help us win. We love value deals.

But let’s also not valorize his stance against the vaccine. The vaccine is the reason Covid is just a memory and not continuing to impact our lives adversely.

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Daniel Lahl's avatar

Vaccines successful? They are a now-proven dumpster fire - please get educated by reading RFK's and Alex Berenson's books on the topic.

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Gobears512's avatar

Just yikes man... c'mon. Talking about getting educated then referencing RFK's book on the topic. Shall we read Vladamir Putin's dissertation on democracy while we are at it. Just stop with that.

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Daniel Lahl's avatar

Uh, who's going to be running HHS going forward? Vax apologists need to get a clue...

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Stanfurdstinks's avatar

Adrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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Stanfurdstinks's avatar

Adrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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AJDaddio's avatar

I hope he helps as well! The players deserve their efforts translate into wins.

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DoubleBear's avatar

This is awesome! We are assembling the island of misfit toys or the suicide squad. Next year is gonna be fireworks!

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rare bear's avatar

home coming for Nick Rolovich.

Rolovich grew up in Novato, California. He attended Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California, (same high school as current detroit Lions, ex Cal, QB Jared Goff), and won varsity letters in football and baseball. In football, he led his teams to two league championships.

College career.

City College of San Francisco

Rolovich was a two-time junior college All-American (1998–99) at City College of San Francisco, where he led the Rams to a national championship in 1999.[6]

University of Hawaii

Rolovich was a two-year letterman at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he replaced starter and eventual all-time NCAA career passing leader Timmy Chang early in the 2001 season, leading the team to an 8–1 record. During those nine games, Rolovich threw for 3,361 yards and 34 touchdowns on 233-of-405 passing, and ended his college career with three straight 500-yard passing games. He also set school single-game records of eight touchdowns and 543 yards in a 72–45 win over BYU on December 8.

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AJDaddio's avatar

Great stats from his days at Hawaii. Can he apply for one more year of eligibility due to Covid? Everyone else is

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AJDaddio's avatar

Disappointing that so many educated Cal Fans are still drinking the vaccine coolaid! I guess it explains the misguided hype surrounding the team each fall! Both Harsin and Rolovich are good hires, the only controversial thing here is that it took 8 years for Wilcox to make these types of hires

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PawlOski's avatar

I pound vaccines for fun. No one can touch me.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

He’s finally feeling the heat.

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Gerald Young's avatar

That's all we need. A Trump anti-vaxer! willing to sue the University.

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Bob Dole's avatar

Not hired for his politics. Get over it

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Rugbear's avatar

Lighten up. This isn’t a political thread. It’s about football. 😉

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AJDaddio's avatar

Not a fan of DEI, but great diversity hire

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

As the Jerky Boys once said, “SUE EVERYONE”…so long as it gets the Bears 9 wins in ‘25!

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nullpointerintime's avatar

Welp, I'm out. I can tolerate a lot from Cal football, but antivax shit is where I draw the line.

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Bob Dole's avatar

Jesus Christ 😂 good riddance!

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DoubleBear's avatar

If Aaron Rodgers said he’d come back to coach cal would you say no?

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nullpointerintime's avatar

If it was up to me, I wouldn't let any antivaxxer anywhere near campus, let alone hire them, regardless of what they did in the past (at Cal or elsewhere)

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NGOBears26's avatar

Just round them all up and put them in a camp behind barbed wire……that’s something you could support, right?

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deehart's avatar

Why do you hate people who were injured by vaccines?

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douslat's avatar

I would say no if he didn’t agree to abide by the rules.

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Joseph Kim's avatar

So many brain washed left wing people here. Just wait guys a lot of the evidence of the stupidity of the covid vax is coming. Lots of it already published if you look.

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BearlyThere's avatar

The “do your own research” trope is so tired, and so easily refuted.

