Cal promotes Terrence Brown, Michael Bruno on the defensive coaching staff
The California Golden Bears have a pretty solid all-around coaching unit.
Cal made some moves this week to upgrade their coaching staff via internal promotion.
Terrence Brown is now the defensive passing game coordinator in addition to being the defensive backs coach. Brown has coached at Cal since 2022, mostly focused on the cornerbacks. The Cal corners have often been the top-performing unit on the team, and certainly for much of last season with Nohl Williams and Marcus Harris leading the way. New defensive backs coach Allen Brown will also assist in the secondary, replacing Tre Watson.
Long-time Cal assistant Michael Bruno is now the inside linebackers coach, joining Vic So’oto (outside linebackers plus special teams) and Andrew Browning (defensive line) in the front seven coaching staff. Bruno takes those responsibilities from defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, who can now his attention solely on gameplanning and defensive strategy. Bruno has been a defensive analyst with Cal in 2018-21 and 2024, with other stints as inside linebackers coach at UNLV and defensive coordinator at Minot State.
This is now probably the largest coaching staff the Bears have ever had with the elevation of Bruno. The standard rules for recruiting still apply (only 10 assistants can recruit off-campus), but it’s nice to see the Bears still have enough salary on hand to bolster the staff.
Cal football definitely feels like it’s seeing good investment this fall.
Good move relieving Simon from having to coach ILB's and now on game days just call each individual defensive play and prepare for the next one as the game progresses. Maybe he'll be upstairs where he can see the whole field. He can't do that on the sidelines.
Feels like Cal really is trying to be a modern football program and engaging fully with the new era. Here's hoping for success!