Cal Head Coach Tosh Lupoi to Coach Oregon through the College Football Playoff
Oregon will begin its playoff run against James Madison on December 20.
When asked about his job status with Oregon in his return to Berkeley, new California Golden Bears coach Tosh Lupoi made it clear that he will finish the job up north in Eugene as Ducks defensive coordinator. More from Paul White over at USA Today.
“Over my dead body would I be walking out on the young men in this organization, if given the choice. And so I’m gonna finish what we’ve started there,” the defensive coordinator said to reporters.
Lupoi did also mention in his press conference that every minute outside of gameplanning will be spent on his new duties at Cal. The early evidence was on display hours after his opening press conference, when he cancelled his remaining events, booked a plane ticket to Hawai’i, and locked in the commitment of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele late Friday night before flying back.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Announces He Will Stay at Cal
There will be no transfer portal drama this year. Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has announced he is returning to Berkeley.
This follows the trend of numerous coaches who have accepted head coaching positions before their team’s title bid. Lupoi will be following in the tradition of his current boss Dan Lanning, who accepted the Oregon coaching job in 2021, but finished his defensive coordinating duties with Georgia for their national title run, culminating with a championship against Alabama. Ron Rivera has shown approval for the plan, as he believes coaches should have to honor agreements with their teams.
Agree with Coach #nicksaban regarding his comments on @collegegameday on the #CFB. Consistent rules and regulations regarding coaches amongst other things need to exist to protect the athletes AND the current college. College athletic changes cannot happen while the team is still in competition and season for their respective sport.
Oregon will start their 2025 playoff campaign kickoff on Saturday, December 20 against James Madison at Autzen Stadium, where they are heavy favorites. If they win, they would head to the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day, and face off against Texas Tech.
While gameplanning for the playoff, expect Lupoi to be hard at work the next few weeks to finalize his new Cal coaching staff and getting some early portal and recruiting efforts going.
This is such a refreshing approach compared to the usual coaching carousel chaos! The Dan Lanning precedent from 2021 shows that seeing acommitment through to a championship actually builds better institutional trust on both sides. What's really smart is how Lupoi is already doubling down on Cal recruiting during every non-gameplanning minute, especailly locking in Sagapolutele so quickly, because that shows he can walk and chew gum at the same tiem even if the timeline is brutal.
Honestly, this is how it should be and the CFB rules should incentivize coaches staying with their teams before accepting a new job.