Tosh Lupoi On State of Cal Football at ACC Media Day: Pleased, But Not Satisfied
Lots of work ahead as fall camp is around the corner for the California Golden Bears.
Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi opened his remarks at ACC Media Day by expressing pride in representing “the number one public institution in the country and the flagship university of the UC system”, as the Golden Bears hope to finally make their mark in this conference.
Lupoi, a former Cal player and longtime assistant who returned to coach his alma mater, pointed to the program’s NFL pedigree, name-checking Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson, Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Cameron Jordan and Keenan Allen, and noted Cal is “one of three teams in college football that’s had 10-plus DBs selected in the NFL Draft since 2020.” He said the combination of that football tradition with the school’s academic reputation and location in the Bay Area, “the sixth highest media market in all of the U.S.,” makes Cal’s opportunity within the ACC unique.
Lupoi also emphasized the business and cultural ecosystem surrounding the program, noting the university sits near “44 Fortune 500 companies” and counts founders of Levi’s, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and DoorDash among its alumni. “As we attempt to build our culture going into this fall, we’re really pumped to be a part of this, thankful to be part of such an awesome conference as we do that,” he said.
Asked how he’s honoring what former coach Justin Wilcox built while establishing his own identity, Lupoi said the process began in January with a cultural meeting on Dr. King’s birthday and has been defined by daily habits rather than slogans. “I truly believe those are going to be dictated by our daily transactions. That’s ultimately what culture is. It’s not about being clever, cliche, it’s about living out what we want to represent every day,” he said.
On a question about leveraging Cal’s media presence and fan base, Lupoi pointed to the program’s new jersey patch sponsorship as evidence of its ambition. “We’re the first and only team to my knowledge in the ACC to sign a corporate sponsorship of its kind with Dialpad,” he said, adding that the deal reflects “the direction and the desire of where we’re headed and the commitment from the university.”
Asked what he’s carried from his time coaching under Nick Saban and in the NFL with the Falcons, Browns and Jaguars, Lupoi framed it as a career built on continuous improvement. “This is my 20th year now in this profession, in coaching. I certainly don’t have all the answers. But it’s so amazing to be able to wake up in a profession to know that you can individually improve every day,” he said.
When asked where the alignment between Chancellor Rich Lyons and general manager Ron Rivera has made the biggest impact, Lupoi cited the Dialpad sponsorship along with a surge in fan engagement. “We just had a season ticket meeting deal. To learn where we’re at of having the highest sales in over a decade, the NIL allotment from these sponsorships and the participation, overall excitement of the program,” he said.
Asked whether the program is coming together as he envisioned since taking over in December, Lupoi said he’s encouraged but not content. “Certainly pleased but absolutely not satisfied,” he said, pointing to quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s decision to stay at Cal, a transfer portal class he called a top 15 group nationally, and a top 20 high school recruiting class as proof the program is “an opportunity for us to win” at every stage.
Finally, asked about maintaining Cal’s recruiting pipeline to Hawaii after landing Sagapolutele, Lupoi traced the connection back to his Bay Area roots and past players like Tyson Alualu. “Cal has had a historically strong connection with the islands. That will certainly continue,” he said, noting the university has “a 92% graduation rate of Polynesians” and calling the shared value placed on education a strong tie between the school and the community.