Note I am a long time diehard Cal fan - 1987 alum…so I know the ups and downs, but I don’t think the constant talk of firing Wilcox does any good. Jeff Ferado asking the players in the post game presser about firing the coach was awful…The players don’t need to be exposed to that. Do better Jeff.
Based on interviews with Rivera, I do not see him firing Wilcox during the season. Read the daily cal article from a few weeks ago. He basically says that. He also said that Wilcox hasn’t had the support needed to be successful and it’s like Wilcox has had his hands tied behind his back. Rivera is doing a lot behind the scenes to turn things around - increased marketing, donor/ sponsorship support, pre game/in game activity excitement (new intro for the players, Oski’s Village), planning to retain jks for 2 more years in play now, new recruiting room at Memorial, 2 excellent recruit commits recently for the offense (both Minnesota flips), strength conditioning coach, among a lot of other things I’m sure we don’t know about.
I don’t think making a move during the season is the right thing to do…I don’t have confidence in Harsin or Rolovich doing any better based on the play-calling I’ve seen. Remember the players like Wilcox…
It is hard and frustrating to be a Cal fan for sure, but I know I will support them thru thick and thin because I love my Bears and want to support the players…
I’m sure I’ll get blasted for my comments, but please try to be kind in your responses as we are all on the same team…
I completely understand why many would prefer to just read about the game without having to engage with the larger picture. I do feel obligated to discuss it because it's important context, but I get that many can get weary about it.
I read about, watch, and attend games and other events. I watch pre and post game pressers, listen to podcasts, etc. I participate in the live game threads here for every game I don’t attend. I have followed Write4California avidly and appreciate all the articles and comments as it keeps me connected with diehard fans.
I am equally frustrated by the game results, but for some silly reason go into ea game thinking we can win no matter who we are playing. Undying hope I suspect?
I can say that my happy place is a Saturday game at Memorial cheering for my Bears with my friends. I’ll be at the Big Game and SMU no matter how things play out. But I’m hoping they win oh so badly for them and the program.
With respect, I don’t quite understand your overall point. If you are saying we should stick with the Bears through thick and thin, I’m with you. It seems though you are inferring the program is headed in the right direction and thus Wilcox deserves more patience. If thats the argument I couldn’t disagree with you more, respectfully.
I will stick with my Bears thru thick and thin. With GM Rivera and Chancellor Lyons, I think they are working to set the Bears up for success. Do I think it’ll happen this year? Doubtful. Do I feel Wilcox should be better this year? Yes. Do I think Wilcox will be here next year? No…but that does not mean I don’t want to be wrong and see Cal beat all 3 remaining teams. And I will be cheering them on each time - 2 in-person. Does that clarify?
Wilcox did better when he had less resources is the real issue. Also, I come from the world of marketing and the unfortunate truth of the world is that perception is reality. Wilcox has killed any good faith that he could build up over the years with this season. We're not a P4 team anymore. We are basically fielding a G5 roster outside a handful of players. We're also now seeing that Wilcox has (including JKS) wasted THREE NFL caliber quarterbacks in horrifically terrible offenses.
I understand what you're saying, but the problem is literally every other team is firing their coach. The fact that we're not is signaling to the rest of the league that we are still not serious about anything football. It doesn't matter if we lose out the rest of the games, we need to show high school recruits and future transfers that we care and that yet ANOTHER losing season in what is one of the easiest P4 schedules in the nation is unacceptable after 8 consecutive years of mediocrity. Ron can't burn his donor bridges in year 1 with some weird loyalty to a coach that couldn't even pick a DC this year.
To be fair, it's not that I don't think Wilcox is capable of being a great coach. It's that I think he stayed too long at Cal, and the lack of momentum has killed our ability to actually recruit talent and we are now facing the repercussions of our inaction. Wilcox is also extremely unlucky, and it's good practice to avoid the unhappy and the unlucky because they will just drag you down with them.
Also, like another said below...unless we're looking to find another P4 HC that's willing to take the job for $5M a year, we're going to have to deal with a lot of bureaucracy in the next hiring process and it's better to start earlier.
