I'm not concerned about any of this. We are in a new day and age. These guys aren't going to leave us and start for Alabama. We are upgrading through the Portal quite nicely. Good job coaches. Go Bears!
I know Wilcox has not been very successful since the Red Box Bowl. I think we all thought that he had turned around the program at that point
Unfortunately since then we mostly have scuffled.
COVID and C of B definitely hurt us but should never have lost to Zona and CU. There were some mistakes made on the offensive side of the ball, obviously, leading to Buh like mediocrity. But Wilcox has been given the opportunity to resurrect himself and the program. Sonny might have been able to do the same if given the chance.
Sonny has moved on to become national coach of the year.
So tired of hearing about Sonny. In terms of fit, he didn't want to be here and Justin seems to want to be here. Happy for Dykes spring-boarding into success. That doesn't mean it would have happened here had we retained him. But, acting like he wouldn't have bolted for basically any TX P5 school the second it was viable is a fever dream.
LOL...I would want to be in Berkeley, too, if I was pulling in $4 million a year with very little negative scrutiny save 50 or so disgruntled posters on this blog and Bear Insider. And it's pretty clear it would take a complete Mark Fox level face plant before he's shown the door. It's very sad to me, and I am not even a Cal alum.
His personal reasons for his persistent wandering eye are irrelevant. I'm not judging him or his family for longing for their home state. It just is what it is, and the fact of the matter is that no matter what Dykes @ Cal had an expiration date.
Well truthfully I don't think it's the place of a fanbase to start trying to discern the internal goings-on of his family. In my mind him personally not wanting to be in CA or his wife not wanting to be in CA are equivalent from the perspective of a fan. We should respect their privacy in that regard and when they decide something as a family, it is what it is and ultimately what that means is Sonny wasn't interested in the long haul at Cal and that's OK, can't fault him for knowing what he wants. What I respect is that he never seemed to half-ass it here, even if he did have a wandering eye.
I'm rooting for Sonny, but he was basically gifted an opportunity where he could install his offense with Patterson's defense still in place. We'll get to see if he can keep the defense going year after year.
Sturdivant departure hurt a lot immediately. Brown departure could hurt down the line. His leaving highlights the fact Cal MUST sign offensive lineman. Look for Bloesch to pull from his Texas connections.
So far, Cal seems definitely ahead in the portal. Departure of marginal players opens up slots and scholarships. I like the way it gives guys opportunities to go somewhere where they have a better chance to play, while increasing the opportunities to acquire someone who is a better fit.
The portal giveth and the portal taketh. Wishing these guys well and hoping we can find some solid players at positions of need as other schools undergo the same process.
There was a window to fire Wilcox and Knowlton (and administration) didn't take it. So we probably have Wilcox at least for this year and the next. I actually don't think we had a better option than Wilcox at the time, though I wouldn't have opposed a firing either. And I wouldn't be opposed to firing Knowlton (though the Madsen and Spavital hires may save him yet).
Now, it is possible that Wilcox has been successfully grinding through the administrative bureaucracy behind the scenes (something Sonny referred to obliquely but we all understand) and will result in a stronger program. After all, the biggest impediment to success at Cal is, ultimately, Cal and it would be nice to have someone slash through the red tape.
Kinda hard to fire a coach who was offered the Oregon job. If he takes it and kicks our ass from here to eternity we end up looking really stupid. Instead give him what he wants. If he falls on his face then its over for him. If he succeeds then everyone is happy.
I think Wilcox played his cards VERY well. And I'm hoping some of his conditions were for long-needed administrative reforms and support. Agree, staying with Wilcox and investing in his success was our best option.
Sonny taking TCU to the national championship further emphasizes that it's Cal, hi, we're the problem it's Cal.
Sonny has definitely developed as a HC, but he certainly inherited a talent-laden team from Gary Patterson, who had admittedly stagnated in Ft. Worth. But 8 NFL draft picks off that roster, the vast majority of whom were the result of GP.
Cal had a mid-season firing of its OC, which is as big a change as you can get without changing the head coach.
Offense will be better, but expect the defense to improve as well. Only loss, a big one, was Daniel Scott, while multiple players, particularly on the line are returning and there were some good pickups in the portal. Downside-schedule is more difficult. Bowl game is extremely attainable.
.500 is the realistic ceiling for this program for the foreseeable future. We only got to 8 wins because of an uncharacteristic low point by our Pac12 rivals that have since reloaded with new coaching and star players
Not wrathful disagreement, as while I personally have serious doubts that Wilcox is the answer, he nonetheless pulled the trigger on the late-season dismissal of Musgrave and Angus…this absolutely needed to happen, and probably should’ve happened earlier in the year. Combined with the hiring of Spavital, it at least was a proactive showing and good to see.
IMO, the team will absolutely be better next year, though with the difficult schedule, it may not result in a bowl-eligible season. 2024, though, we’ll hopefully see a breakout Wilcox/Spav year!
Yes, should have a two year window to evaluate the Spavital era, particularly because it doesn’t look Cal will have an experienced, highly skilled QB this year like they did with the Davis Webb scenario.
Yeah sick of hearing about Sonny I have one thing I want to add Sonny was 1 and 11 against Stanford usc and UCLA unacceptable
I'm not concerned about any of this. We are in a new day and age. These guys aren't going to leave us and start for Alabama. We are upgrading through the Portal quite nicely. Good job coaches. Go Bears!
I know Wilcox has not been very successful since the Red Box Bowl. I think we all thought that he had turned around the program at that point
Unfortunately since then we mostly have scuffled.
COVID and C of B definitely hurt us but should never have lost to Zona and CU. There were some mistakes made on the offensive side of the ball, obviously, leading to Buh like mediocrity. But Wilcox has been given the opportunity to resurrect himself and the program. Sonny might have been able to do the same if given the chance.
