Welcome to the offseason. It’s a scary place of uncertainty. We’ll be your guide through these uncharted waters and keep you updated as news, transfers, coaching changes, rumors all happen through out the festive season.
After waiting anxiously while other schools came calling for Ben Braun and Jeff Tedford after solid success, I will not get nervous about the prospect of losing a coach that is 26-28 overall and is 10 games under .500 in the P12. Hope he stays for program stability-sake, but if he goes, he goes...
With you with the exception that if he were to bail on us this late, it puts us in a tough spot with the early signing period starting just a week from today. These hires never work out quickly at Cal.
Oh, agreed. The timing is brutal if he bolts, as plenty of transfers will undoubtedly accompany the change, not just the grad transfers were seeing with Brooks, Tevis....
The longer this goes on the more I think it's imperative for Wilcox to stay. Next year is when we want to be in the coaching market if we have to be. If Chip gets the OU gig, the P5 west coach HC gig landscape should be far less competitive.
I’m not going to panic either, but I do hope he stays as I think there is a lot of potential upside. The problem with coaching changes is that you never know- you might get the next Tedford, but you’re more likely to get another Dykes or Wilcox, and you might get another Holmoe or Gilbertson. And by the time you find out, you’ve lost another four years of your life.
Funny how that happens. 4 years of Dykes plus 5 years of Wilcox = 9 years. And no Rose Bowl in sight. No wonder Old Blues say "Rose Bowl before I die" but we just never seem to get to that point of Nirvana.
I'm 67 and no longer Rose Bowl before I die. I'll be happy with beating our three California rivals in one season. If we do make the Rose Bowl I may immediately die from shock.
My dad used to share his dread of Cal never going to the Rose Bowl again before he died (and they didn't), and I just didn't get that growing up. I just expected we'd punch through with enough swings, even if just by getting lucky. Now that I'm well into midlife, I not only share the same dread, but I think getting over that hill is even more unlikely.
Sometimes if I’m debating whether or not to have a big dessert, or whether or not to exercise, I remember Cal and the Rose Bowl and make the right choice.
I agree - Newellbany & I bought Rose Bowl tix midway thru the '04 season and I still fear it is the closest we'll come in my lifetime, especially now that we lose the Rose Bowl every few years bc of the CFP.
I dream of being in the stands of the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, with the beautiful CALIFORNIA printed in the end zone, yellow letters on navy blue background...
I'd punch somebody's Nana for the Sun Bowl, even tho El Paso is usually freezing on New Year's Eve Day. A nighttime bonfire rally across the border in Juarez, co-sponsored by the Cal Athletic Department and the Sonora Cartel, would be a sight to see.
I don't think Dykes has actually moved up the coaching ranks. TCU is not a hugely better job than Cal, and him putting up decent records at SMU is not much different from what he did at Louisiana Tech. IMO he's been hovering at about the same level for his entire head coaching career.
If he starts beating top-level Big 12 teams at TCU then I'll say he's moved up.
Correct. Dykes wants to be near family in Texas, which is fine; others have said the same about Wilcox. But, the LaTech/Cal/SMU/TCU rank is about as high as he can get. IMHO, Dykes hasn't figured out what to do after a punt, and the O trots off the field. One can only wonder what Dykes-Goff would have done if Wilcox was the DC: Sunny never saw a 4th and 20 he didn't love to take a crack at... so, if he starts beating Baylor, OkSt, Oklahoma, then: Agreed: He's moved up. #airraid
Sometimes the context doesn't fit for whatever reason. I don't think he ever would have knocked through here. He didn't pick the right DCs, but that style of football is also not conducive to attracting a good DC or good defensive players because they are asked to be on the field too long to have prolonged success. I also just am not a fan of his style of football. He somehow made high octane football boring. I don't ever need to see a 50-47 game ever again. But he is obviously is a gifted coach when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, and that style of football can find success in other contexts.
Dykes at Cal also hamstrung the defense by spending ~2/3 of the scholarships on offense. The defense was always thin, and the shorter on numbers you are, the less likely it is a game-changer will develop.
Agreed, though I imagine the recruiting hit will make this year a complete wash. And we start over with the new Coach (???) era commencing. I do agree that lots of coaches can go 5-7 at Cal.
I agree. I like Wilcox and I hope he stays. If he leaves, then there will be an excitement with new head coach. I am okay with whichever happens. I'm happy that the team got better as season went and we didn't have to fire Wilcox.
With 25 seniors, I'm not really mad at grad transfers leaving. We can bring in one player per those who leave, so I see some really good opportunities. The transfer portal is making the HS pipeline a bit less important.
I agree, had I gone to grad school after getting my degree, it probably would not have been Berkeley. I don’t begrudge a kid who wants to try somewhere new after fulfilling his commitment to Cal.