You cannot and should not be blasted -- this is well reasoned. But I respectfully disagree that Wilcox should even be considered as an option for next year. And I support a change now. Wilcox has been dealt a bad hand and perhaps he has done the best he could with it. But... and I qualify this by saying I pretty much do not know what I'm talking about other than my perception of CFB right now... this is a world of sport driven by momentum. Wilcox, good, bad or otherwise has been here for nine years and the momentum is negative. The crowd on Saturday was sprited but so very sparse. And so. I think change is needed. New energy is needed. A new vision for the program. Rivera is making things happen but we cannot move forward with Wilcox because of what Rivera is doing -- we need to play "complimentary" administration of this program. Bring in a hot FCS coach with real chops and grind. And again, I say this with all humility. I don't know the inner workings of the program or how the donor dollars flow -- but I sense the donor dollars are waiting for regime change. No shade to Wilcox -- the best of guys and men.
It has been clear from the start of the season that they can't put pressure with just their front 4. So why not come up some creative blitz or other pressure packages? Simply waiting for the other team to make a mistake is not a defensive strategy, it is simply hope. The defensive side of the ball has been such a disappointment this year.
I think part of the problem is that they don't appear to have many guys at other positions who are effective blitzers for their position other than Cade, and you can only have him blitz so often before it gets predictable.
I think the Wilcox defensive scheme of being conservative, keeping everything in front of you and forcing opponents to sustain long drives works IF you are a good tackling team which this team is not.
I thought the alumni side attendance was pretty decent. Students, I mean, I get it, you are still peeling yourself off a beer-soaked couch at gametime after late night/early morning Halloween partying. But that showing was atrocious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the student side so empty.
Thank you, Nick. Not much more to add to your fine summation. I was unable to go to the game, what I did see was better than the last game, but still no run game and no pressure on the QB. He is experienced and it showed. I sure hope Cade recovers quickly!
I am still looking forward to being at the Stanford game, one we could win, and the SMU game, to wrap up the season.
I haven't been listening to KNBR as much lately so I learned today that Ron Rivera is on there every Wednesday morning at 9 to talk about all things Cal.
The one specific thing he said about the Virginia game was a complaint about the referees and the last interception of the game being a missed interference call. I was at the game and we had a good view of the play. That ball should have never been thrown and it was telegraphed by JKS as well. There was no opening and I don't think there was an interference call to be made. So Rivera may be working behind the scenes to get better support for JKS and for keeping him here but he also seems afraid to give more frank critiques of the coach's play calling and decisionmaking of our quarterback. JKS is a great talent but I think he's being given too much latitude and not enough criticism. He also needs more time to mature imo.
Re: the Offense. I noticed many of the snaps were low, too high, or JKS had to reach for them. That throws the QBs timing off. I heard both the Center AND the backup were out. How much practice did the current replacement get? Was this his first game?
Sadly, this is all about saving $5 million by waiting until December 1 to lose Wilcox. (which is certainly not optimal with the new shortened portal window). As always, Cal is going to do as Cal does...
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I was tied up with a wedding most of the afternoon. What’s most disappointing wasn’t that I could only watch about a quarter of the game, it’s that I didn’t care and didn’t have much of an interest in watching more even if I was able to. That would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. Another anecdote: somebody at the wedding told me his dad is a diehard Cal fan but has decided to completely check out. Based on the stadium, I’d say that’s true for the fanbase at large.
Alas, I hope the slow march to the inevitable end is nearing. I believe (hope?) next Saturday will be the final nail in the coffin and Wilcox will be out by Monday morning.
While I think your sentiment here is well intentioned, I want to make one thing very clear: it's on nobody except the folks in the cal football program to get people bought back in. We need to stop blaming fans for checking out or becoming disinterested.
We cannot be vilifying our own fans a la the Oakland A's.
Totally fair point. I think I'm mainly in here annoying everyone with positivity because I do think that there are a lot of things in place for a 2026 explosion that we have never had before. I can sense the Cal hard cores checking out and you can visibly see the average Cal fans waning enthusiasm at Memorial Stadium and I understand it given the past decade of us begging for change and not getting it. But I have good reason to believe that for the first time in my life time we're gonna see the university put its full arm into the effort of reviving Cal Football this off season. We already have the QB to lead the charge. So let's just hang on for 3 more games and not go home before the parties began.
