Hopefully it is an Aston Martin DB5 with 2 ejector seats. It should be abundantly clear to RR that the NIL collective, the fan base and now the team are in open revolt against the football leadership. RR, please take a page from Andrew Luck and Furd and rip the bandage off now...
I'm not sure the donors are in revolt and I don't think Andrew Luck has done a great job at Stanfurd, so far (that's my caveat). Sounds like our NIL account has plenty of money. Btw, it was a huge move to bring Rivera aboard. For donors to hold back funding now because they don't like the org chart is beyond stupid. This is a collaborative effort. If we don't see improvement, then it's on everyone.
The founders of Cal's NIL fund have announced they will no longer contribute to the fund as long as the current structure is in place. Donors have absolutely revolted and are securely on the sideline. We shall see how RR's presser goes today (he had better hit a grand slam!!).
I'm confused. If all the founding donors have stopped contributing to the fund, then how have we provided competitive offers for Ott, Jett, Endries and others? I would really like to know the specifics. How many are part of the founding group? How much do they annually give? How many other donors do we have? How much does every other donor give each year. There are a lot of claims floating around and I'm trying to make sense of what is actually going on and the real state of our affairs. I'd be grateful for any clarification.
The founding members of Cal's NIL program also run BI. About a month ago, they had an Op-Ed and stated they would no longer contribute and urged others to do the same. It is all on their website. In short, they will not contribute until RR has FULL control over football ~ to include having Wilcox report directly to RR.
Thanks Taco and that is very interesting. I subscribe to BI and Cal.Rivals as well. One thing I have noticed on all of these sites is how loud some of the voices are and how some of the demands are not just unrealistic, but come from a place of ignorance. RR's presser yesterday touched upon this when he spoke about reasons why some of our star players transferred and that no one except the participants know the true story.
Personally, whether Rivera has full control or not of our football program, I could care less. They are paying him enough and his role is such that they are going to listen to his recommendations. The Chancellor stuck his neck out with the hire.
We all want a winning football team. But as someone who played at CAL and has coached elsewhere, I can attest to how difficult it is to win, especially in a place like CAL.
I certainly have had my frustrations with Wilcox and have wanted to fire him at times, but when I get a grip I realize it's not all on him and we would be hard pressed to find someone who would do better unless we got real lucky with an unproven hire that succeeded. I don't like those odds.
The problem with CAL has always been about commitment and that includes money. Money to hire the best coaches, money to attract the best talent (now in the days of the NIL), and money to make a statement to recruits that we care the way Bama cares and OSU cares and now UNC cares. I think the Chancellor has made clear that we are elevating our game with the hire of RR. Now let's see what JW and his team can do under the new conditions.
Lastly, when I see stuff like those articles about Harsin, it makes me want to puke. It's some sportswriter looking for clicks. at the cost of our program's reputation. Common sense will tell anyone that out of 120 guys and 60 of them on offense, some are not going to like the coach, especially those that think they deserve more playing time. Also, no one has written anything about a culture change at CAL football, but RR alluded to what I have been saying all along: we are going to a brand of more physical football and we want kids who play that kind of football. The WR's who won't block and the dazzling RB's that won't hit a hole hard won't be contributing to our team. Catching a deep ball once in a while is great, and breaking off a big run through a huge hole is always exciting. But you gotta get the three and a third yards every down if you are going to control the game. Thant takes brute force and physical play. I'm guessing the guys being targeted in the portal are the type of players the coaches and RR are looking for that are a fit for the new culture.
He’s the only one I have any confidence in at this point, partly because he’s new to this situation and partly due to his football experience.
I don’t mind if he makes a series of choices that are both bad and good as he finds his way. I do mind if he does nothing and the Wilcox era continues to slog on.
Are all these players leaving for more reasons than draft exposure? Why is all of this happening shortly after coaching changes within the offense? It doesn't matter who is driving the vehicle if the wheels are coming off.