The Pac 12 is about to be in an arms race for quality coaches. With the 12 team playoff coming, no one wants to be part of the permanent have nots. Not opposed to the stability of Wilcox remaining. I think he's caught a LOT of bad breaks. But someone has to put pressure on Cal's administration to get rid of the institutional roadblocks that predispose us to mediocrity on the football field. A school that revels in the Nobel Prizes needs to recognize that football isn't a necessary evil.
OR commit to fielding a consistently good basketball program. I understand why it's such a challenge for us in football, but I really have no idea why the administration has defaulted on the basketball program. There is more potential there to find consistent success if they want it.
This is why I like Wilcox so much. It's not all about the money. He is incredibly loyal. As the author said, CAL better be willing to do what it takes to keep him and help him win. I have to believe that before Wilcox turned the job down, while he paused to think about it, that he went back to talk with Knowlton and Knowlton made some commitments. I just don't understand why we haven't heard anything yet.
Garbers is in a dilemma. He can transfer but no good program is going to hand him the QB job. He could go to a lower tier program but that won’t help him if he thinks he has a chance to make the NFL.
He can stay but since Wilcox job in on the line too I doubt he will commit to Garbers starting next year.
Chase is a good college player that has done some solid work at Cal but he does not even have an average NFL arm.
This is a big decision for him bc it’s probably his last year in pads. I think if Wilcox is back, Garbers starts in Berkeley if he decides to stay bc why wouldn’t he...
I hear you...and Wilcox should never have handed Garbers the job, period...no QB should ever be handed it...but the same questions apply, then & now:
WHO is gonna beat him out? Who is gonna outplay him in camp & give the team the best chance to win? Kai Millner, who seemingly wasn’t ready to play in a gotta-have it game @UA despite Glover’s inability to complete a pass? Zach Johnson? A grad transfer’s gonna learn Musgrave’s complicated system in fall camp? Definitely open to others, but right now, if Wilcox & Garbers are both back, gotta think Chase starts....again.
As the dust settles, clarity brings with it a salient fact. Cal has done a terrible job recruiting QBs as evidenced by the kids that transferred out that did not start or play well at SLO and PSU. ATM it seems like Cal has to go all in w/ Millner or hope for the portal.
Agree Taco, but then how many great QB's play in P5 football. A handful? It's a tough deal. I'd take Garbers over Stetson at Georgia, but he's still not Bryce Young (and he doesn't have Young's receivers or O-Lina), Kenny Pickett, or Matt Corral.
As we’ve discussed, Glover going the distance at U of A seems telling....I’m thinking after a battle in camp, the starter will have come from the portal.
Backup QBs transfer to FCS to play before eligibility runs out. Garbers on the other hand does not need to transfer to a lower tier program. He can stay at Cal and start, which I'm sure will be his best choice if allowed. I like Garbers but I want a fresh QB.
Eric Bieniemy, OC Kansas City Chiefs. A bit of a stretch but if he wants to cut his teeth as a HC he may be interested. And heck we are loaded at TE's and we know he knows how to get them into the game plan!!
Eric, you're the most qualified coordinator candidate in the country to not be offered a HC job. For your patience you get the Cal HC gig. Talk about a letdown.
Agreed it's a stretch and he has earned a shot at a HC position in the League. But hell if we are throwing out names let's go big, it's a wish list ain't it?
He has over performed at Ole Miss and actually did well at USC. The problem he had at SC was sanctions and he over performed at SC initially. Then the full weight of the sanctions hit the program and SCs record went down.
No kidding. Tosh poached Shaq Thompson from us and he made our life miserable the whole time he was at UDUB. The only silver lining if Wilcox jumps ship is that he doesn't have a great recruiting class to poach from like Tosh did back in 2011.
How many of our commits is Oregon even recruiting? Though I suppose Wilcox could take the pick of the litter with him when he parachutes out of the Cal plane.
Oh my Gosh did he ever. I'm a big Nebraska fan. They set a record this year. The first school to lose 9 games all by single digits (sound familiar Cal fans?). They had Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State on the ropes and would inevitably lose because of one bone-headed play, usually by Martinez. In the Michigan game, it was tied with 1:15 left and Nebraska had the ball. Martinez ran up the middle and there was a big scrum. Martinez got stripped and Michigan kicked the winning field goal 3 plays later. Martinez said after the game "I thought the play was over." So he then relaxed and allowed the ball to get stripped. This is a 4 year starter. You do not want to be any where near this level of unintelligent play, whatever skills this guy may have.
I've seen a LOT of Martinez games the last 4 years and they mostly ended in tears. Well, maybe Cal fans will see him at our Memorial Stadium. You have been warned. Maybe he just needs a change of venue/coaching. It'd be exciting for sure.
That fumble on the scrum is a bit unfair, the refs should have blown their whistle to end that ply long before he fumbled. His momentum was stopped and they let it play a lot longer than normal.
Also, Frost, similar to Wilcox at TCU, should have taken the points on the opening drive and kicked the easy FG rather than going for it on 4th down.