I agree Jimmy. Wilcox will be gone soon and that makes me very happy. As for player turnover, I believe that we will have the money to retain who ever we want to keep (JKS, De Jesus, Sidney, Ferelli, Raphael maybe Mini, Manutai and the O line) and the money to rebuild every where else through the portal. Half our defense is graduating anyway and most of our offense won't exactly have the SEC calling them up. I'm also not worried that a coaching change will destroy our portal prospects given that Rivera is the GM and in charge of scouting/planning/budgeting for it not the coach.
We could lose badly at Louisville and if you’re right, Ron will have to name an interim. That sends a message that change is coming, though it’s not likely to have any impact on the outcome of this season. So I could also see letting Wilcox play this dismal season out until the bitter end, taking losses to Stanford and SMU with him. If Cal beats Stanford and gets some sort of mediocre bowl bid enabling all the portal-bound Cal players to get another week or two of practice on Cal’s dime, then what? If Wilcox gets to coach a bowl game, it will just delay the inevitable and prolong the agony of fans.
I could go either way on a Wilcox dismissal before the bowl game but under no circumstances should he be allowed to coach a bowl game (assuming we even go to one). Last years bowl game was a travesty and Wilcox dishonored the fans who even bothered to show up by treating it like a scrimmage.
I do think it behooves Cal to cut ties with him ASAP, given what we know about the Cal bureaucracy and how slow it takes for the machine to move.
The one thing the program simply does not have is time - the quicker you have an opening the quicker you can start vetting, petition the UC Regents for salary approval like fUCLA already has done, etc….
Note I am a long time diehard Cal fan - 1987 alum…so I know the ups and downs, but I don’t think the constant talk of firing Wilcox does any good. Jeff Ferado asking the players in the post game presser about firing the coach was awful…The players don’t need to be exposed to that. Do better Jeff.
Based on interviews with Rivera, I do not see him firing Wilcox during the season. Read the daily cal article from a few weeks ago. He basically says that. He also said that Wilcox hasn’t had the support needed to be successful and it’s like Wilcox has had his hands tied behind his back. Rivera is doing a lot behind the scenes to turn things around - increased marketing, donor/ sponsorship support, pre game/in game activity excitement (new intro for the players, Oski’s Village), planning to retain jks for 2 more years in play now, new recruiting room at Memorial, 2 excellent recruit commits recently for the offense (both Minnesota flips), strength conditioning coach, among a lot of other things I’m sure we don’t know about.
I don’t think making a move during the season is the right thing to do…I don’t have confidence in Harsin or Rolovich doing any better based on the play-calling I’ve seen. Remember the players like Wilcox…
It is hard and frustrating to be a Cal fan for sure, but I know I will support them thru thick and thin because I love my Bears and want to support the players…
I’m sure I’ll get blasted for my comments, but please try to be kind in your responses as we are all on the same team…
Go Bears!
I completely understand why many would prefer to just read about the game without having to engage with the larger picture. I do feel obligated to discuss it because it's important context, but I get that many can get weary about it.
I read about, watch, and attend games and other events. I watch pre and post game pressers, listen to podcasts, etc. I participate in the live game threads here for every game I don’t attend. I have followed Write4California avidly and appreciate all the articles and comments as it keeps me connected with diehard fans.
I am equally frustrated by the game results, but for some silly reason go into ea game thinking we can win no matter who we are playing. Undying hope I suspect?
I can say that my happy place is a Saturday game at Memorial cheering for my Bears with my friends. I’ll be at the Big Game and SMU no matter how things play out. But I’m hoping they win oh so badly for them and the program.
Go Bears!
With respect, I don’t quite understand your overall point. If you are saying we should stick with the Bears through thick and thin, I’m with you. It seems though you are inferring the program is headed in the right direction and thus Wilcox deserves more patience. If thats the argument I couldn’t disagree with you more, respectfully.
I will stick with my Bears thru thick and thin. With GM Rivera and Chancellor Lyons, I think they are working to set the Bears up for success. Do I think it’ll happen this year? Doubtful. Do I feel Wilcox should be better this year? Yes. Do I think Wilcox will be here next year? No…but that does not mean I don’t want to be wrong and see Cal beat all 3 remaining teams. And I will be cheering them on each time - 2 in-person. Does that clarify?
