This whole thing makes me respect Ott infinitely more than before (and I had tremendous respect for him before). He was in a perfect position to bail on Cal last year and get paid really well. But he didn't. He made a commitment to Cal. Hats off to you Jaydn. I was so convinced that Fernando couldn't possibly leave given all he said. Turns out Cal forever really wasn't.
Just to get some clarity. It seems like we got the better deal getting some proven top tier offensive coaches. Miller Moss, who is a #1 level qb, left a SC program to get picked up quickly by Louisville $$. From a program stand point, its an absolute true downgrade, but he has to go somewhere, so he can play right away in order to try and get to the League. If you can't get on the field, what's the point of transferring, unless your thinking beyond football and going to a top tier academic school to graduate. Uh oh, just saw on my screen, more competition has just jumped into the portal, the kid from Washington State and lets not forget Air Noland is still on the board from Ohio State. Don't forget the kid from Michigan. I would take any three of those and more, before Mendoza. I didn't have time to do a accurate count but there are over 80 non committed QB's in the portal! This must be very nerve racking for these kids. Just because you declare doesn't mean your going to fly off the board.
Good question! According to Rivals, 7 out of the top 10 transfer quarterbacks have already found a home. It seems like for a few players, this happens very quickly, almost as if there were prior talks ;-), but for most players, it takes a while. Some college will take Fernando, but I suspect he wants Miami or Indiana. If he doesn't get the school he wants would Wilcox take him back at Cal? I think so, but he'd have some explaining to do with his boys. I see Maalik Murphy is still available, he be a good get, but unlikely. The guy from Boise State seems like a nice option.
If he is hoping for Miami...Have you seen their qb depth chart! I read that Miami is trying to outbid Oklahoma, for the Wazzu kid! So its obvious that Miami is not aggressively going after Mendoza.
If a player hasn't found a new home yet, then I suspect that there were no prior talks or teams he wanted to go to. That means he just wanted to leave Berkeley, for whatever reason.
I think one reason was his market value improved so much that he can cash in vs. waiting for the O-line to improve and having another OC. Then there are family reasons. He went from 82 rating out of high school and the 134 ranked QB to a 93 rating as a transfer and the #3 OB in the portal. But you're right he could have stayed. Oh well.
Competent game planning, preparation, in-game adjustments and coaching, specifically at the OL position by Famika, could single-handedly add 2-wins to the total next year, regardless of Mendoza.
Cal had none of these last year with Mike Bloesch.
The question is, did Fernando leave because he now believes he is a not NFL prospect and will be better served fighting for the starting spot somewhere else, or did the new OC tell him that he is not the guy? If it's the former, I am very disappointed in him. If the latter, the new OC better be right, because Fernando, while not really an NFL prospect in my view, was certainly the best QB on Cal's roster.
He certainly was better than a WR masquerading as a QB, a Mid-American caliber guy that cheats teammates in poker, and a dual-threat guy that struggled to complete passes against P4 competition. ;-)
Mendoza is currently a good-not-great D1 QB…I still think Davis Webb is our best QB post-Goff, followed by Garbers. Mendoza absolutely could have finished atop that list with another season here, as he has a right to continue to improve the more games he plays. He did just that this year.
However, all this talk of him being an NFL QB is such a stretch. The current version still lacks so many tools, namely athleticism and reading a defense.
I think he left because he does now think he’s an NFL prospect and it didn’t make sense continuing to be part of a program with a lame duck coach who has shown he can’t recruit or develop offensive lineman to protect him.
My first season as a Cal fan was 2006 and Cal was great. Do you know who was better? Boise State with Harsin and Wilcox. It's time to spend some months dreaming and pumping sunshine before turning Blue people 😁
Nick: Great article but as everyone knows, this is the new normal. Actually, if you can remember back far enough, this sort of thing has been going on for quite some time. Does everyone remember "Toshgate"? His last minute defection (mostly for money) cost us some really good recruits (Shaq Thompson comes to mind) and don't forget, he was a Cal grad! I remember how everyone was moaning about how loyalty to one's alma mater was gone forever. I guess that he was a preview of things to come. Change, as in life, is the only constant in college football. As much as I hate to see Fernando leave, there are lots of other three and two star quarterbacks with his potential just waiting for a shot to prove themselves. Hanging on to them will be our new challenge for the foreseeable future.
Yeah, he was rumored to be a silent commit. He didn't commit to any school before the NSD. He was believed to be 99% coming to Cal, but after toshgate he signed with Maryland.
