Okay I get it, like coaches, the players can retain agents, transfer at will (at each portal opening), and get paid. So take the bullshit out of it and legislate that the players sign contracts for an X amount of time, assuming of course, that they stay academically eligible. If they choose to transfer at any point during their contract period they would be subject to buy out their contract and or pay back the university scholarship. As it stands now there is little opportunity for most programs to maintain a stable roster and instituting some reasonable guidelines would assist in this regard.
He could have at least waited until after the bowl game - only 5 days from now. He was lucky Cal gave him a shot when other P-4 schools didn't. He quit on his teammates, his coaches, the fans and the university. He played everyone. NIL is making a mockery of college athletics.
Is there a way that the Calgorithm could get Nando to reconsider his transfer decision? Transfering for a chance to make it to the Not For Long League is fleeting but attaining legendary status is forever!!!
I am a Charter Hill member as I donate to our sports programs. I just received an email from Knowlton and CAL is leading the way in revenue sharing with their athletes.
damn you Wilcox, always saying the right things and sounding exactly what an elite head coach should sound like. Why the hell are there so many losses?
I dunno, Alex…he kinda does. He may not make Celebrity Star HC money, but he’s likely the most overpaid HC in D1. All the talk of Cal being a poverty program in terms of salaries is an excuse-driven farce. He makes nearly $5M a year, more than ¼ of the coaches that made the College Football Playoff, none of whom are 20-games below .500 in conference. And $5M per year in the Bay Area is still an elite payday.
The three coaches you are referencing are a G5 coach, a guy who is on the same contract from when he was a G5 coach and is in the playoffs largely because of a huge influx of nil money from fossil fuel execs, and a guy whose team was expected to finish last in the Big 12 and turned out to be a damned good hire. Dillingham also has a maximum bonus this year of $5.4 million depending on how deep he gets into the playoff. Wilcox is getting five, maybe six figures for his achievements this year.
I believe that is just his base pay. He also is eligible and receives bonuses based on performance as well. He got a combined $75k in bonuses after this season for beating Stanford, winning 6 games and going to a bowl game.
And dillingham is going to get a seven-figure bonus this year that'll bump his yearly pay above Wilcox's Total. The other two coaches Jimmy referenced are on G5 contracts.
He made it to the CFB playoffs in his second season! Of course he deserves a huge bonus. Wilcox hasn’t even achieved a winning conference record in 8 seasons. These two coaches aren’t anywhere comparable in talent, ability, or achievements. One has actually earned his bonus, future pay raise and extension. The other is living off an overture from Oregon.
If you adjust for cost of living — just at the state level, not East Bay versus BF nowhere in Iowa which would be more extreme — He's paid like bottom 5 in the P4. Someone on the discord crunched the numbers.
Yeah, I’m certainly not disputing cost of living of the Bay Area v. Lawrence, KS. But to be fair, the entire country is simply more expensive now. And the “Cal doesn’t pay” argument is complete BS. Wilcox is paid competitively, and would receive even more if he weren’t such a poor HC.
And the argument posited on this board by excuse-makers and Wilcox apologists that Cal doesn’t pay enough is silly.
The cost of living adjustment is in the current year for States, not looking back 10 years or before pre-pandemic inflation. Saying that the whole country is more expensive means nothing when this is about relative cost of living in the Year of Our Lord Oski 2024.
As we know, the problem is that the things Justin Wilcox actually does well are basically useless in today’s CFB…that’s just the reality of the situation, and Carol Christ and Jim Knowlton’s inability to see what was coming very possibly killed the Cal Football program.
damn you Wilcox, always saying the right things and sounding exactly what an elite head coach should sound like. Why the hell are there so many losses?
Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd rather think about the players who are going to play in the bowl one last time with their teammates and the kids who are staying at this time. I look forward to cheering for them next week.
Out of college sports, sure. But the bowl games are still special to me, especially since most of our graduating starters don't tend to opt out (iirc). It's one last chance for me to cheer for some Cal Bears who honored their commitment to the program and their team to the end (not that I am against anyone who sits out to protect their health status btw) and to see some new bears in action.
This whole scenario is putting a serious kibosh on my college football fandom. I mean, these guys are 18+ and deserve to make the monies, but it sure does suck for the rest of us.