I think it's a little of a lot of things. For guys like Ott and Endries, it has all to do with their future NFL aspirations. I think with others it could be a number of things. While were fond of Jett and had high hopes for him next year, is he really a #1 RB in the P4? is he going to get us 3 yards on every play and rush for 1000 yards? The coaches know better than us, I think they are looking for their starting RB. The other 3 RB's never really showed up as potential starters for a lot of reasons.
I also think there is a big culture shift at CAL right now. Harsin is trying to bring back smash mouth football, like he had at Boise. A lot of guys won't like that at skill positions if it means asking them to modify their game.
I think this year will be a rebuilding one but I think we still should win more than six games and hopefully the future gets better, or its time for some big changes..
My two cents: Ott, for all his sensational highlights, has not been a dependable between the tackles yards on every play kind of runner at Cal; his reputation has come from his home run threat capability. Thomas, on the other hand, can break long ones, sure. But the every down ability exists too; he has averaged over six yards per carry, on 118 total carries while at Cal. Last year, on a hundred carries behind a subpar OL, he averaged 6.3. He was one of the better between the tackles RBs in the ACC, IMO. The kid showed a willingness to grit it out; after returning in fantastic shape from his offseason conditioning regimen last year (which itself was preceded by his scary hospital episode), his desire exuded blue collar, basically Oakland strong, just the sort of back you want at Cal, in my view. Not sure how the coaches would remain unconvinced as to whether he can be a solid number one. The kid has “smash mouth” moxy and pedigree that go beyond what one might conclude from his size.
While were fond of Jett and had high hopes for him next year, is he really a #1 RB in the P4? is he going to get us 3 yards on every play and rush for 1000 yards?
I guess We will see what He has to stay tomorrow. Even though it would be nice driving a premium car , the most important part is the direction. Right now, We are driving towards a cliff on the PCH. It is okay We have bumps in the road or have to slow down for some curves . The key is to stay on the road . We can go slow and steady at first until We can truly rev up the engine and cruise down the road.
The first (?) of hopefully many more to come. My three take aways: 1) Ron has his hands in every facet of Cal football. 2) Ron effectively has ultimate chancellor-delegated authority over Cal football, until the Chancellor undelegates it. 3) JK/AD will be consulted in a support role for compliance/rules/UC admin knowledge.
I think this is the hopeful case re the portal losses - that it is just part of an intentional culture shift as opposed to an unintentional oh shit as the walls burn and crumble inwards
Let's see some results from Mr. Rivera. Both Stanfurd defensive standouts declared. Can we bring in Atkinson from UNC or either Cuse portal player? OU's Stone withdrew, what about our top players?
I hope that he has something reassuring to say. I'm not convinced that blowing up a roster is the most effective way to cure the malaise that has settled over Cal Football, especially when that means getting rid of two players (Ott and Endries, maybe even Mendoza) who have NFL potential and seemed to be good representatives of the university. Football Gods, pray for us.....
Up until now we clearly have been outspent by other football first schools with much larger NIL budgets. However from the 25-26 season the proposed NCAA settlement will change some of these dynamics. Revenue sharing takes over and each school can spend up to $20.5 million to share with their athletes across all sports - with most of the money targeted at Mens FB and BB since they are revenue sports. I think this should level the playing field somewhat - others may have a better understanding of how this will work? However, Cal lacks the revenue stream of even other ACC schools because of the meager TV allocation for their first 7 years in the Conference. Let alone the big bucks SEC and Big Ten schools (even accounting for the chump change $10 million from UCLA). The Chancellor seems committed to compete at the $20 million price tag - but that will drain the AD budget coming at time when the University is looking at potentially significant research funding cutbacks. There is already a hiring freeze in place. I hope GM Rivera can navigate through all this until Cal starts receiving a full share from the ACC. Assuming the ACC remains in place that long..
Hopefully it is an Aston Martin DB5 with 2 ejector seats. It should be abundantly clear to RR that the NIL collective, the fan base and now the team are in open revolt against the football leadership. RR, please take a page from Andrew Luck and Furd and rip the bandage off now...