Wilcox did better when he had less resources is the real issue. Also, I come from the world of marketing and the unfortunate truth of the world is that perception is reality. Wilcox has killed any good faith that he could build up over the years with this season. We're not a P4 team anymore. We are basically fielding a G5 roster outside a handful of players. We're also now seeing that Wilcox has (including JKS) wasted THREE NFL caliber quarterbacks in horrifically terrible offenses.
I understand what you're saying, but the problem is literally every other team is firing their coach. The fact that we're not is signaling to the rest of the league that we are still not serious about anything football. It doesn't matter if we lose out the rest of the games, we need to show high school recruits and future transfers that we care and that yet ANOTHER losing season in what is one of the easiest P4 schedules in the nation is unacceptable after 8 consecutive years of mediocrity. Ron can't burn his donor bridges in year 1 with some weird loyalty to a coach that couldn't even pick a DC this year.
To be fair, it's not that I don't think Wilcox is capable of being a great coach. It's that I think he stayed too long at Cal, and the lack of momentum has killed our ability to actually recruit talent and we are now facing the repercussions of our inaction. Wilcox is also extremely unlucky, and it's good practice to avoid the unhappy and the unlucky because they will just drag you down with them.
Also, like another said below...unless we're looking to find another P4 HC that's willing to take the job for $5M a year, we're going to have to deal with a lot of bureaucracy in the next hiring process and it's better to start earlier.
You cannot and should not be blasted -- this is well reasoned. But I respectfully disagree that Wilcox should even be considered as an option for next year. And I support a change now. Wilcox has been dealt a bad hand and perhaps he has done the best he could with it. But... and I qualify this by saying I pretty much do not know what I'm talking about other than my perception of CFB right now... this is a world of sport driven by momentum. Wilcox, good, bad or otherwise has been here for nine years and the momentum is negative. The crowd on Saturday was sprited but so very sparse. And so. I think change is needed. New energy is needed. A new vision for the program. Rivera is making things happen but we cannot move forward with Wilcox because of what Rivera is doing -- we need to play "complimentary" administration of this program. Bring in a hot FCS coach with real chops and grind. And again, I say this with all humility. I don't know the inner workings of the program or how the donor dollars flow -- but I sense the donor dollars are waiting for regime change. No shade to Wilcox -- the best of guys and men.
It has been clear from the start of the season that they can't put pressure with just their front 4. So why not come up some creative blitz or other pressure packages? Simply waiting for the other team to make a mistake is not a defensive strategy, it is simply hope. The defensive side of the ball has been such a disappointment this year.
I think part of the problem is that they don't appear to have many guys at other positions who are effective blitzers for their position other than Cade, and you can only have him blitz so often before it gets predictable.
Agreed. They do blitz a fair amount. But they don't get through.
I think the Wilcox defensive scheme of being conservative, keeping everything in front of you and forcing opponents to sustain long drives works IF you are a good tackling team which this team is not.
I thought the alumni side attendance was pretty decent. Students, I mean, I get it, you are still peeling yourself off a beer-soaked couch at gametime after late night/early morning Halloween partying. But that showing was atrocious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the student side so empty.
And the night games were the opposite: nice showing by students, not a great showing by alumni.
Thank you, Nick. Not much more to add to your fine summation. I was unable to go to the game, what I did see was better than the last game, but still no run game and no pressure on the QB. He is experienced and it showed. I sure hope Cade recovers quickly!
I am still looking forward to being at the Stanford game, one we could win, and the SMU game, to wrap up the season.
I haven't been listening to KNBR as much lately so I learned today that Ron Rivera is on there every Wednesday morning at 9 to talk about all things Cal.
The one specific thing he said about the Virginia game was a complaint about the referees and the last interception of the game being a missed interference call. I was at the game and we had a good view of the play. That ball should have never been thrown and it was telegraphed by JKS as well. There was no opening and I don't think there was an interference call to be made. So Rivera may be working behind the scenes to get better support for JKS and for keeping him here but he also seems afraid to give more frank critiques of the coach's play calling and decisionmaking of our quarterback. JKS is a great talent but I think he's being given too much latitude and not enough criticism. He also needs more time to mature imo.
What are the terms of a Wilcox buyout? Is that money available?
Re: the Offense. I noticed many of the snaps were low, too high, or JKS had to reach for them. That throws the QBs timing off. I heard both the Center AND the backup were out. How much practice did the current replacement get? Was this his first game?