Evaluation is tricky. Look at last year -https://247sports.com/college/transfer-portal/season/2024-football/transferportalpositionranking/. Rogers and Calloway are within 4 points of Mendoza and non-factors here. Gabriel rates lower than Dante Moore. Would we want to be Maalik Murphy's 3rd stop? Miller Moss post-benching? Either sound like a lot of fun? For me, this sport is becoming less enjoyable as we have to invest each summer in a dozen-plus newcomers and then guard ourselves to get too invested in any one player lest they leave (Hunter, we barely knew thee!).
Well, at least we know he is reading your comments and listening to the fans... "I would just encourage everybody to, you know, get verify the source, get the real thing." What he fails to recognize is that some donors are extremely connected to the world of sports. And people talk in sports. And he also fails to recognize that Kids use social media to share feedback about their team and their coaches. So it is all out there in the WWW. We too do our diligence to assess the decisions that are being made.
JS: Doesn't $2 million strike you as a bit absurd for Nando? Don't get me wrong. He has showed continued improvement over the last two years at Cal and he has a strong arm. But do you think that he is really worth that much? Also, if the rumors are true and he is going to Indiana to play with his brother, do the Hoosiers have that kind of NIL money for football? Remember that they only became relevant in football this year. I guess we will find out more as the weeks progress.
Don’t know what the going rate for a starting level QB at a good program is but the numbers and eye test say Nando is a starting level QB at a good program.
The sideline announcer said Nando looked very sick during the SMU game; spent much of the game sitting as was "weak". I think it's unfair to just assume he sat out for other reasons.
Indiana could have raised a huge amount on based on singular time-is-now to capitalize on their miracle (to the fans) season and excellent I'm A Winner coaching. If we had had the 9-10 win season that was possible this year, you better believe NIL funds would be through the (Cal) roof.
I am kind of shocked that Indiana is even aware of him seeing how we didn’t play them. I would think Miami would offer him as he had a good game against them, has ACC experience, is from Miami and Miami will need a new QB with Cam Ward graduating.
Indiana has a hell of a coach.... wouldn't be surprised to see them do well for years to come. And, I'm guessing if Nando goes there it's with the idea of helping tutor is younger brother to take the reins in another year or two. Having both at the same place will also make things easier for his parents since his mom is struggling. Of course, somewhere like Miami would be even better.
I hate to say this, but Nando would not take up the slack left by Cam Ward’s departure. Nando has a great desire and work ethic, but Ward made some kind of deal with a Crossroads demon. I want Nando to keep his soul.
his brother is a true Frosh this year, so yeah, Fernando will start. But this was clearly a family decision. (Dad coudl easily have dropped a feeler to an Indiana coach: "man, I love your style, and wish my older son had that kind of personal coaching..."
Insofar as player retention goes at Cal, Rod Benson had some great thoughts on the matter. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post BearInsider podcasts (I'm not affiliated with them but I'm a big fan of Pawlawski (that '91 season man) and Rod Benson. Benson talks about his time spent with Mendoza at the Cal/Stanfurd MBB game and his thoughts. I think it's worth a listen -- it was posted the day before Mendoza's portal announcement:
Agree that at this point it is about winning, but I thought it was a very good interview and Wilcox had good things to say. He certainly was a lot calmer than after some our our painful losses, knowing that small errors were the difference between winning and losing.
Wilcox has historically been very loyal to his assistants, sometimes to the detriment of the program. I see a change in him. Coaches are now as accountable as players. When he talked about Harsin's attention to detail and that Harsin will make sure the players will know the system and their assignments, it makes me think that Bloesch had some issues with this. If anyone knows Chris Petersen's offensive system, he uses motion to create mismatches. Harsin runs that system. Should be a big upgrade from what we have.
Also, if rumors are true that we've targeted a great QB and have the money to pay him, then it explains why Mendoza left. I am a huge fan of Nando and he played brilliantly at CAL because of his work ethic and smarts, but he has a ceiling because of his athletic ability. Sam Jackson was the opposite, great athletic ability but didn't put in the time or have the smarts to succeed at QB. If we get a QB similar to Cam Ward or Dylan Gabriel, it would be amazing. We'll see.
I don’t think they were preparing to prioritize a qb in the portal other than for depth before Mendoza signaled he was gone. That said, OL issues aside, it’s a great opportunity and I suspect there will be interest from some quality options. Nando freed up some change.
No way are we getting a QB similar or as accomplished as Ward or Gabriel. If such QBs enter the portal, I am sure Oregon, Ohio State or some other big program will come after them and they will offer more money and an opportunity to compete for a conference and national championship.