The Brian Floyd post about Cal going from "joyful media darling" to "barely likable" in the span of only a few months feels accurate and... well, it's not a good feeling, kids. Don't like.
I can't believe Wilcox managed to squeeze two of the game's creepiest, most thoroughly mediocre dill-holes onto the same staff, right at our moment of already feeling down and out. Maybe he's angling for that buyout after all.
Not sure who Brian Floyd is, but I think football wise the new staff is a sizeable upgrade. Whether it will work out quickly enough is another matter. Rolovich and Harsin know ball and have a lot to prove. And neither will be much of a spokesperson for the program, so I'm not overly concerned with either of them embarrassing us. I'll gladly accept certain imperfections to keep this program above water.
That's fair. My comment is definitely more rooted in "the feels" than Xs and Os - it's a statement about the general unpleasantness of a year that began with extraordinary energy and an unexpected outpouring of goodwill, and has ended with a dispiriting loss, Mendoza's sudden departure, and the inclusion of two guys with reputations for being jerks. (I'm not speaking about their similarly embarrassing political attitudes: I'm referring to their well-documented reputations for player abuse.)
Perhaps Harsin and Rolo will prove a wondrous shot in the arm, and a year from now, I'll be agreeing with you. Maybe they're the perfect fit.
Maybe it's a shot in the arm, but at the moment, it happens to feel like little sip of karmic poison.
I don't know exactly what the rules are, but I suspect the answer is 'yes', but that I would have been strategically unwise to declare so late in the game. It's a kind of campaign for these kids, and they need time to promote and negotiate.
I think the transfer "announcement" deadlinedate is Dec 28, or 10 more days from today. I realize you need to get your name/brand out to potential teams, but something happened drama-wise.
It definitely took a "nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong" scenario to make these hires more palatable. Your concerns are valid. Frankly, I'm just desperate to see this program start getting some traction. Hypothetically, Wilcox is the culture setter and should hold them accountable. But we will soon find out.
If Wilcox is gone this time next year, Harsin and Rolovich will be looking for work with him. Assistants generally only replace the HC if there's been a tract record of success you hope to maintain.
In answer to all your questions: Wilcox hired the best talent available to him under his budget to win. He's not thinking that he's out. He's focused on winning. Whether it happens or not has yet to be seen. Love the intolerance shown for two new coaches because they don't fit with someones agenda (not you Bowlesman). People looking for football coaches who fit their political ideologies will most likely always be disappointed.
My question was not about how Wilcox viewed the hires but how those hired saw their futures here. Also I haven't noted any intolerance for the political positions of the new coaches. I abhor their politics but they're here to coach football and I hope they're successful in their given roles.
That conservative politics would even be brought up as a possible deal-breaker or at all might explain a culture that guarantees middling results in smashmouth football.
No, more a matter of bringing up politics being outside the priorities of Smashmouth football. Why it always seems to be conservative politics brought up as a “red flag” on character is very telling, wearisome, and divisive.
Might just be old enough to wonder, wasn't Boller labeled 'Jesus in cleats' when he got to campus? If that Jesus couldn't take us to the promised land, what chance did Mendoza have?
And developing your talent within one program/system. QBs that move often are doing a disservice to themselves by starting within a new system each time. Unless it's just about the money (which is highly likely since so few will make it in the NFL).
What's interesting about Boller is how he blossomed in one year under Tedford and ended up getting drafted and having a decent pro career. Remember, prior to Tedford he was part of the disastrous Holmoe era. Not his fault.
In light of recent news, it seems quaint that he stuck around with us as long as he did. If the portal existed when Boller was around he probably would have played for four different teams.
If I were to rank the ten recruits that generated the most excitement upon committing to Cal, Boller would definitely make the list. Probably in the top five.
Hicks was recruited in the mid 80s, well before the internet and legions of fans following recruiting. It's a different world from those days, in so many ways.
I still fondly remember his performance in a victory over U$C in '85. (That's back when we were in the Pac 10. Old timers will remember that we used to play the Trojans every year.)
I remember that game well. The future Mrs Slug and I had become engaged a few days before that game. Cal won, 14-6. Hicks had a TD on a broken play that could easily have been a disaster for Cal.
100% agree on the points re Fernando. Look, he is free to leave for any reason or no reason. But he should have taken a class on existentialism while at Cal. No one is free from the consequences of their own actions. Living with those consequences is the core of the human experience. As you stated well, his departure killed the folk hero Fernando that we had grown to adore. It is unfortunate but it happened and he and we will all go our separate ways now.
As for me, I will root for the guys wearing our uniform, as I always do. Go Bears!!!!