I'm not sure the donors are in revolt and I don't think Andrew Luck has done a great job at Stanfurd, so far (that's my caveat). Sounds like our NIL account has plenty of money. Btw, it was a huge move to bring Rivera aboard. For donors to hold back funding now because they don't like the org chart is beyond stupid. This is a collaborative effort. If we don't see improvement, then it's on everyone.
The founders of Cal's NIL fund have announced they will no longer contribute to the fund as long as the current structure is in place. Donors have absolutely revolted and are securely on the sideline. We shall see how RR's presser goes today (he had better hit a grand slam!!).
I'm confused. If all the founding donors have stopped contributing to the fund, then how have we provided competitive offers for Ott, Jett, Endries and others? I would really like to know the specifics. How many are part of the founding group? How much do they annually give? How many other donors do we have? How much does every other donor give each year. There are a lot of claims floating around and I'm trying to make sense of what is actually going on and the real state of our affairs. I'd be grateful for any clarification.
The founding members of Cal's NIL program also run BI. About a month ago, they had an Op-Ed and stated they would no longer contribute and urged others to do the same. It is all on their website. In short, they will not contribute until RR has FULL control over football ~ to include having Wilcox report directly to RR.
Thanks Taco and that is very interesting. I subscribe to BI and Cal.Rivals as well. One thing I have noticed on all of these sites is how loud some of the voices are and how some of the demands are not just unrealistic, but come from a place of ignorance. RR's presser yesterday touched upon this when he spoke about reasons why some of our star players transferred and that no one except the participants know the true story.
Personally, whether Rivera has full control or not of our football program, I could care less. They are paying him enough and his role is such that they are going to listen to his recommendations. The Chancellor stuck his neck out with the hire.
We all want a winning football team. But as someone who played at CAL and has coached elsewhere, I can attest to how difficult it is to win, especially in a place like CAL.
I certainly have had my frustrations with Wilcox and have wanted to fire him at times, but when I get a grip I realize it's not all on him and we would be hard pressed to find someone who would do better unless we got real lucky with an unproven hire that succeeded. I don't like those odds.
The problem with CAL has always been about commitment and that includes money. Money to hire the best coaches, money to attract the best talent (now in the days of the NIL), and money to make a statement to recruits that we care the way Bama cares and OSU cares and now UNC cares. I think the Chancellor has made clear that we are elevating our game with the hire of RR. Now let's see what JW and his team can do under the new conditions.
Lastly, when I see stuff like those articles about Harsin, it makes me want to puke. It's some sportswriter looking for clicks. at the cost of our program's reputation. Common sense will tell anyone that out of 120 guys and 60 of them on offense, some are not going to like the coach, especially those that think they deserve more playing time. Also, no one has written anything about a culture change at CAL football, but RR alluded to what I have been saying all along: we are going to a brand of more physical football and we want kids who play that kind of football. The WR's who won't block and the dazzling RB's that won't hit a hole hard won't be contributing to our team. Catching a deep ball once in a while is great, and breaking off a big run through a huge hole is always exciting. But you gotta get the three and a third yards every down if you are going to control the game. Thant takes brute force and physical play. I'm guessing the guys being targeted in the portal are the type of players the coaches and RR are looking for that are a fit for the new culture.
Time will tell.
He’s the only one I have any confidence in at this point, partly because he’s new to this situation and partly due to his football experience.
I don’t mind if he makes a series of choices that are both bad and good as he finds his way. I do mind if he does nothing and the Wilcox era continues to slog on.
Gives new meaning to “Toyota Tercel offense”
Are all these players leaving for more reasons than draft exposure? Why is all of this happening shortly after coaching changes within the offense? It doesn't matter who is driving the vehicle if the wheels are coming off.
I think it's a little of a lot of things. For guys like Ott and Endries, it has all to do with their future NFL aspirations. I think with others it could be a number of things. While were fond of Jett and had high hopes for him next year, is he really a #1 RB in the P4? is he going to get us 3 yards on every play and rush for 1000 yards? The coaches know better than us, I think they are looking for their starting RB. The other 3 RB's never really showed up as potential starters for a lot of reasons.
I also think there is a big culture shift at CAL right now. Harsin is trying to bring back smash mouth football, like he had at Boise. A lot of guys won't like that at skill positions if it means asking them to modify their game.