In regards to, Bloesch and his attention to detail or lack thereof, that is on Wilcox for making him pull double duty as OC and OL coach. Both the OL and offensive play calling suffered due to that.
Disagree. While a top prospect would consider all these places CAL has a couple things to offer, if we have NIL money, that the other schools can't offer: one is almost a guarantee of a starting job, two is a new OC who should be able to be the marginal difference in helping us win those 4 games that we lost by 9 total points. Agree that it's on Wilcox that he allowed Bloesch to pull double duty, but every OC and DC pulls double duty, so it's nothing that should have caused problems. After watching a lot of 'film' I think that Bloesch just isn't brilliant offensive mind and his schemes weren't great. When I look at our complete inability to run inside, that isn't becuase we don't have guys who can't block, it's a combo of poor technique (and in many cases poor fundamentals) and scheme. That's on the coach. I'm not saying we will land a QB as good as Ward or Gabriel, we may not land a QB as good as Nando, but we'll see if the rumors are true and what comes out of it. I'm willing to wait and see before I pass judgment. And believe me, I have been very frustrated with Wilcox this season, to the point I have been ready for a new HC, but that ain't happening because of the buyout provision for JW.
We will see what QBs enter the portal but the things you mentioned as things we have to offer a top portal QB, money and playing time; Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan have more money and will also have QB vacancies.
I am not saying it is impossible to get a good portal QB to Cal, I just think odds are stacked against us.
I don't disagree, I think it's more of how a sale is made. Oregon, OSU and other schools like those have a lot of competition built in. And CAL was on the cusp of being a pretty damn good team this year. An argument could be made to a promising young QB that Harsin, who is known to have coached up some great QB's, will not only help them get better, but will be the difference maker between a 6 win and a 10 win season.
Think about how Harsin impacts the entire team if he is successful. Third and fourth down conversions go up. Points scored goes up. Time on the field goes up. Defensive time on the field goes down which means they are more rested. More points scored means less punts which means better field position, which in turn means more points. All of these incremental things add up over the course of a game.
Lastly, when you look at Harsins offense, it isn't all about calling the right play against the right defense. (I think about the Miami game where Bloesch made some great play calls in the first half, but he had nothing when it mattered in the second half). Harsin's system will create mismatches on every play using motions. It is very difficult to defend. Second, I really like what Wilcox said about the offense being physical under Harsin. Harsin ran very physical teams while at Boise State. I did not feel that our team was nasty enough under Bloesch.
In fairness to Bloesch I could be very wrong because I was not on the field to see. But I just never felt like our guys went out and 'owned' the other team.
Again, in fairness to Bloesch, I am anticipating Harsin will be different, but the real test will come game time next year, and I could be very wrong. Only time will tell.
True, but the level of the competition at the other schools is higher because they already have talent at the position. A QB coming into CAL would compete with QB who is talented but has been 3rd team up until now, and a freshman QB with no experience. I'm pretty sure that the depth chat at both Oregon and OSU is deeper with existing QB talent.
And you are correct, Wilcox does want competition, but if I was a portal player and Nando was still here, I'd probably go elsewhere. With Nando gone, our depth is not great, which means less competition and better opportunity for an incoming transfer.
And, think about Cam Ward. WSU picked him from Incarnate Word and he lit it up. No other major programs went after him. Let's find a guy like him.
There is a glut of QBs in the Portal. It is possible that a Ward or Gabriel might come to us so they get play time and can make an obvious difference. If Nando left because he didn’t feel he could or should have to compete, well, young people sometimes rush to bad decisions.
At this point, it’s all noise. Winning is the only metric that matters. Do that and we’re golden. Don’t do it and you should look for the nearest door.
We give these coaches far too much money and leeway to let them fuck around and squander the talent we get.
"we give these coaches far too much money" except we really don't compare to other schools, especially when accounting for Bay area cost of living. Wilcox punches above his weight given state level cost of living adjusted salaries.
Also, many of us here on this website are talking about giving the coaches too much money when we, personally, give limited financial support to athletics (mine is limited to my season tickets and required donation, plus a modest amount to the collective). We are couch quarterbacks for where millions of dollars should go and the accountability for them.
We all know he should be fired based on his current W-L record. Not sure what else folks expect him to say at this point or what insight comments on his comments are supposed to bring.