Your article captures the conflicting emotions felt by Cal fans the day Cal’s edition of “Fernandomania” died. Just as Fernando Valenzuela came out of no where to capture the hearts and minds of Dodger fans in the 80s, this unheralded, marginally athletic football player did the same to Cal fans. But the Dodger’s Valenzuela didn’t bolt the very next year. Mendoza created a cult worthy following at Cal with his underdog story, play and intelligent/humorous press conferences. The media believed him. The coaches believed him, and so did we. He was “our boy”. A big game hero. We bent over backwards to both praise his successes and blame his shortcomings on someone else (I.e. the OL). But he has now forfeited all of that incredibly good, rare adulation and great feelings (he could have been an actual “Big Man on Campus” at Cal, which is unheard of for a Cal athlete) for the opportunity and money to prove himself all over again at a cut throat football school. He may make the transition but he certainly may not…..it’s not like his athletic ability jumps off the page. But he will never regain or recreate the flat out joy created when he tearfully said “98 yards with my boys”. It’s sad really. Sad for many reasons. I wish him well (and all the usual cliches). He will regret leaving (and the way he left) Cal but he won’t realize it for 20-30 years. His is a story reflecting the 21st century reality of college sports with NIL, the portal and TV control….and short term money for an 18-23 year old kid is very enticing. Where all this leaves the college sports fan is TBD. But one thing is sure: the fans are and will continue to be left behind emotionally, and solidly disillusioned.
This sucks so much I may not even watch tomorrow. Even UNLV's head coach and OC have bailed.
This whole thing makes me respect Ott infinitely more than before (and I had tremendous respect for him before). He was in a perfect position to bail on Cal last year and get paid really well. But he didn't. He made a commitment to Cal. Hats off to you Jaydn. I was so convinced that Fernando couldn't possibly leave given all he said. Turns out Cal forever really wasn't.
Thanks Nick. Great article dude…total banger.
Just to get some clarity. It seems like we got the better deal getting some proven top tier offensive coaches. Miller Moss, who is a #1 level qb, left a SC program to get picked up quickly by Louisville $$. From a program stand point, its an absolute true downgrade, but he has to go somewhere, so he can play right away in order to try and get to the League. If you can't get on the field, what's the point of transferring, unless your thinking beyond football and going to a top tier academic school to graduate. Uh oh, just saw on my screen, more competition has just jumped into the portal, the kid from Washington State and lets not forget Air Noland is still on the board from Ohio State. Don't forget the kid from Michigan. I would take any three of those and more, before Mendoza. I didn't have time to do a accurate count but there are over 80 non committed QB's in the portal! This must be very nerve racking for these kids. Just because you declare doesn't mean your going to fly off the board.
According to 24/7 Sports, Nando is the #3 ranked quarterback in the portal with a .93 rating!?!? He is good and has improved, but this is too high.
If he is rated that high, I wonder what is the hold up? Money or waiting to see if another player is going to move?
Good question! According to Rivals, 7 out of the top 10 transfer quarterbacks have already found a home. It seems like for a few players, this happens very quickly, almost as if there were prior talks ;-), but for most players, it takes a while. Some college will take Fernando, but I suspect he wants Miami or Indiana. If he doesn't get the school he wants would Wilcox take him back at Cal? I think so, but he'd have some explaining to do with his boys. I see Maalik Murphy is still available, he be a good get, but unlikely. The guy from Boise State seems like a nice option.
If he is hoping for Miami...Have you seen their qb depth chart! I read that Miami is trying to outbid Oklahoma, for the Wazzu kid! So its obvious that Miami is not aggressively going after Mendoza.
One site has potential landing places as:
5. Wisconsin
4. UCLA
3. Indiana
2. Miami
1. Georgia
If a player hasn't found a new home yet, then I suspect that there were no prior talks or teams he wanted to go to. That means he just wanted to leave Berkeley, for whatever reason.
I think one reason was his market value improved so much that he can cash in vs. waiting for the O-line to improve and having another OC. Then there are family reasons. He went from 82 rating out of high school and the 134 ranked QB to a 93 rating as a transfer and the #3 OB in the portal. But you're right he could have stayed. Oh well.
Outside of Shadeur Sanders there isn’t a quarterback that definitively did more with less protection or a worse running game.
If Cal can actually get someone better than Mendoza, then good. Big If though.
Look at the kids Rolo coached at Hawaii. They weren't top recruits and he won.
Competent game planning, preparation, in-game adjustments and coaching, specifically at the OL position by Famika, could single-handedly add 2-wins to the total next year, regardless of Mendoza.