Lost in the anti-Martinez buzz is that he nonetheless played incredibly well in close games v. a laundry list of elite programs: Michigan, Ohio St., Sparty, Wisconsin, Iowa Purdue and Oklahoma...Garbers struggles to keep us in ALL of those games.
From an experience level alone, Adrian Martinez would be a major upgrade over Chase Garbers.
Completely disagree. Martinez was typically the singular reason why Nebraska lost. Keeping a team in the game means nothing if your QB makes turnover after turnover to lose the actual game. I'd take Garbers every day over Martinez.
Sorry alpha, I hear what you're saying and respect it....I just disagree with it.
Wins and losses are so rarely ever on just 1 player, so saddling those L's on the shoulders of the QB that kept you in those games seems an iffy proposition. I'll give you that risk-averse Chase Garbers is probably the safer player, but Martinez will always be a guy that makes more plays (and mistakes) than Chase, by virtue of the fact that he tries to make plays.
Given a choice between Adrian Martinez, Chase Garbers and Kai Millner, I'll take the battle-tested B1G QB any day.
At the end of the day, Martinez would be a sizable upgrade at QB, IMHO, which along with $5 will get you a grande iced coffee at the Rancho Peñasquitos Starbucks...
Eric Crouch? I remember him basically ushering in the end of Nebraska's option identity when they got blown out by Miami. I don't even remember if he went to the NFL.
No news but I did come up with the best way for Cal to proceed: first we encourage Oregon to hire Wilcox away. Then we poach him right back, THE VERY NEXT DAY. By doing this, we (1) maintain continuity in our program, (2) get a coach talented enough to be the head guy at an elite program, and (3) deliver a mind-fvck to the Ducks that will set them back a decade, paving the way for Cal to dominate the P12 North.
Wilcox to FUCLA? No way. He is too low-key for that job. Hell, he takes BART to work! Does Wilcox strike you as a guy who loves to be in the news all the time? If he moves to LaLaLand, that is exactly what he will be dealing with. Most importantly, the LA schools demand flashy offenses filled with four and five star recruits. Does that sound like Wilcox to you?
Hey neat, now we can keep up with off season stuff. Please keep us up on offensive line personnel or coaching changes. Anything that will help us improve the running game and pass protection is of great interest. Thank you!
Ugghh...I was hoping that Chip Kelly would leave FUCLA so he could embarrass himself all over again in Eugene AND throw the Bruins into disarray. Sadly, not to be. I guess this means that we don't have to worry about Wilcox secretly recruiting for the Ducks instead of Cal.
But if true, it's a weak hire IMO. Dude has spent most of his time in the South and likely will jump ship like his predecessors if given the opportunity in 2 - 3 years.
Given what just happened with Taggart and Cristobal, it is particularly surprising. But man if the dude hasn't built a beast of a defense. Seems like he has an SEC job coming to him if he shows just a little more patience.
When your team can regularly recruit three or four 5 stars and 15 or more 4 stars annually, you better be able to field a great defense. The dude has been DC for two years. Who knows, he's 35 and may be the next Sean McVeigh....ugh, never mind, McVeigh is finally proving he's not that great even though he has loads of talent.
It’s an interesting hire...I remember reading an article a few weeks ago on ESPN re: the SC job & his name was mentioned, with the comment saying the PAC 12 job he REALLY wants is ASU bc of his time there, albeit brief...
He checks a lot of boxes, tho prior HC experience ain’t one of them. Probably interviews well, and going with a defensive minded HC may not be the worst thing for the Ducks...probably one of the reasons Wilcox is so appealing them.
Despite Oregon walking back the hire, this is probably the guy...if not, it’s yet another PR blow for the program.
Their schedule was easier than Bama's, yes. But saying their stats really aren't that great is a wild punch. They still play in the SEC and besides that Bama game they dominated everyone. It's a special unit.
Shouldn't Cal feel some kinda way about their head coach interviewing with their competitor? I know that if I found out that one of my employees was interviewing with my competitor, I wouldn't exactly welcome them back with open arms.
I don't feel any way about it. Oregon is clearly a bigger name program with more money/resources. He's an Oregon alum. Can't blame anyone for looking at better opportunities.
Of course, I also don't think he's likely to get the job.
I'm fine with it. In the sport world this is a generally accepted and known practice. I think ADs would be more pissed off if these meetings were clandestine and one day they woke up to the fact that their HC had skipped town overnight. In the professional world we deal in, it does in fact happen overnight and in secrecy, which ~ at times ~ can disrupt a business for x amount of time.
That's a difficult one for me. I consider the fact that Wilcox interviewed there as being the exception to the general rule simply because he grew up in Eugene, and both he and his father played at Oregon. I'm sure that being the head coach as his alma mater is something of a dream job for him. It's also different to me from the Sunny Dykes situation because Sunny was expressing interest in any job that walked by (and he let the world know about it), which showed no loyalty at all to his current employer. If Wilcox has been doing the same, at least he has had the decency of keeping it much more quiet. I can respect that.
