A large media contingent gathered in the University Club, on the eighth floor of CMS yesterday morning, in stark contrast to the windswept practice a handful of local beat writers ambled into at the start of 2025’s fall camp. The team schedule for the week flashed on large monitors like arrival/departure screens at the airport, across from a staff laying out new food offerings for both the concourse and clubs respectively. Later each item would be pointed out and explained by the chef, as one might in a pre-service front of house meeting at a decent restaurant.
Depending on when you are reading this, one could consult the monitors and know what the Cal team is up to. From 6:30 wake up to 9:45 bed check, there is no time that is unaccounted for. Where Cal might differ is the large block in the middle of the day devoted to schoolwork. Compared to other high ranking football programs Cal players potentially have the most exposure to run of the mill students, an important thought when you begin to picture rarified athletic prowess as an equivalent to the highest echelon of academic talent.
Cal Legends were in attendance, ushering in another new era, and welcoming back an alumnus turned coach who came home. As I sat back down for Coach Lupoi’s presser, Jahvid Best, sporting a recovery boot, sat two seats over, and was asked by another local media member if he saw the irony in being injured playing flag football as opposed to tackle.
Coach Lupoi made an active effort not to retread questions in his second presser at the Cal facility, declining to retell the well-documented JKS re-recruitment saga once more. Standout comments from the presser were not entirely football related; CMS will host its first concert event since 1990’s visit from Sir Paul McCartney, a two night affair that saw 118,542 attendees and grossed around 3.5 million dollars. Lupoi had the revenue statistics from said show on hand, demonstrating his willingness to stretch outside of his tunnel vision for football in order to better serve said tunnel vision.
In the wake of a flurry of portal acquisitions this past offseason, Lupoi clarified his approach to roster building. “We were only active (in the portal) because we were forced to. I wasn’t the head coach here for national signing day for high school, so there was only one possible way to impact the roster, so that’s exactly what we did,” continuing on to highlight a preference for recruiting high school, particularly for getting an accurate character assessment. “The lifeline of this program is going to be built off high school recruiting,” he continued, pointing to the 25 commits lined up for the 2027 season, while remaining realistic that Cal will be portaling, but will be “very selective” and treat the process more like the NFL, where the high school class is the draft class you build the program around, with supplemental pieces interspersed.
We are in the thick of talking season, nearly seven months removed from a coaching hire, on the precipice of fall camp with a drastically different roster than the fanbase saw on Christmas Eve, the narratives surrounding a first time head coach coming home have been largely exhausted, and there isn’t actual football to discuss yet, but an early encouraging sign is the dialogue taking place between both sides of the ball. “I think one of the most underrated elements of a defensive head coach, as far as the offensive approach and conversation, is that you feel really comfortable…having conversations about what’s given you problems in the past.”
This approach has been felt on the offensive side of the ball, and welcomed, according to second year Quarterbacks Coach Nick Rolovich, “(Offensive Coordinator) Coach Somerville came in with a great plan, I did not expect Tosh to be so involved with things that give defenses problems. I’ve been impressed with that.” Rolovich remarked on Lupoi’s pride in knowing the offense as well as the defense, remarking that it allows him to connect with offensive players in spontaneous ways, calling out their reps by play name, letting them know they’re receiving the full attention of the program.
After the presser, an array of players fresh off of their workout were made available to chat, all amiable and ready to play ball. Cooper Perry and Kathar Mothudi, two former Oregon Ducks on opposite sides of the ball, were happily settling into their new home, both remarking on the welcome bustle of the Bay in general, and campus specifically. Linebackers Justin Beadles and Tristan Jernigan, transfers from Louisville and Texas A&M respectively, seemed relatively unfazed by the dramatic shift in locale. Fall Camp starts in earnest tomorrow, and their schedules are hovering on the monitors above.
What I think I love most about this is the contrast to the lackadaisical way in which the rollout of fall camp was handled in the past. This is but another example of showing that ALL the details matter in a winning program. All.
This is definitely a welcome change from the JW era, the team and coaches are way more prepared to compete and win in the new era of NCAA football. Tosh is really on point and I'm glad Rolo is providing continuity and the Hawaii connection.