Okay I get it, like coaches, the players can retain agents, transfer at will (at each portal opening), and get paid. So take the bullshit out of it and legislate that the players sign contracts for an X amount of time, assuming of course, that they stay academically eligible. If they choose to transfer at any point during their contract period they would be subject to buy out their contract and or pay back the university scholarship. As it stands now there is little opportunity for most programs to maintain a stable roster and instituting some reasonable guidelines would assist in this regard.
He could have at least waited until after the bowl game - only 5 days from now. He was lucky Cal gave him a shot when other P-4 schools didn't. He quit on his teammates, his coaches, the fans and the university. He played everyone. NIL is making a mockery of college athletics.
He didn't want to risk injury and sat out the final game of regular season. Why would he play in the bowl game?
Is there a way that the Calgorithm could get Nando to reconsider his transfer decision? Transfering for a chance to make it to the Not For Long League is fleeting but attaining legendary status is forever!!!
That burning smell? . . bridges.
As Hawk Harrelson used to say, “he gone.”
I am a Charter Hill member as I donate to our sports programs. I just received an email from Knowlton and CAL is leading the way in revenue sharing with their athletes.
https://view.our.berkeley.edu/?qs=27b755e09f196c03850f39565fc162c1b622b0ec2c1bbd044242e4157e179044e1dd83bd233880542460fbc095dd42926a7b3d9fb6ba0ddad2e08463ddd57e4fd30b8439890cd82b62e930cd39e806ed
damn you Wilcox, always saying the right things and sounding exactly what an elite head coach should sound like. Why the hell are there so many losses?
Because he’s not an elite coach.
He may sound like one…he’s certainly paid like one.
But he is the farthest thing from an elite coach as you can get, unfortunately.
He's not paid anywhere close to an elite coach, especially accounting for cost of living
I dunno, Alex…he kinda does. He may not make Celebrity Star HC money, but he’s likely the most overpaid HC in D1. All the talk of Cal being a poverty program in terms of salaries is an excuse-driven farce. He makes nearly $5M a year, more than ¼ of the coaches that made the College Football Playoff, none of whom are 20-games below .500 in conference. And $5M per year in the Bay Area is still an elite payday.
The three coaches you are referencing are a G5 coach, a guy who is on the same contract from when he was a G5 coach and is in the playoffs largely because of a huge influx of nil money from fossil fuel execs, and a guy whose team was expected to finish last in the Big 12 and turned out to be a damned good hire. Dillingham also has a maximum bonus this year of $5.4 million depending on how deep he gets into the playoff. Wilcox is getting five, maybe six figures for his achievements this year.
Ha. And the excuses keep on coming. It’s just become laughable.
Oh, I had no idea that putting relative coaches salaries in context was making excuses!
People whose arguments don't stand up to scrutiny often say that other folks explaining reality is making up some sort of excuse, though.
I believe that is just his base pay. He also is eligible and receives bonuses based on performance as well. He got a combined $75k in bonuses after this season for beating Stanford, winning 6 games and going to a bowl game.
And dillingham is going to get a seven-figure bonus this year that'll bump his yearly pay above Wilcox's Total. The other two coaches Jimmy referenced are on G5 contracts.
He made it to the CFB playoffs in his second season! Of course he deserves a huge bonus. Wilcox hasn’t even achieved a winning conference record in 8 seasons. These two coaches aren’t anywhere comparable in talent, ability, or achievements. One has actually earned his bonus, future pay raise and extension. The other is living off an overture from Oregon.
As he should. He’s twice the coach Justin Wilcox is.
If you adjust for cost of living — just at the state level, not East Bay versus BF nowhere in Iowa which would be more extreme — He's paid like bottom 5 in the P4. Someone on the discord crunched the numbers.
Yeah, I’m certainly not disputing cost of living of the Bay Area v. Lawrence, KS. But to be fair, the entire country is simply more expensive now. And the “Cal doesn’t pay” argument is complete BS. Wilcox is paid competitively, and would receive even more if he weren’t such a poor HC.
And the argument posited on this board by excuse-makers and Wilcox apologists that Cal doesn’t pay enough is silly.
The cost of living adjustment is in the current year for States, not looking back 10 years or before pre-pandemic inflation. Saying that the whole country is more expensive means nothing when this is about relative cost of living in the Year of Our Lord Oski 2024.
Fake it til you make it or get fired with a golden parachute.