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MCBear's avatar

The issue was never “doing your own research.” It was doing half-assed “research” using non-credible sources and indulging heavily in confirmation bias instead of doing research into what experts were saying (ie the shit they taught us to do at Cal)

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AJDaddio's avatar

Trying to avoid going down this rabbit hole, but can’t resist. Vaccines are not helpful if you constantly have to get boosted. At that point it’s a flu shot. If you’re vaxed you shouldn’t get Covid right? 6’ was based on science….came from a wet market…..we could go on and on….at least we can agree on our love for CAL - Roll on you BEARS!

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MCBear's avatar

All about Cal - so def roll on you bears!

That said, the rest of your post goes to my point - you’re drawing your own conclusions from what you think are first principles and not listening to experts in the space who advise getting vaccines because they have modeled out the impact, on both individuals and at the epidemiological scale.

As my alias suggests, I studied MCB at Cal and while I am no expert in virology or epidemiology, I at least know the experts who have dedicated lives to this know better. And it’s not just one or two scientists - it’s the community at large.

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Daniel Lahl's avatar

Jay Bhattacharya to run the NIH says it all on the science front! Fauci was a bureaucrat, not a scientist. Go Great Barrington Declaration and Go Bears!

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AJDaddio's avatar

Well, couldn’t disagree more but that’s ok. History will tell a different story. Hopefully the consensus (scientists like that word) next year will be that these were successful hires and CAL fans everywhere will revel in the success we’ve been so longing for!

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Stanfurdstinks's avatar

Viruses evolve genius.....

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AJDaddio's avatar

Exactly

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GoldenSD81's avatar

Yeah, but did you do your own research to figure out that this trope is tired and easily refuted?! Because I did and it isn’t!

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Toohandy's avatar

Saving millions of lives is stupidity ?

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Andrew P's avatar

Tool handy, show us the evidence. And please don't use liar Faucci as a reference.

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DoubleBear's avatar

Seriously, one day we are talking about nice guys that can’t win and the next day winners that got cancelled.

I don’t mind winners that got cancelled. I also think the fan base won’t care once we are lighting it up.

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Stanfurdstinks's avatar

Adrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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KetamineCal's avatar

Fortunately, that specific vaccinate issue is in the rearview mirror so IDGAF anymore. I do hope he'll both 1) be effective and 2) not have some other issue that creates a distraction.

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Auricursine's avatar

"Bird Flu on line one..."

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Rae Moulton's avatar

How is a still pending lawsuit over tens of millions of dollars, filed by Rolovich against a public university, “in the rear view mirror”?

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Rugbear's avatar

Well, if he’s wrong, he doesn’t get paid. Right? And if he is right and gets paid, then you can’t argue about it.

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Andy's avatar

This comment section is absolutely hilarious

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Hugo Schwyzer's avatar

Great hire. I like the direction of the new staff. Roll on!

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OskiOfTarth's avatar

Rolo on

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GoldenSD81's avatar

Call me a “this is a good hire” denier but I’ve done my research and I don’t understand all the excitement for Rolo. If he was such a great coach and offensive mind, why hasn’t he been employed or coached since 2021? You can’t say it is due to his beliefs on being vaccinated because I am sure plenty of schools in other states would not have a problem with that at all. If Auburn can hire Hugh Freeze AFTER they fired a guy like Harsin, they would have no problem bringing Rolo on as an OC or QB coach.

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Avinash Kunnath's avatar

Suing a state government tends to make you pretty unemployable.

However it seems like most people are sensing the political windshifts and are adjusting accordingly.

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GoldenSD81's avatar

Plenty of SEC states and Idaho would have gladly hired him and applauded him for not getting vaccinated and suing that evil liberal state of Washington.

Also, if he is employable again due to political winds shifting, why wasn’t he hired in this cycle as an OC.

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Rugbear's avatar

Great observation Avi.