I'm also tempted to cut him some slack for interviewing since a) he is an alumnus and former player b) extensive family ties and friendships there c) He hasn't exactly had Sonny's wandering eye and d) he doesn't like chicken spaghetti.
We've known about them...uh...forever. And their creative and whimsical style is pretty much the same thing we did at Cal Golden Blogs. Moving sites meant losing a few personalities, but W4C will get back to the same soon.
UW OLB Laiatu Latu in the portal. Rated 4* by 24/7 and looking at Cal. Could fill a rotational need at OLB.
https://247sports.com/Player/Laiatu-Latu-46049534/
https://www.instagram.com/officialtu.916/
Seems he retired from football in April 2021 after having had neck surgery. Docs apparently back then told him not to play football any more.
Clark declares for NFL draft
No, he's good enough and has the physical tools to get a camp invite though.
I never thought that Laird would get to play in the NFL. And I thought that Evan Weaver would. Some of it is luck.. ya never know.
After waiting anxiously while other schools came calling for Ben Braun and Jeff Tedford after solid success, I will not get nervous about the prospect of losing a coach that is 26-28 overall and is 10 games under .500 in the P12. Hope he stays for program stability-sake, but if he goes, he goes...
I refuse to sweat this one out.
Who's with me?
With you with the exception that if he were to bail on us this late, it puts us in a tough spot with the early signing period starting just a week from today. These hires never work out quickly at Cal.
Oh, agreed. The timing is brutal if he bolts, as plenty of transfers will undoubtedly accompany the change, not just the grad transfers were seeing with Brooks, Tevis....
The longer this goes on the more I think it's imperative for Wilcox to stay. Next year is when we want to be in the coaching market if we have to be. If Chip gets the OU gig, the P5 west coach HC gig landscape should be far less competitive.
I’m not going to panic either, but I do hope he stays as I think there is a lot of potential upside. The problem with coaching changes is that you never know- you might get the next Tedford, but you’re more likely to get another Dykes or Wilcox, and you might get another Holmoe or Gilbertson. And by the time you find out, you’ve lost another four years of your life.
Funny how that happens. 4 years of Dykes plus 5 years of Wilcox = 9 years. And no Rose Bowl in sight. No wonder Old Blues say "Rose Bowl before I die" but we just never seem to get to that point of Nirvana.
I'm 67 and no longer Rose Bowl before I die. I'll be happy with beating our three California rivals in one season. If we do make the Rose Bowl I may immediately die from shock.
My dad used to share his dread of Cal never going to the Rose Bowl again before he died (and they didn't), and I just didn't get that growing up. I just expected we'd punch through with enough swings, even if just by getting lucky. Now that I'm well into midlife, I not only share the same dread, but I think getting over that hill is even more unlikely.
Sometimes if I’m debating whether or not to have a big dessert, or whether or not to exercise, I remember Cal and the Rose Bowl and make the right choice.
I agree - Newellbany & I bought Rose Bowl tix midway thru the '04 season and I still fear it is the closest we'll come in my lifetime, especially now that we lose the Rose Bowl every few years bc of the CFP.
I dream of being in the stands of the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, with the beautiful CALIFORNIA printed in the end zone, yellow letters on navy blue background...
We just need to recalibrate that.
El Paso on NYE, with the beautiful CALIFORNIA printed in the end zone, yellow letters on navy blue background…with the sun setting over El Paso.
Sun>>>>roses. Can’t have a rose without the sun.
I'd punch somebody's Nana for the Sun Bowl, even tho El Paso is usually freezing on New Year's Eve Day. A nighttime bonfire rally across the border in Juarez, co-sponsored by the Cal Athletic Department and the Sonora Cartel, would be a sight to see.
Go Bears! I want Wake Forest....
He also improved APR in addition to fielding a great pass offense.
I don't think Dykes has actually moved up the coaching ranks. TCU is not a hugely better job than Cal, and him putting up decent records at SMU is not much different from what he did at Louisiana Tech. IMO he's been hovering at about the same level for his entire head coaching career.
If he starts beating top-level Big 12 teams at TCU then I'll say he's moved up.
Correct. Dykes wants to be near family in Texas, which is fine; others have said the same about Wilcox. But, the LaTech/Cal/SMU/TCU rank is about as high as he can get. IMHO, Dykes hasn't figured out what to do after a punt, and the O trots off the field. One can only wonder what Dykes-Goff would have done if Wilcox was the DC: Sunny never saw a 4th and 20 he didn't love to take a crack at... so, if he starts beating Baylor, OkSt, Oklahoma, then: Agreed: He's moved up. #airraid
I'd say that's about the same as him going from LaTech to Cal. He's basically returned to where he was.
