Cal Football General Manager Ron Rivera on Tosh Lupoi, Spring Football Roster Progress

The two-time NFL Coach of the Year offered a wide-ranging assessment ahead of the spring game, touching on culture, personnel and what makes this staff different.

Before the end of spring practice, Ron Rivera opened with a clear-eyed view of what Tosh Lupoi has prioritized since arriving.

“I think it’s all very positive. You look at the things he’s tried to establish and the first thing, more so than anything else, is his culture. He’s got pillars he’s building it around and he’s worked with the players to get them to understand just how important and significant those things are for our success.”

What has stood out most to Rivera is how Lupoi has approached the portal era differently from most.

“When you bring in guys through the portal, it could be transactional and really about the money as opposed to where it is beyond that, an individual becoming part of something. If you can find guys where it’s not a transactional move but more, I want to be here, I want to be part of what you’re building, that’s important. Seeing how Tosh has built what is more of a unit, I think that’s a very positive thing. He’s focusing more on the team building, the bonding, the unit, as opposed to just accumulating individuals. You’ve got 11 guys doing one thing at a time instead of one guy trying to do all 11. These guys are trying to do their jobs because they know that helps the team.”

On whether this team is capable of taking a step forward from last year, Rivera was direct.

“I think what I’ve seen tells me we’re going to be better than we were last year. We had a good team last year, but I do think this team is capable of being better.”

The tempo and structure of practice has been one of the more visible changes.

“The overall organization and structure of practice, and the tempo of practice, it is different. Everything happens at a specific pace and that’s very purposeful. You have to move and play and practice as you’re going to play. You’re seeing tempo that is a little faster, a little more direct, and I think people will notice that right off the bat.”

On Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele heading into his second year in the program, Rivera has seen growth in the areas that matter most.

“You see his leadership skills starting to get better. Decision making, he’s always made good decisions but you see them starting to happen a little bit quicker. The things he’s getting comfortable with and knows well, those things happen almost automatically. There are still some things he’s thinking through as far as the concepts Coach Jordan Somerville has brought in, but that’s the process.”

Rivera went position-by-position in his assessment of the roster. He likes what the running back room can become under Keith Bhonapha.

“Keith is a guy that’s got tremendous rapport with the players and I think his unit can be a very productive one. I think both Adam [Mohammed] and Carter [Vargas] are two guys that are going to make instant impacts for us. The younger guys we have are going to develop and grow very nicely under Keith.”

The receiver group, bolstered by three high-profile transfers, drew particular enthusiasm.

“We had a good core of receivers last year. We brought in three very dynamic guys that I think are going to come out and impact us almost immediately. Ian [Strong], Chase [Hendricks] and Cooper [Perry] are three of the transfer guys that can help make that immediate impact alongside the guys we have returning. I like who that unit’s going to be.”

He also singled out a freshman tight end who doesn’t look like a freshman.

“Taimane Purcell as a freshman is already, I mean you look at him and you don’t see freshman. I’ll be honest with you. You look at him and you say, this guy looks like he’s a sophomore already. Very smart, very bright young man.”

On defense, Rivera highlighted the linebacker group as one to watch.

“I think AJ [Tuitele] has a chance to really be a special player. [Tristan] Jernigan is a guy I like, he’s stout, he should be able to impact us right away. And Kamar [Mothudi] is another guy. Those three give us something that could be a good combination for pretty much any situation in football.”

The secondary also caught his eye.

“We’ve got different athletes compared to last year. I like the mix of guys that stayed and are going to be part of what we do, but some of the guys we brought in just stand out right off the bat. It’s a different group. It really is.”

On Lupoi’s recruiting, Rivera kept it simple and emphatic.

“It’s been ridiculous. His reputation as a good recruiter is out there and you watch him, he’s relentless. He knows what needs to be said, he knows what needs to be shown. He shares his own personal background with everybody. He wants them to understand that everything he’s got, he’s earned.”

Asked about the formation of Strawberry Creek Studios, Cal’s new in-house content operation, Rivera framed it as a necessary step.

“You’re going to see a department that handles getting the news out and storytelling. That’s another big element of what we need. We need to tell the story of the University of California Berkeley’s athletic department, football program and the university itself. We saw that happen with programs like Clemson and LSU already stepping up and doing what they’ve done. We’re just getting into it.”

Rivera was recently inducted into the inaugural class of the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame, and spoke about what that recognition means.

“It’s not just about playing, but about what you’ve done as far as coaching and contributions you’ve made. This game is growing internationally and we’ve already seen the impact that Latinos have made to this game. It was important that our community needed to be represented. You’ve got the Black Football Hall of Fame, the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, and now the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame. So many different communities have made impacts on this game, and we just want to start recognizing it and bring a little pride to the community.”

His advice to players asking about the next level comes down to one core principle.

“You got to be a pro early. You can’t show up without a plan of action. You’ve got to be there early, take care of yourself, do the little things before practice, during practice, after practice. That’s what gets you noticed. And to be able to come here, play major college football and graduate from this place is hard. There’s a tremendous sense of pride when you do. This is the number one public institution and graduating from here carries an awful lot.”