As we know, the problem is that the things Justin Wilcox actually does well are basically useless in today’s CFB…that’s just the reality of the situation, and Carol Christ and Jim Knowlton’s inability to see what was coming very possibly killed the Cal Football program.
Former 5 star recruit, former USC, now Boise, just entered the portal...
Pros: He was once a 5 star recruit, offers from likes of USC, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State etc.,
Con: He lost QB Battle at Boise State.
Maybe: The QB he lost to threw 22 TD and 3INT...
considering our lack of depth, seems like a possible one to look into
Crossing fingers that they have someone we didn't think we can get tho..
damn you Wilcox, always saying the right things and sounding exactly what an elite head coach should sound like. Why the hell are there so many losses?
Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd rather think about the players who are going to play in the bowl one last time with their teammates and the kids who are staying at this time. I look forward to cheering for them next week.
I feel the portal has sucked all the significance out of bowl games…
Out of college sports, sure. But the bowl games are still special to me, especially since most of our graduating starters don't tend to opt out (iirc). It's one last chance for me to cheer for some Cal Bears who honored their commitment to the program and their team to the end (not that I am against anyone who sits out to protect their health status btw) and to see some new bears in action.
This whole scenario is putting a serious kibosh on my college football fandom. I mean, these guys are 18+ and deserve to make the monies, but it sure does suck for the rest of us.
Here is a list of current portal QBs. Some have already committed to a new school.
1. Who on this list would you want
2. Who on this list could Cal actually get
3. Who on this list do you think is better or an upgrade over Mendoza
Evaluation is tricky. Look at last year -https://247sports.com/college/transfer-portal/season/2024-football/transferportalpositionranking/. Rogers and Calloway are within 4 points of Mendoza and non-factors here. Gabriel rates lower than Dante Moore. Would we want to be Maalik Murphy's 3rd stop? Miller Moss post-benching? Either sound like a lot of fun? For me, this sport is becoming less enjoyable as we have to invest each summer in a dozen-plus newcomers and then guard ourselves to get too invested in any one player lest they leave (Hunter, we barely knew thee!).
J. Mike is back in the portal, FWIW!
Well, at least we know he is reading your comments and listening to the fans... "I would just encourage everybody to, you know, get verify the source, get the real thing." What he fails to recognize is that some donors are extremely connected to the world of sports. And people talk in sports. And he also fails to recognize that Kids use social media to share feedback about their team and their coaches. So it is all out there in the WWW. We too do our diligence to assess the decisions that are being made.
I think about the only thing that could surprise Wilcox at this point is if he were to actually have a winning conference record.
Would surprise everyone except the Wilcox apologists.
Wilcox says this about Mendoza's move: "It's very, very, complicated."
Oh, yea. Rumors are Indiana offered $2m before the SMU game, which (at least partially) is why he sat out.
JS: Doesn't $2 million strike you as a bit absurd for Nando? Don't get me wrong. He has showed continued improvement over the last two years at Cal and he has a strong arm. But do you think that he is really worth that much? Also, if the rumors are true and he is going to Indiana to play with his brother, do the Hoosiers have that kind of NIL money for football? Remember that they only became relevant in football this year. I guess we will find out more as the weeks progress.
Don’t know what the going rate for a starting level QB at a good program is but the numbers and eye test say Nando is a starting level QB at a good program.
The sideline announcer said Nando looked very sick during the SMU game; spent much of the game sitting as was "weak". I think it's unfair to just assume he sat out for other reasons.
He was medically cleared…so….the family is doing damage control, but it was pretty clearly a Mendoza decision.
And, boy, howdy. Ya, good riddance, Fernando.
yeah, and don't forget he came back early last year from a broken collar bone, so unless he was running a 104 fever....
Definitely a business decision.
Indiana could have raised a huge amount on based on singular time-is-now to capitalize on their miracle (to the fans) season and excellent I'm A Winner coaching. If we had had the 9-10 win season that was possible this year, you better believe NIL funds would be through the (Cal) roof.
Word is a few targeted donors were at Gameday and Miami and got cold feet watching another Wilcox collapse.
NIL repercussions of that loss were devastating.
Apparently he was sick the night before SMU, FWIW. Still….
The optics remain completely suspect, as Indiana’s offer apparently included pulling a Blake Snell….but again, can’t argue with a $2M payday.
I am kind of shocked that Indiana is even aware of him seeing how we didn’t play them. I would think Miami would offer him as he had a good game against them, has ACC experience, is from Miami and Miami will need a new QB with Cam Ward graduating.