Sometimes the context doesn't fit for whatever reason. I don't think he ever would have knocked through here. He didn't pick the right DCs, but that style of football is also not conducive to attracting a good DC or good defensive players because they are asked to be on the field too long to have prolonged success. I also just am not a fan of his style of football. He somehow made high octane football boring. I don't ever need to see a 50-47 game ever again. But he is obviously is a gifted coach when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, and that style of football can find success in other contexts.
Dykes at Cal also hamstrung the defense by spending ~2/3 of the scholarships on offense. The defense was always thin, and the shorter on numbers you are, the less likely it is a game-changer will develop.
You say that, but Wilcox's best defenses were all off Dykes' recruits. They just didn't develop them was the problem.
But the youtube highlight video of Goff is really exciting.
Agreed, though I imagine the recruiting hit will make this year a complete wash. And we start over with the new Coach (???) era commencing. I do agree that lots of coaches can go 5-7 at Cal.
Yup. I'd rather he didn't leave, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it if he does.
I agree. I like Wilcox and I hope he stays. If he leaves, then there will be an excitement with new head coach. I am okay with whichever happens. I'm happy that the team got better as season went and we didn't have to fire Wilcox.
In regards to Wilcox, feel like Drago in Rocky 4: “if he goes, he goes”.
USC QB Kedon Slovis is available now too. I think he'd be a good fit in our system.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32859806/usc-qb-kedon-slovis-enters-transfer-portal
Seems the coaches think so too.
There are a lotta QBs that could start immediately at Cal in this transfer pool.
But I thought it takes 3 years to learn Musgrave's offense?
With 25 seniors, I'm not really mad at grad transfers leaving. We can bring in one player per those who leave, so I see some really good opportunities. The transfer portal is making the HS pipeline a bit less important.
I agree, had I gone to grad school after getting my degree, it probably would not have been Berkeley. I don’t begrudge a kid who wants to try somewhere new after fulfilling his commitment to Cal.
The Pac 12 is about to be in an arms race for quality coaches. With the 12 team playoff coming, no one wants to be part of the permanent have nots. Not opposed to the stability of Wilcox remaining. I think he's caught a LOT of bad breaks. But someone has to put pressure on Cal's administration to get rid of the institutional roadblocks that predispose us to mediocrity on the football field. A school that revels in the Nobel Prizes needs to recognize that football isn't a necessary evil.
OR commit to fielding a consistently good basketball program. I understand why it's such a challenge for us in football, but I really have no idea why the administration has defaulted on the basketball program. There is more potential there to find consistent success if they want it.
Updated with some news from Tuesday.
This is why I like Wilcox so much. It's not all about the money. He is incredibly loyal. As the author said, CAL better be willing to do what it takes to keep him and help him win. I have to believe that before Wilcox turned the job down, while he paused to think about it, that he went back to talk with Knowlton and Knowlton made some commitments. I just don't understand why we haven't heard anything yet.
Rumors swirling that Wilcox was offered the Oregon job and declined.
https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/john_canzano/2021/12/canzano-a-twist-justin-wilcox-turned-down-the-oregon-ducks.html
Yep it's on the other thread about the transfer portal for QB's. Now he can demand an extension and a pay raise for staying loyal...
Would love to see what rugbear thinks about this since he is a real football guy.
Any rumors about Garbers' plans? If not will someone please start one.
Detroit Lions with the first pick in the NFL draft choose, Chase Garbers.
Garbers is in a dilemma. He can transfer but no good program is going to hand him the QB job. He could go to a lower tier program but that won’t help him if he thinks he has a chance to make the NFL.
He can stay but since Wilcox job in on the line too I doubt he will commit to Garbers starting next year.
Chase is a good college player that has done some solid work at Cal but he does not even have an average NFL arm.
This is a big decision for him bc it’s probably his last year in pads. I think if Wilcox is back, Garbers starts in Berkeley if he decides to stay bc why wouldn’t he...
I don’t think Wilcox is going to hand Garbers the starting job next year.
I hear you...and Wilcox should never have handed Garbers the job, period...no QB should ever be handed it...but the same questions apply, then & now:
WHO is gonna beat him out? Who is gonna outplay him in camp & give the team the best chance to win? Kai Millner, who seemingly wasn’t ready to play in a gotta-have it game @UA despite Glover’s inability to complete a pass? Zach Johnson? A grad transfer’s gonna learn Musgrave’s complicated system in fall camp? Definitely open to others, but right now, if Wilcox & Garbers are both back, gotta think Chase starts....again.
But what are the chances both are back.....
As the dust settles, clarity brings with it a salient fact. Cal has done a terrible job recruiting QBs as evidenced by the kids that transferred out that did not start or play well at SLO and PSU. ATM it seems like Cal has to go all in w/ Millner or hope for the portal.
Agree Taco, but then how many great QB's play in P5 football. A handful? It's a tough deal. I'd take Garbers over Stetson at Georgia, but he's still not Bryce Young (and he doesn't have Young's receivers or O-Lina), Kenny Pickett, or Matt Corral.