I think this year will be a rebuilding one but I think we still should win more than six games and hopefully the future gets better, or its time for some big changes..
My two cents: Ott, for all his sensational highlights, has not been a dependable between the tackles yards on every play kind of runner at Cal; his reputation has come from his home run threat capability. Thomas, on the other hand, can break long ones, sure. But the every down ability exists too; he has averaged over six yards per carry, on 118 total carries while at Cal. Last year, on a hundred carries behind a subpar OL, he averaged 6.3. He was one of the better between the tackles RBs in the ACC, IMO. The kid showed a willingness to grit it out; after returning in fantastic shape from his offseason conditioning regimen last year (which itself was preceded by his scary hospital episode), his desire exuded blue collar, basically Oakland strong, just the sort of back you want at Cal, in my view. Not sure how the coaches would remain unconvinced as to whether he can be a solid number one. The kid has “smash mouth” moxy and pedigree that go beyond what one might conclude from his size.
While were fond of Jett and had high hopes for him next year, is he really a #1 RB in the P4? is he going to get us 3 yards on every play and rush for 1000 yards?
Yes and yes. I absolutely know that.
Win or Wilcox gets canned. Our only hopes for the season
Hopefully it's an SUV, with Wilcox riding shotgun and Knowlton relegated to the third row.
I hope it's a two seater. Rivera and Wilcox only
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-yHj3Z9vACg&pp=ygUKcm9uIHJpdmVyYQ%3D%3D
Rivera media availability. Pretty impressive IMO.
“I’m thee man! I’m thee man.l! I’m so bad, I should be in detention.”
I guess We will see what He has to stay tomorrow. Even though it would be nice driving a premium car , the most important part is the direction. Right now, We are driving towards a cliff on the PCH. It is okay We have bumps in the road or have to slow down for some curves . The key is to stay on the road . We can go slow and steady at first until We can truly rev up the engine and cruise down the road.
Did they have the press conference? Did it get postponed? I can't find any news about it.
Yes.
https://youtu.be/zFvHm89ABHY
The first (?) of hopefully many more to come. My three take aways: 1) Ron has his hands in every facet of Cal football. 2) Ron effectively has ultimate chancellor-delegated authority over Cal football, until the Chancellor undelegates it. 3) JK/AD will be consulted in a support role for compliance/rules/UC admin knowledge.
Thanks!
I think this is the hopeful case re the portal losses - that it is just part of an intentional culture shift as opposed to an unintentional oh shit as the walls burn and crumble inwards
Where have you gone, Ron Rivera?
Our Cal-nation turns its lonely eyes to you. And here's to you, Ron Rivera, we love you more than you will know!
Let's see some results from Mr. Rivera. Both Stanfurd defensive standouts declared. Can we bring in Atkinson from UNC or either Cuse portal player? OU's Stone withdrew, what about our top players?
I hope that he has something reassuring to say. I'm not convinced that blowing up a roster is the most effective way to cure the malaise that has settled over Cal Football, especially when that means getting rid of two players (Ott and Endries, maybe even Mendoza) who have NFL potential and seemed to be good representatives of the university. Football Gods, pray for us.....
Up until now we clearly have been outspent by other football first schools with much larger NIL budgets. However from the 25-26 season the proposed NCAA settlement will change some of these dynamics. Revenue sharing takes over and each school can spend up to $20.5 million to share with their athletes across all sports - with most of the money targeted at Mens FB and BB since they are revenue sports. I think this should level the playing field somewhat - others may have a better understanding of how this will work? However, Cal lacks the revenue stream of even other ACC schools because of the meager TV allocation for their first 7 years in the Conference. Let alone the big bucks SEC and Big Ten schools (even accounting for the chump change $10 million from UCLA). The Chancellor seems committed to compete at the $20 million price tag - but that will drain the AD budget coming at time when the University is looking at potentially significant research funding cutbacks. There is already a hiring freeze in place. I hope GM Rivera can navigate through all this until Cal starts receiving a full share from the ACC. Assuming the ACC remains in place that long..