19 Comments

ST is often “other duties as assigned…” Recruit solid kickers/snappers and you can figure out the rest from…gulp…YouTube!

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Just read the pac 12 preview on duck wire for the Bears. It’s a must read. They predict 4-8(2-7) conference. Wilcox has only 2 5 win seasons, only two 4 star recruits in the last two years, dead last in recruiting and the defense was one of the worst in the country. They feel Wilcox should be no1 , when it comes to being on the hot seat. Let’s hope Jackson can save his job and they are better will the late transfers coming in.

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don't know if I like this. "So'otooooooooooo" just doesn't roll off the tongue like "Alamaaaaaarrrrrrrr"

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Special Teams Coaches often have a slash title - for example Alabama's special teams coordinator (Coleman Hutzler) is also the outside linebackers coach.

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Yup, and our ST coordinator had usually been TE coaches

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Per So’otos bio, he was already running the kickoff unit last year. So it’s just adding the punt unit and field goal blocking.

Kickers/punters/long snappers don’t work with the coach directly really - they’ll have private, individual coaching.

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The NCAA only allows 10 assistant who directly coach players (strength and conditioning are their own category). Since Cal has two defensive back coaches, they can’t have an exclusively special teams coach. Another coach would have to double up on their responsibilities to free up the slot.

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Not in love with this decision...why not a dedicated coach who knows the details?????? Is this a financially driven call?

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We're at the maximum amount of coaches allowed by NCAA, Michael Barton who was the GA for ST was effectively the ST Coach last season but he is now full time at Nevada as their ST coach.

We did not have an ST coach since Ragle left

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Got it...thanks!

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LOL....so glad the Travers family made a generous donation to allow us to keep Travers Family Head Coach Justin Wilcox at the helm. God forbid where the team would be had not that $7.5 million commitment come forth in 2021.

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Show me a bad special teams and I will show you a bad football team.

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special teams are typically staffed with backup players. Bad special teams are often a result of poor depth, which, yes, correlates highly with bad football.

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Oh gosh

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You know we did not have a ST coach in 2022 right?

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Are you implying the team played well in 2022?

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It wasn't too bad.

Last season, Golden Bears special teams was highlighted by Jeremiah Hunter, who finished ninth in the country in punt returns, averaging 10.7 yards a return, while overall California finished 24th nationally with 10.91 yards per return. Punter Jamieson Sheahan ranked 15th nationally and second in the Pac-12 with a 45.3-yard per-punt average. As a unit, California ranked 31st in the country in net punting (40.14 net yards per punt).

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Well now we know what a priority Special Teams will be this year.

Just score on every possession to avoid punting and squib kick the kick offs and we’ll be fine.

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This year?

This year we actually have a special teams coordinator. Last year we didn't have one.

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