As we’ve discussed, Glover going the distance at U of A seems telling....I’m thinking after a battle in camp, the starter will have come from the portal.
Backup QBs transfer to FCS to play before eligibility runs out. Garbers on the other hand does not need to transfer to a lower tier program. He can stay at Cal and start, which I'm sure will be his best choice if allowed. I like Garbers but I want a fresh QB.
All signs point to him being gone.
Is it too early to start thinking about a replacement for Wilcox? Nah.
Andy Avalos, HC Boise State
Eric Bieniemy, OC Kansas City Chiefs. A bit of a stretch but if he wants to cut his teeth as a HC he may be interested. And heck we are loaded at TE's and we know he knows how to get them into the game plan!!
That is who I would pick. Dude is hungry for a pro job, but I think he would crush as a college head coach
Eric, you're the most qualified coordinator candidate in the country to not be offered a HC job. For your patience you get the Cal HC gig. Talk about a letdown.
Agreed it's a stretch and he has earned a shot at a HC position in the League. But hell if we are throwing out names let's go big, it's a wish list ain't it?
Bieniemy can take Ron Rivera's job when Ron comes home.
Beat out Fresno State for Tedford? Oh, drat.
UO if you're listening: Pleeeeeeze hire Kiffen.
Why? This wouldn’t be good for us.
I've never been a fan. I trust him to under perform.
He has over performed at Ole Miss and actually did well at USC. The problem he had at SC was sanctions and he over performed at SC initially. Then the full weight of the sanctions hit the program and SCs record went down.
He's a good coach, but he wears out his welcome quickly everywhere it seems. And, let's face it, he's fun to troll.
He might be fun to troll but I feel like he beat the shit out of Cal while he was at SC. All the games against him were soul crushing blowout losses.
Wilcox and staff hitting the recruiting trail hard for the next 10 days, in home visits, flights, etc.
Hopefully not the way tosh hit the recruiting trail at the end of 2011 season
No kidding. Tosh poached Shaq Thompson from us and he made our life miserable the whole time he was at UDUB. The only silver lining if Wilcox jumps ship is that he doesn't have a great recruiting class to poach from like Tosh did back in 2011.
Too soon.
How many of our commits is Oregon even recruiting? Though I suppose Wilcox could take the pick of the litter with him when he parachutes out of the Cal plane.
Great thread idea. The latest gossip and scoops on all things Cal football!
Thanks for starting this thread, it's a great idea!! Was not aware Martinez was visiting this week. He had a turbulent time at Nebraska.
Every time I watched a game with him, he made terrible decisions or fumbled. Gutsy as all hell, but man, he killed Nebraska during his time there.
Oh my Gosh did he ever. I'm a big Nebraska fan. They set a record this year. The first school to lose 9 games all by single digits (sound familiar Cal fans?). They had Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State on the ropes and would inevitably lose because of one bone-headed play, usually by Martinez. In the Michigan game, it was tied with 1:15 left and Nebraska had the ball. Martinez ran up the middle and there was a big scrum. Martinez got stripped and Michigan kicked the winning field goal 3 plays later. Martinez said after the game "I thought the play was over." So he then relaxed and allowed the ball to get stripped. This is a 4 year starter. You do not want to be any where near this level of unintelligent play, whatever skills this guy may have.
Sounds like a slam dunk fit at Cal...no wonder Wilcox was all over him to begin with. This kid screams Cal Football.
I've seen a LOT of Martinez games the last 4 years and they mostly ended in tears. Well, maybe Cal fans will see him at our Memorial Stadium. You have been warned. Maybe he just needs a change of venue/coaching. It'd be exciting for sure.
No doubt, he will make more mistakes than Chase, but he’s also a more physically gifted QB w/ more big game experience….
I’ve been lamenting the talent gap on O for Wilcox teams, so I’ll take the Martinez upside…& the turnovers….
Poor judgement tends to trump talent. And Martinez has been a case study in poor decision making in key situations.
That fumble on the scrum is a bit unfair, the refs should have blown their whistle to end that ply long before he fumbled. His momentum was stopped and they let it play a lot longer than normal.
Also, Frost, similar to Wilcox at TCU, should have taken the points on the opening drive and kicked the easy FG rather than going for it on 4th down.
Lost in the anti-Martinez buzz is that he nonetheless played incredibly well in close games v. a laundry list of elite programs: Michigan, Ohio St., Sparty, Wisconsin, Iowa Purdue and Oklahoma...Garbers struggles to keep us in ALL of those games.
From an experience level alone, Adrian Martinez would be a major upgrade over Chase Garbers.
Completely disagree. Martinez was typically the singular reason why Nebraska lost. Keeping a team in the game means nothing if your QB makes turnover after turnover to lose the actual game. I'd take Garbers every day over Martinez.