Sadly, this is all about saving $5 million by waiting until December 1 to lose Wilcox. (which is certainly not optimal with the new shortened portal window). As always, Cal is going to do as Cal does...
From what I've seen of Wilcox's contract, his buyout doesn't go down on December 1.
Ron can announce now that we are terminating Wilcox on 12/2.
And indeed he should.
Why am I not getting "Write For California" in my email anymore. I'm paid up with my monthly subscription. My email is, coach@succeed.net
We're not aware of any changes to Substack - you may want to check your junk e-mail to see if Substack mail is getting filtered out somehow, or contact Substack help directly?
I was tied up with a wedding most of the afternoon. What’s most disappointing wasn’t that I could only watch about a quarter of the game, it’s that I didn’t care and didn’t have much of an interest in watching more even if I was able to. That would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. Another anecdote: somebody at the wedding told me his dad is a diehard Cal fan but has decided to completely check out. Based on the stadium, I’d say that’s true for the fanbase at large.
Alas, I hope the slow march to the inevitable end is nearing. I believe (hope?) next Saturday will be the final nail in the coffin and Wilcox will be out by Monday morning.
Its on you to buy back in for the next Era. I rlly think it will be worth it.
While I think your sentiment here is well intentioned, I want to make one thing very clear: it's on nobody except the folks in the cal football program to get people bought back in. We need to stop blaming fans for checking out or becoming disinterested.
We cannot be vilifying our own fans a la the Oakland A's.
Set the right foundation, the fans will come.
Totally fair point. I think I'm mainly in here annoying everyone with positivity because I do think that there are a lot of things in place for a 2026 explosion that we have never had before. I can sense the Cal hard cores checking out and you can visibly see the average Cal fans waning enthusiasm at Memorial Stadium and I understand it given the past decade of us begging for change and not getting it. But I have good reason to believe that for the first time in my life time we're gonna see the university put its full arm into the effort of reviving Cal Football this off season. We already have the QB to lead the charge. So let's just hang on for 3 more games and not go home before the parties began.
The chances of any type of an explosion are zero until there is a coaching change, which is most certainly going to result in massive player turnover.
I agree Jimmy. Wilcox will be gone soon and that makes me very happy. As for player turnover, I believe that we will have the money to retain who ever we want to keep (JKS, De Jesus, Sidney, Ferelli, Raphael maybe Mini, Manutai and the O line) and the money to rebuild every where else through the portal. Half our defense is graduating anyway and most of our offense won't exactly have the SEC calling them up. I'm also not worried that a coaching change will destroy our portal prospects given that Rivera is the GM and in charge of scouting/planning/budgeting for it not the coach.
We don't know if we have that QB next season.
Nick, great review, however depressing. I’m predicting we lose the axe and an invite to a 3rd rate bowl, ending the season 5-7.
Say we lose at L’ville, as expected.
We’ll learn a lot about Ron and Rich if Wilcox is, or is not, on the sideline at Stanford Stadium after the bye.
We could lose badly at Louisville and if you’re right, Ron will have to name an interim. That sends a message that change is coming, though it’s not likely to have any impact on the outcome of this season. So I could also see letting Wilcox play this dismal season out until the bitter end, taking losses to Stanford and SMU with him. If Cal beats Stanford and gets some sort of mediocre bowl bid enabling all the portal-bound Cal players to get another week or two of practice on Cal’s dime, then what? If Wilcox gets to coach a bowl game, it will just delay the inevitable and prolong the agony of fans.
If he hasn't been fired yet than on November 30 Wilcox becomes a lame duck coach. The sooner he goes after that the better for the program.
I could go either way on a Wilcox dismissal before the bowl game but under no circumstances should he be allowed to coach a bowl game (assuming we even go to one). Last years bowl game was a travesty and Wilcox dishonored the fans who even bothered to show up by treating it like a scrimmage.
💯
I do think it behooves Cal to cut ties with him ASAP, given what we know about the Cal bureaucracy and how slow it takes for the machine to move.
The one thing the program simply does not have is time - the quicker you have an opening the quicker you can start vetting, petition the UC Regents for salary approval like fUCLA already has done, etc….
Thanks Nick. On point, per usual.