Indiana has a hell of a coach.... wouldn't be surprised to see them do well for years to come. And, I'm guessing if Nando goes there it's with the idea of helping tutor is younger brother to take the reins in another year or two. Having both at the same place will also make things easier for his parents since his mom is struggling. Of course, somewhere like Miami would be even better.
I hate to say this, but Nando would not take up the slack left by Cam Ward’s departure. Nando has a great desire and work ethic, but Ward made some kind of deal with a Crossroads demon. I want Nando to keep his soul.
His brother is a QB at Indiana.
so... are people speculating Indiana went after Nando so he can start ahead of his brother? Sounds like a conflict of interest.
his brother is a true Frosh this year, so yeah, Fernando will start. But this was clearly a family decision. (Dad coudl easily have dropped a feeler to an Indiana coach: "man, I love your style, and wish my older son had that kind of personal coaching..."
You know, their dad could have convinced the younger to transfer to Cal. Just saying'
Let's see:
1) Playoff team
2) exciting coach, with a winning record
3) offense that runs a pro-style QB vs a dual threat option
4) won't be recruiting someone to start over (JW really, really, really wants a dual-threat QB)
5) OL that can actually block
6) WR that can actually block
7) Bigger bag
8) closer to ill mother
9) Big time league, with big time competition against which to shine
Yeah, sure, Cal could compete with that.
Oh, that makes sense and I didn’t realize he had a younger brother at Indiana.
Losing our starting QB to Indiana is depressing.
As fine of an example of how far off the rails Wilcox has gotten this program in his 8 years.
Yep, it sure is.
Noted football powerhouse Indiana has been down, up, down again, and then in the damn CFP all during Wilcox’s meager Cal tenure. Sigh.
Insofar as player retention goes at Cal, Rod Benson had some great thoughts on the matter. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post BearInsider podcasts (I'm not affiliated with them but I'm a big fan of Pawlawski (that '91 season man) and Rod Benson. Benson talks about his time spent with Mendoza at the Cal/Stanfurd MBB game and his thoughts. I think it's worth a listen -- it was posted the day before Mendoza's portal announcement:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rodcast-two-hours-with-mendoza/id1280563239?i=1000679837749
I met Rod at one of his art shows and he was awesome. His book is really entertaining, too.
His book was fantastic!
Agree that at this point it is about winning, but I thought it was a very good interview and Wilcox had good things to say. He certainly was a lot calmer than after some our our painful losses, knowing that small errors were the difference between winning and losing.
Wilcox has historically been very loyal to his assistants, sometimes to the detriment of the program. I see a change in him. Coaches are now as accountable as players. When he talked about Harsin's attention to detail and that Harsin will make sure the players will know the system and their assignments, it makes me think that Bloesch had some issues with this. If anyone knows Chris Petersen's offensive system, he uses motion to create mismatches. Harsin runs that system. Should be a big upgrade from what we have.
Also, if rumors are true that we've targeted a great QB and have the money to pay him, then it explains why Mendoza left. I am a huge fan of Nando and he played brilliantly at CAL because of his work ethic and smarts, but he has a ceiling because of his athletic ability. Sam Jackson was the opposite, great athletic ability but didn't put in the time or have the smarts to succeed at QB. If we get a QB similar to Cam Ward or Dylan Gabriel, it would be amazing. We'll see.
I don’t think they were preparing to prioritize a qb in the portal other than for depth before Mendoza signaled he was gone. That said, OL issues aside, it’s a great opportunity and I suspect there will be interest from some quality options. Nando freed up some change.
No way are we getting a QB similar or as accomplished as Ward or Gabriel. If such QBs enter the portal, I am sure Oregon, Ohio State or some other big program will come after them and they will offer more money and an opportunity to compete for a conference and national championship.
In regards to, Bloesch and his attention to detail or lack thereof, that is on Wilcox for making him pull double duty as OC and OL coach. Both the OL and offensive play calling suffered due to that.