Sorry alpha, I hear what you're saying and respect it....I just disagree with it.
Wins and losses are so rarely ever on just 1 player, so saddling those L's on the shoulders of the QB that kept you in those games seems an iffy proposition. I'll give you that risk-averse Chase Garbers is probably the safer player, but Martinez will always be a guy that makes more plays (and mistakes) than Chase, by virtue of the fact that he tries to make plays.
Given a choice between Adrian Martinez, Chase Garbers and Kai Millner, I'll take the battle-tested B1G QB any day.
Can you any skill players at Nebraska that played with Martinez? I don’t think they had any OL or skill players drafted during his tenure at Nebraska.
Put Garbers in for Martinez and Nebraska probably gets blown out in the majority of their games.
Cal hasn't had a single offensive player drafted since Dykes either so I don't know what your point is.
Patrick Mekari is the only offensive player in the NFL that Wilcox coached that I can recall, and he was an UDFA for BAL.
Jake Curhan
Kanawai Noa
Who was at Cal. I forgot he transferred to Nebraska.
At the end of the day, Martinez would be a sizable upgrade at QB, IMHO, which along with $5 will get you a grande iced coffee at the Rancho Peñasquitos Starbucks...
Eric Crouch? I remember him basically ushering in the end of Nebraska's option identity when they got blown out by Miami. I don't even remember if he went to the NFL.
I see that 24/7 is predicting that Damonic Williams will flip to TCU, does he like chicken spaghetti?
Any new Wilcox news? I'm too lazy to google him or look at Twitter.
No news but I did come up with the best way for Cal to proceed: first we encourage Oregon to hire Wilcox away. Then we poach him right back, THE VERY NEXT DAY. By doing this, we (1) maintain continuity in our program, (2) get a coach talented enough to be the head guy at an elite program, and (3) deliver a mind-fvck to the Ducks that will set them back a decade, paving the way for Cal to dominate the P12 North.
"I'll have what he's having."
Yes there is.
ESPN is reporting that Oregon is trying to hire Chip Kelly, which means we will start to hear “Wilcox to ucla” rumors soon after.
Wilner needs those clicks
Wilcox to FUCLA? No way. He is too low-key for that job. Hell, he takes BART to work! Does Wilcox strike you as a guy who loves to be in the news all the time? If he moves to LaLaLand, that is exactly what he will be dealing with. Most importantly, the LA schools demand flashy offenses filled with four and five star recruits. Does that sound like Wilcox to you?
Not to me. Maybe he could get involved in TV commercials like Wyking Jones.
Tinseltown for Wilcox? You heard it here first...
Hey neat, now we can keep up with off season stuff. Please keep us up on offensive line personnel or coaching changes. Anything that will help us improve the running game and pass protection is of great interest. Thank you!
Garbers to the NFL. He will not return.
Good luck to Chase! Great kid and warrior. Now we have a pretty serious QB problem, hopefully, we can figure this out...
Rattler is headed to USC (not to be confused with U$C).
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32863010/former-oklahoma-sooners-qb-spencer-rattler-transferring-south-carolina-te-austin-stogner-gamecocks-too
Just read Tosh (the traitor) lupio is a target for Oregon
As OC?
I would assume DC? Or he wants off the urban meyer disaster train.
Haha I don't know why I wrote OC. I meant DC.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.on3.com/college/oregon-ducks/news/oregon-ducks-head-coach-dan-lanning-targeting-former-top-recruiter-tosh-lupoi-jacksonville-jaguars-defensive-line-coach/amp/
https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-bulldogs/breaking-dan-lanning-to-leave-georgia-to-become-oregon-head-coach/TPDWMYPORVB47ODTGWPXWWFEQU/
You see this GEAT?
https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/john_canzano/2021/12/canzano-a-twist-justin-wilcox-turned-down-the-oregon-ducks.html
Shocking news
Oregon hires a DC for HC? Wow
Oregon is currently denying that this is accurate.
That could also just mean they didn't want it to leak yet but they do want to hire him.
Probably ironing out whether he'll coach the D in the CFP...
THIS makes more sense.
Fickell/Campbell are either really happy in Cincy/Ames, or are eyeing the NFL.
No confirmation on this yet.
Ugghh...I was hoping that Chip Kelly would leave FUCLA so he could embarrass himself all over again in Eugene AND throw the Bruins into disarray. Sadly, not to be. I guess this means that we don't have to worry about Wilcox secretly recruiting for the Ducks instead of Cal.
Canzano is claiming the article is false, or he's just pissed he wasn't the first to report it. Pick'em.
But if true, it's a weak hire IMO. Dude has spent most of his time in the South and likely will jump ship like his predecessors if given the opportunity in 2 - 3 years.
Given what just happened with Taggart and Cristobal, it is particularly surprising. But man if the dude hasn't built a beast of a defense. Seems like he has an SEC job coming to him if he shows just a little more patience.