Sonny has moved on to become national coach of the year.
So tired of hearing about Sonny. In terms of fit, he didn't want to be here and Justin seems to want to be here. Happy for Dykes spring-boarding into success. That doesn't mean it would have happened here had we retained him. But, acting like he wouldn't have bolted for basically any TX P5 school the second it was viable is a fever dream.
LOL...I would want to be in Berkeley, too, if I was pulling in $4 million a year with very little negative scrutiny save 50 or so disgruntled posters on this blog and Bear Insider. And it's pretty clear it would take a complete Mark Fox level face plant before he's shown the door. It's very sad to me, and I am not even a Cal alum.
I think more like....Kate Dykes did not want to be far from "home" with young kids. Ever had a pissed off wife before? You would understand.
His personal reasons for his persistent wandering eye are irrelevant. I'm not judging him or his family for longing for their home state. It just is what it is, and the fact of the matter is that no matter what Dykes @ Cal had an expiration date.
Yeah man I get that. Just surmising that there may have been more to the story. with Sonny, and this is an angle that nobody really considers.
Well truthfully I don't think it's the place of a fanbase to start trying to discern the internal goings-on of his family. In my mind him personally not wanting to be in CA or his wife not wanting to be in CA are equivalent from the perspective of a fan. We should respect their privacy in that regard and when they decide something as a family, it is what it is and ultimately what that means is Sonny wasn't interested in the long haul at Cal and that's OK, can't fault him for knowing what he wants. What I respect is that he never seemed to half-ass it here, even if he did have a wandering eye.
I'm rooting for Sonny, but he was basically gifted an opportunity where he could install his offense with Patterson's defense still in place. We'll get to see if he can keep the defense going year after year.
Sturdivant departure hurt a lot immediately. Brown departure could hurt down the line. His leaving highlights the fact Cal MUST sign offensive lineman. Look for Bloesch to pull from his Texas connections.
So far, Cal seems definitely ahead in the portal. Departure of marginal players opens up slots and scholarships. I like the way it gives guys opportunities to go somewhere where they have a better chance to play, while increasing the opportunities to acquire someone who is a better fit.
We are definitely net positive with the portal but we do need some stud o-linemen.
Line enhancement please.
The portal giveth and the portal taketh. Wishing these guys well and hoping we can find some solid players at positions of need as other schools undergo the same process.
There was a window to fire Wilcox and Knowlton (and administration) didn't take it. So we probably have Wilcox at least for this year and the next. I actually don't think we had a better option than Wilcox at the time, though I wouldn't have opposed a firing either. And I wouldn't be opposed to firing Knowlton (though the Madsen and Spavital hires may save him yet).
Now, it is possible that Wilcox has been successfully grinding through the administrative bureaucracy behind the scenes (something Sonny referred to obliquely but we all understand) and will result in a stronger program. After all, the biggest impediment to success at Cal is, ultimately, Cal and it would be nice to have someone slash through the red tape.
Kinda hard to fire a coach who was offered the Oregon job. If he takes it and kicks our ass from here to eternity we end up looking really stupid. Instead give him what he wants. If he falls on his face then its over for him. If he succeeds then everyone is happy.
I think Wilcox played his cards VERY well. And I'm hoping some of his conditions were for long-needed administrative reforms and support. Agree, staying with Wilcox and investing in his success was our best option.
Sonny taking TCU to the national championship further emphasizes that it's Cal, hi, we're the problem it's Cal.
Sonny has definitely developed as a HC, but he certainly inherited a talent-laden team from Gary Patterson, who had admittedly stagnated in Ft. Worth. But 8 NFL draft picks off that roster, the vast majority of whom were the result of GP.
Has Wilcox had 8 guys drafted in total, period?
Since the end of the 2017 season (including this year), Cal had 9 players drafted, all defensive. The highest was Ashtyn Davis in the 3rd.
The dearth of draftees from the offensive side of the ball is unfortunate…hopefully that changes in the upcoming years.
Dykes inherited a loaded roster at Cal too. We had those highly recruited guys from 2010~2012
Those guys mostly all flamed out due to injury, grades, not meeting expectations or bad locker room presence.
Cal had a mid-season firing of its OC, which is as big a change as you can get without changing the head coach.
Offense will be better, but expect the defense to improve as well. Only loss, a big one, was Daniel Scott, while multiple players, particularly on the line are returning and there were some good pickups in the portal. Downside-schedule is more difficult. Bowl game is extremely attainable.
If we're .500 and make a bowl game I'd consider this a very successful season. I'd move the bar would to 8-9 wins for the next season, though.
.500 is the realistic ceiling for this program for the foreseeable future. We only got to 8 wins because of an uncharacteristic low point by our Pac12 rivals that have since reloaded with new coaching and star players
More sunshine pumping. LOL
IMHO, let's give Wilcox a chance to prove himself differently. ANd write off the Musgraves sub-period.
Wrathful disagreement in 3....2...1....
Not wrathful disagreement, as while I personally have serious doubts that Wilcox is the answer, he nonetheless pulled the trigger on the late-season dismissal of Musgrave and Angus…this absolutely needed to happen, and probably should’ve happened earlier in the year. Combined with the hiring of Spavital, it at least was a proactive showing and good to see.
IMO, the team will absolutely be better next year, though with the difficult schedule, it may not result in a bowl-eligible season. 2024, though, we’ll hopefully see a breakout Wilcox/Spav year!
Yes, should have a two year window to evaluate the Spavital era, particularly because it doesn’t look Cal will have an experienced, highly skilled QB this year like they did with the Davis Webb scenario.