Justin Wilcox talks Cal offensive coordinator search, believes Fernando Mendoza will return

Also Wilcox briefly commented on the Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele situation.

There was a press release Tuesday night confirming the reports that Cal will be making changes on the offensive coaching staff.

Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox announced Tuesday there will be a change in leadership to the offensive staff. The California football program has initiated a national search to identify a new offensive coordinator. Specific roles for existing staff have yet to be determined.

Justin Wilcox held his press conference on early signing day and he addressed that evolving situation with the offensive coordinator search.

We have a really strong group of football coaches on our offensive staff, and we’re looking to build on what we’re doing offensively. This year presented some difficult circumstances, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, with challenges like moving parts on the offensive line and injuries to key players. Despite these setbacks, I know we have some excellent coaches.

At this point, we haven’t identified specific roles or determined how adjustments will be made, but changes are coming. I can’t say exactly how many or what they’ll look like yet. However, this is the same group of coaches that helped produce the conference's leading rusher just a year ago, and I have a lot of confidence in them. There’s real potential for us to grow. Importantly, no one has been let go—we’re simply making a few adjustments to improve.

With the evolving landscape of college football, including changes to rules about coaching and recruitment accountability, there’s more flexibility than before. This provides us with opportunities to adapt and enhance our staff. While some of the circumstances this year were challenging, it also creates a chance for growth and improvement under these new conditions.

I don’t have a specific timetable for when these decisions will be finalized, but when we have more clarity, we’ll make an announcement. These are talented coaches and great people, and I fully expect many of them to remain with us. Right now, though, I can’t say exactly how everything will unfold.

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Wilcox did confirm that the coaching staff is unchanged as of this time and the bowl game offensive gameplanning responsibilities aren’t quite settled. Mike Bloesch is still on staff, but that the plan for playcalling for Cal’s future bowl game is up in the air.

Nobody's been fired. Nobody's been let go. We have good coaches on our staff. We're looking to supplement and grow, on offense and everywhere on defense But, I would say, right now, I couldn't tell you exactly how this is all going to shake out in the coming days and weeks.

There is some discussion about the situation with the transfer portal, with Wilcox fairly confident that Fernando Mendoza will be returning to Cal. That isn’t a confirmation of a return obviously (portal season is portal season), but he seems fairly confident at this time.

We’ll see how everything unfolds. With the timing of high school signing day and the transfer portal opening soon, there’s some uncertainty about what our roster will look like moving forward. It’s difficult to predict who might enter the transfer portal, so I can’t provide much certainty at this point.

That said, we feel really good about our team and the players who are returning. For example, having guys like Fernando [Mendoza] back at the quarterback position gives us a lot of confidence. However, December and January are always dynamic months in college football, and a lot can happen during this time.

Wilcox only briefly touched on the Jaron-Kaewe Sagapolutele flip from Cal to Oregon.

Recruiting is incredibly competitive, with a lot of talented players available. Our focus is always on those who will become part of our program. As you can imagine, the recruiting landscape is dynamic, constantly changing from day to day and week to week. Despite these challenges, we’re genuinely excited about the players who are joining us.