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OldSoCalBear's avatar

interesting that he's able to bring in guys like Harsin and Rolo. I wonder if this would have been possible under Christ, or if this is a result of Lyons and the admin being more supportive of athletics, to the point where they're willing to piss off some faculty.

In his presser this week, he said - unprompted - that he had strong support from the administration. I don't think I've ever heard that from a Cal coach before.

Maybe things are changing...

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Justbear's avatar

Are you talking about money wise? Or people's characteristics?

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OldSoCalBear's avatar

maybe both?

Not sure what they're being paid but quickly hiring two guys who are cultural and political misfits compared to the Berkeley orthodoxy tells me something is different now.

Just a hunch obviously, I have no inside info

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Justbear's avatar

Well I don't know about character fits, but money wise, I think last year or two years ago, Wilcox fought and got a lot bigger budget for assistants.

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Rugbear's avatar

He did, but I would bet that he went back and got more money this year. I don’t know what Harsin is getting paid, but I would bet it’s around $1 million. And I’m guessing Rolo is getting $250k. And that’s just the money. I’m sure that five years ago and neither one of these guys would’ve been employable at CAL for political reasons.

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Bozemanwasframed91's avatar

Or Rolo promised to keep his mouth shut about politics and anti vax BS and focus solely on football

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Go Eat A Taco's avatar

What does a Senior Offense Assistant do? Can they be on the field during practice? Can they recruit? Why is he needed, we have an OC? What is the difference in their roles? If he were a graduate assistant I could understand this. How much is he getting paid?

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Rugbear's avatar

Yes, they can be on the field, but they can’t actively coach players. But his role will primarily be looking at film and discussing schemes with the other offensive coaches. Nick Saban did this a lot. He brought Tosh Lupoi in this way, and Tosh ended up being his defensive coordinator. Among others, he Also Brought Lane Kevin and Steve Sarkisian in as offensive consultants before they ended up being as off coordinators and moving on. Basically save in rehab these guys careers, benefited from their offensive genius, and then they moved on to have great careers as is evident with Kevin’s record at Mississippi and Sarkesian in Texas.

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Justbear's avatar

Chris Petersen also hired Tedford as offensive consultant at UW after he left Tampa Bay job and then next year became Fresno State HC. I agree it's kind of like a rehab position.

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Go Eat A Taco's avatar

So you are saying one should hire cheats, liars and drunks ~ pay them a lot of money ~ and then have them promoted here or elsewhere on our dime. This sounds a lot like the "American dream"!!

OK, now this all makes sense to me, ty.

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Rugbear's avatar

Sometimes people deserve a second chance. Kiffin has done well with his. There was a time I could not stand Sarkesian, but now he’s dry/sober and I’ve become a huge fan of his. Just like Sabin gave any of his players who screwed up an opportunity to work their way back onto a team, he gave some misfit coaches, the opportunity to earn their way back into coaching. In both cases, it worked out well for the players and the coaches. That’s a forward thinking coach and it’s why Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time.

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KetamineCal's avatar

Does he count against any sort of coaching limit? I can't keep track of the rules surrounding that.

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Justbear's avatar

No, does not count. That's why Saban had so many of them.

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mrjpark's avatar

the only limits are on the number of coaches that work with the kids

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Clifford Fewel's avatar

With all due respect, Rugbear, narrating your comments is fine, but proofreading before posting would allow us to follow your thoughts more easily.

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Rugbear's avatar

Sorry! I tend to dictate them to crank them out quickly, and the spelling in the grammar is terrible. I’ll be the first to admit that!

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Justbear's avatar

I think it's more about spelling Kiffin "Kevin" more than grammar.

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Rugbear's avatar

Yes, sorry about that.

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Rugbear's avatar

GEAT, Rolo we watch film of our opponents and see different things than Harsin will see because of the type of offenses they run. Roo will be able to suggest weaknesses to attack that Harsin might not otherwise see. Also, there may be adjustments that roll of seas Harsin does not see. I think it’s a great combo.

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