Cal Football Head Coach Justin Wilcox Signs Extension Through 2027
Cal Football Head Coach Justin Wilcox Signs Extension Through 2027
Adding another 4 years to the deal and more money for assistant coaches
This deal was in the works ever since the news of Justin Wilcox declining the Oregon job the leaks about a possible extension have been permeating the Cal fandom sphere.
With this news, we have an official conclusion of Cal’s involvement in the 2021-2022 coaching carousel.
Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Cal program through the 2027 season and increases the salary pool for assistant coaches.
Details of the deal are pending with the only knows being the aforementioned length of the deal and the increase in the salary pool for assistant coaches.
Comments by AD Knowlton, emphasis mine:
"Justin Wilcox is a football coach who shares our values and vision, and we want to ensure that he is the leader of our program for the long term," Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "He is a great fit for Cal Athletics and our university, with a philosophy that places an emphasis on developing young men on the field, in the classroom and as people. I am confident our fans and alumni share my enthusiasm for the direction of our program, and the level of success we have seen to date has set a foundation for sustained excellence in the future."
Comments by Chancellor Christ, emphasis mine:
"Since the beginning of his tenure, I have been impressed by Justin Wilcox's leadership, and his commitment to enabling our student-athletes to take full advantage of the academic and athletic opportunities we offer," Christ said. "He is, in my opinion, the quintessential Berkeley coach who understands the university's values, as well as the value his program brings to the campus as a rallying point for Cal's global community. College football is a highly competitive environment, and the investment represented in Justin's new contract is commensurate with all that I know he will contribute to our university in the years ahead."
Anyone who has shown as much of a commitment to Cal and the program as Wilcox has earned my full support, and I have a lot more faith that a coach dedicated to the program can turn things around. Compare that to Dykes, who had similar on-field results, but was actively hitting up other programs with the "hey, you guys hiring?" stuff. Wilcox could have used Cal like a stepping stone the way his predecessor would have (given the opportunity), but he didn't. He deserves the raise and he deserves institutional support.
Only the Soviet Union had more failed Five Year Plans than Cal. It's kinda refreshing to give a football coach more than five years to build the foundation, cultivate relationships with the HS recruits we want, and figure out how to get Cal from mediocrity to excellence. Like everyone, I got frustrated by the close losses, but on the macro level, I have a feeling that if Cal steps up in the other areas outside of the coaching, that Cal football can be successful under Wilcox. Call it a hunch, but I think he's going to be someone we'll look at as being a success.