When your team can regularly recruit three or four 5 stars and 15 or more 4 stars annually, you better be able to field a great defense. The dude has been DC for two years. Who knows, he's 35 and may be the next Sean McVeigh....ugh, never mind, McVeigh is finally proving he's not that great even though he has loads of talent.
It’s an interesting hire...I remember reading an article a few weeks ago on ESPN re: the SC job & his name was mentioned, with the comment saying the PAC 12 job he REALLY wants is ASU bc of his time there, albeit brief...
He checks a lot of boxes, tho prior HC experience ain’t one of them. Probably interviews well, and going with a defensive minded HC may not be the worst thing for the Ducks...probably one of the reasons Wilcox is so appealing them.
Despite Oregon walking back the hire, this is probably the guy...if not, it’s yet another PR blow for the program.
Their schedule was easier than Bama's, yes. But saying their stats really aren't that great is a wild punch. They still play in the SEC and besides that Bama game they dominated everyone. It's a special unit.
Oregonian says Oregon hire could come as soon as tomorrow afternoon.
Shouldn't Cal feel some kinda way about their head coach interviewing with their competitor? I know that if I found out that one of my employees was interviewing with my competitor, I wouldn't exactly welcome them back with open arms.
I don't feel any way about it. Oregon is clearly a bigger name program with more money/resources. He's an Oregon alum. Can't blame anyone for looking at better opportunities.
Of course, I also don't think he's likely to get the job.
I'm fine with it. In the sport world this is a generally accepted and known practice. I think ADs would be more pissed off if these meetings were clandestine and one day they woke up to the fact that their HC had skipped town overnight. In the professional world we deal in, it does in fact happen overnight and in secrecy, which ~ at times ~ can disrupt a business for x amount of time.
He might not want to make a habit of interviewing with other schools, tho....this is probably his one pass.
You mean like Lincoln Riley and ISC? ;-)
Agreed. Also, I definitely wouldn't fault any of my employees for interviewing for other jobs unless it was in year one or two. Blood in, blood out.
I agree with you GEAT.
I feel nothing.
You a nihilist, P, like Uli Kunkel (aka Karl Hungus) and the boys from Autobahn? ;-)
IMO he gets a pass because he's an Oregon grad. If it had been, say, Washington, it would have been different.
That's a difficult one for me. I consider the fact that Wilcox interviewed there as being the exception to the general rule simply because he grew up in Eugene, and both he and his father played at Oregon. I'm sure that being the head coach as his alma mater is something of a dream job for him. It's also different to me from the Sunny Dykes situation because Sunny was expressing interest in any job that walked by (and he let the world know about it), which showed no loyalty at all to his current employer. If Wilcox has been doing the same, at least he has had the decency of keeping it much more quiet. I can respect that.
I'm also tempted to cut him some slack for interviewing since a) he is an alumnus and former player b) extensive family ties and friendships there c) He hasn't exactly had Sonny's wandering eye and d) he doesn't like chicken spaghetti.
Dykes was always looking at jobs around Texas, which is where his friends and family are, to be close to his ill father.
Wild story coming out of OregonLive.
Wilcox was offered Oregon job and declined.
Dykes was looking to get out of Berkeley. Wilcox interviewed for a perennial top 20 and maybe top 10 program. Hard to fault him for that.
Agreed. Dykes also went after for that Mizzou job.
To this day, Dykes remains one of the more puzzling FBS hires you’re gonna see, IMHO.
Meh, never made the mistake to trust an Oregon man in the first place.
will do anything for some good OL
Avi tweeted that Oregun is not interested in Wilcox. I wonder who his Ann Source is?
Gavin Reinwald enters transfer portal
rumor: DeRuyter off to Texas Tech as DC.
Done deal I heard.
Hey I can comment now!
Appears Wilcox is on every short list for the Oregun gig. A move there is more plausible than the udub shenanigans of a couple of weeks ago.
Looking at Addicted to Quack, Wilcox has some believers in Oregon fandom, would not be surprised if he makes the jump.
One time Cal "commit"..... He would have been an exciting addition to the roster. Lane Kiffen....Ack! He is a splashy name......
Any rumors on the front runner for the Oregun job?
The fact he even got invited to visit makes me think Garbers time at Cal is at an end.
Thanks Bob for "introducing" us to a website we've had a friendly rivalry with for just about a decade now.
From the old California Golden Blogs days
https://www.cgbnorth.com
www.cgbnorth.com
"Since Cal rooters who read W4C have been introduced to Addictedtoquack.com in the last week or two, then should find this link interesting."
JShuforgotthebeer
We've known about them...uh...forever. And their creative and whimsical style is pretty much the same thing we did at Cal Golden Blogs. Moving sites meant losing a few personalities, but W4C will get back to the same soon.
He at least has shown he can beat Utah!
Is he afraid of the B12 or something? Only reason for him to go to Oregun is for the money, which is a pretty good reason.