Disagree. While a top prospect would consider all these places CAL has a couple things to offer, if we have NIL money, that the other schools can't offer: one is almost a guarantee of a starting job, two is a new OC who should be able to be the marginal difference in helping us win those 4 games that we lost by 9 total points. Agree that it's on Wilcox that he allowed Bloesch to pull double duty, but every OC and DC pulls double duty, so it's nothing that should have caused problems. After watching a lot of 'film' I think that Bloesch just isn't brilliant offensive mind and his schemes weren't great. When I look at our complete inability to run inside, that isn't becuase we don't have guys who can't block, it's a combo of poor technique (and in many cases poor fundamentals) and scheme. That's on the coach. I'm not saying we will land a QB as good as Ward or Gabriel, we may not land a QB as good as Nando, but we'll see if the rumors are true and what comes out of it. I'm willing to wait and see before I pass judgment. And believe me, I have been very frustrated with Wilcox this season, to the point I have been ready for a new HC, but that ain't happening because of the buyout provision for JW.
We will see what QBs enter the portal but the things you mentioned as things we have to offer a top portal QB, money and playing time; Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan have more money and will also have QB vacancies.
I am not saying it is impossible to get a good portal QB to Cal, I just think odds are stacked against us.
I think we can get a guy. Won’t be Cam Ward. But not Jack Plummer either.
Oregon will have 6 top QBs on their roster next year including our former 5 star. No guarantee of playing there.
Ok and? That doesn’t mean they’re coming to our poverty stricken program
It was a response to OR having a vacancy.
I don't disagree, I think it's more of how a sale is made. Oregon, OSU and other schools like those have a lot of competition built in. And CAL was on the cusp of being a pretty damn good team this year. An argument could be made to a promising young QB that Harsin, who is known to have coached up some great QB's, will not only help them get better, but will be the difference maker between a 6 win and a 10 win season.
Think about how Harsin impacts the entire team if he is successful. Third and fourth down conversions go up. Points scored goes up. Time on the field goes up. Defensive time on the field goes down which means they are more rested. More points scored means less punts which means better field position, which in turn means more points. All of these incremental things add up over the course of a game.
Lastly, when you look at Harsins offense, it isn't all about calling the right play against the right defense. (I think about the Miami game where Bloesch made some great play calls in the first half, but he had nothing when it mattered in the second half). Harsin's system will create mismatches on every play using motions. It is very difficult to defend. Second, I really like what Wilcox said about the offense being physical under Harsin. Harsin ran very physical teams while at Boise State. I did not feel that our team was nasty enough under Bloesch.
In fairness to Bloesch I could be very wrong because I was not on the field to see. But I just never felt like our guys went out and 'owned' the other team.
Again, in fairness to Bloesch, I am anticipating Harsin will be different, but the real test will come game time next year, and I could be very wrong. Only time will tell.
Oregon, OSU and other schools like those have a lot of competition built in.
Doesn't Cal have a competition too? I thought you kept commenting Wilcox wants competition, even for Mendoza next season.
True, but the level of the competition at the other schools is higher because they already have talent at the position. A QB coming into CAL would compete with QB who is talented but has been 3rd team up until now, and a freshman QB with no experience. I'm pretty sure that the depth chat at both Oregon and OSU is deeper with existing QB talent.
And you are correct, Wilcox does want competition, but if I was a portal player and Nando was still here, I'd probably go elsewhere. With Nando gone, our depth is not great, which means less competition and better opportunity for an incoming transfer.
And, think about Cam Ward. WSU picked him from Incarnate Word and he lit it up. No other major programs went after him. Let's find a guy like him.
There is a glut of QBs in the Portal. It is possible that a Ward or Gabriel might come to us so they get play time and can make an obvious difference. If Nando left because he didn’t feel he could or should have to compete, well, young people sometimes rush to bad decisions.
Godspeed, Nando.
Spot on, Rug
Seems like it would have been hard for Bloesch to go that deeply into the details of either OC or OL coaching when he had to hold down both positions.
Every OC and DC has dual roles.
At this point, it’s all noise. Winning is the only metric that matters. Do that and we’re golden. Don’t do it and you should look for the nearest door.
We give these coaches far too much money and leeway to let them fuck around and squander the talent we get.
"we give these coaches far too much money" except we really don't compare to other schools, especially when accounting for Bay area cost of living. Wilcox punches above his weight given state level cost of living adjusted salaries.
Also, many of us here on this website are talking about giving the coaches too much money when we, personally, give limited financial support to athletics (mine is limited to my season tickets and required donation, plus a modest amount to the collective). We are couch quarterbacks for where millions of dollars should go and the accountability for them.
Beggars can't be choosers.
We all know he should be fired based on his current W-L record. Not sure what else folks expect him to say at this point or what insight comments on his comments are supposed to bring.
Agreed. He's just droning on at this point.