At the very least, you need to get your facts straight. Holmoe WAS the defensive coordinator for Mariucci and played defense for several seasons in the NFL. He also was a defensive backs coach with both Stanford and the 49ers before joining the staff at Cal. So he was a defensive guy. And Wilcox's conference record is 11-20, not 10-17. S…
At the very least, you need to get your facts straight. Holmoe WAS the defensive coordinator for Mariucci and played defense for several seasons in the NFL. He also was a defensive backs coach with both Stanford and the 49ers before joining the staff at Cal. So he was a defensive guy. And Wilcox's conference record is 11-20, not 10-17. Sorry, but you don't get to throw out the "meaningless" 2020 season. Cal played poorly in the 2020 season, and it has carried over into this year. Holmoe's overall awful record was heavily influenced by his final year when he went 1-10. The curtain is still playing out on Wilcox' tenure. I only asked if 2019 was his ceiling in the same way that 1998 was the high mark for Holmoe
Sorry, I mis-interpeted your phrasing. By saying Holmoe was a 'defensive guy' (instead of a 'defensive coordinator'), I took your meaning to say he was a head coach with defensive proclivities. That would describe Wilcox perfectly. Holmoe was a 'defensive coordinator', and not much more, football-wise, other than a high-quality individual. Wilcox did the hard work required to prepare himself for the head coaching position (ala Bruce Snyder), whereas Holmoe had it thrust upon him by an over-enthusiastic Mariucci. I don't think he had any ambition to be a head coach, but you're not going to turn it down. I distinctly remember at the time thinking the suits at Cal were enthralled by Mariucci and bought his endorsement, without the proper due diligence. And no, 2020 really doesn't count as far as evaluating a Wilcox's performance. Yes, it absolutely will count in the record books, but Wilcox shouldn't be judged by playing their first game of the season (UCLA had already played), an away game at UCLA on two(!) days notice, with a defensive line in quarantine, just has he shouldn't be given much credit by beating Oregon's reserves. Also, and uniquely Cal's issue, the city of Berkeley's super-tight covid restrictions (which in the historical view were probably the right calls) hobbled the Bears ability to hold practices and host games. In contrast to Wilcox, Holmoe's overall awful record was, I would say, only partially influenced by his 1-10 last season, but also factoring in would be his previous 3-8 season, and the 4-7 season prior to that. He never had a winning season. Wilcox may eventually fail, but any comparison to Holmoe are not apt.
At the very least, you need to get your facts straight. Holmoe WAS the defensive coordinator for Mariucci and played defense for several seasons in the NFL. He also was a defensive backs coach with both Stanford and the 49ers before joining the staff at Cal. So he was a defensive guy. And Wilcox's conference record is 11-20, not 10-17. Sorry, but you don't get to throw out the "meaningless" 2020 season. Cal played poorly in the 2020 season, and it has carried over into this year. Holmoe's overall awful record was heavily influenced by his final year when he went 1-10. The curtain is still playing out on Wilcox' tenure. I only asked if 2019 was his ceiling in the same way that 1998 was the high mark for Holmoe
Sorry, I mis-interpeted your phrasing. By saying Holmoe was a 'defensive guy' (instead of a 'defensive coordinator'), I took your meaning to say he was a head coach with defensive proclivities. That would describe Wilcox perfectly. Holmoe was a 'defensive coordinator', and not much more, football-wise, other than a high-quality individual. Wilcox did the hard work required to prepare himself for the head coaching position (ala Bruce Snyder), whereas Holmoe had it thrust upon him by an over-enthusiastic Mariucci. I don't think he had any ambition to be a head coach, but you're not going to turn it down. I distinctly remember at the time thinking the suits at Cal were enthralled by Mariucci and bought his endorsement, without the proper due diligence. And no, 2020 really doesn't count as far as evaluating a Wilcox's performance. Yes, it absolutely will count in the record books, but Wilcox shouldn't be judged by playing their first game of the season (UCLA had already played), an away game at UCLA on two(!) days notice, with a defensive line in quarantine, just has he shouldn't be given much credit by beating Oregon's reserves. Also, and uniquely Cal's issue, the city of Berkeley's super-tight covid restrictions (which in the historical view were probably the right calls) hobbled the Bears ability to hold practices and host games. In contrast to Wilcox, Holmoe's overall awful record was, I would say, only partially influenced by his 1-10 last season, but also factoring in would be his previous 3-8 season, and the 4-7 season prior to that. He never had a winning season. Wilcox may eventually fail, but any comparison to Holmoe are not apt.