Cal had none of these last year with Mike Bloesch.
Good call. And we should finally be able to at least run the ball for 1 yard when we need to.
The question is, did Fernando leave because he now believes he is a not NFL prospect and will be better served fighting for the starting spot somewhere else, or did the new OC tell him that he is not the guy? If it's the former, I am very disappointed in him. If the latter, the new OC better be right, because Fernando, while not really an NFL prospect in my view, was certainly the best QB on Cal's roster.
He certainly was better than a WR masquerading as a QB, a Mid-American caliber guy that cheats teammates in poker, and a dual-threat guy that struggled to complete passes against P4 competition. ;-)
Mendoza is currently a good-not-great D1 QB…I still think Davis Webb is our best QB post-Goff, followed by Garbers. Mendoza absolutely could have finished atop that list with another season here, as he has a right to continue to improve the more games he plays. He did just that this year.
However, all this talk of him being an NFL QB is such a stretch. The current version still lacks so many tools, namely athleticism and reading a defense.
I think he left because he does now think he’s an NFL prospect and it didn’t make sense continuing to be part of a program with a lame duck coach who has shown he can’t recruit or develop offensive lineman to protect him.
Neither.
So what is it?
"I did my own research" oh my god who let Nick cook
Yes Chef.
My first season as a Cal fan was 2006 and Cal was great. Do you know who was better? Boise State with Harsin and Wilcox. It's time to spend some months dreaming and pumping sunshine before turning Blue people 😁
Well, you never know. We never played them. Cal might have beat them.
Haha - agree. But years of crushing disappointment (including many times this season) has a way of deflating hope. But I shall try!
Nick: Great article but as everyone knows, this is the new normal. Actually, if you can remember back far enough, this sort of thing has been going on for quite some time. Does everyone remember "Toshgate"? His last minute defection (mostly for money) cost us some really good recruits (Shaq Thompson comes to mind) and don't forget, he was a Cal grad! I remember how everyone was moaning about how loyalty to one's alma mater was gone forever. I guess that he was a preview of things to come. Change, as in life, is the only constant in college football. As much as I hate to see Fernando leave, there are lots of other three and two star quarterbacks with his potential just waiting for a shot to prove themselves. Hanging on to them will be our new challenge for the foreseeable future.
And Arik Armstead. That class was supposed to be like top 5 in the country
And Stefon Diggs
+Jordan Payton, Ellis McCarthy
Stefon Diggs too?!?! Holy cow, that scumbag Tosh did more damage than I realized.
Yeah, he was rumored to be a silent commit. He didn't commit to any school before the NSD. He was believed to be 99% coming to Cal, but after toshgate he signed with Maryland.
Great write up.
The Brian Floyd post about Cal going from "joyful media darling" to "barely likable" in the span of only a few months feels accurate and... well, it's not a good feeling, kids. Don't like.
I can't believe Wilcox managed to squeeze two of the game's creepiest, most thoroughly mediocre dill-holes onto the same staff, right at our moment of already feeling down and out. Maybe he's angling for that buyout after all.
Not sure who Brian Floyd is, but I think football wise the new staff is a sizeable upgrade. Whether it will work out quickly enough is another matter. Rolovich and Harsin know ball and have a lot to prove. And neither will be much of a spokesperson for the program, so I'm not overly concerned with either of them embarrassing us. I'll gladly accept certain imperfections to keep this program above water.
That's fair. My comment is definitely more rooted in "the feels" than Xs and Os - it's a statement about the general unpleasantness of a year that began with extraordinary energy and an unexpected outpouring of goodwill, and has ended with a dispiriting loss, Mendoza's sudden departure, and the inclusion of two guys with reputations for being jerks. (I'm not speaking about their similarly embarrassing political attitudes: I'm referring to their well-documented reputations for player abuse.)
Perhaps Harsin and Rolo will prove a wondrous shot in the arm, and a year from now, I'll be agreeing with you. Maybe they're the perfect fit.
Maybe it's a shot in the arm, but at the moment, it happens to feel like little sip of karmic poison.
Does anyone know if Mendoza could have held off his transfer announcement till AFTER the LA Bowl?
I don't know exactly what the rules are, but I suspect the answer is 'yes', but that I would have been strategically unwise to declare so late in the game. It's a kind of campaign for these kids, and they need time to promote and negotiate.
I think the transfer "announcement" deadlinedate is Dec 28, or 10 more days from today. I realize you need to get your name/brand out to potential teams, but something happened drama-wise.
It definitely took a "nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong" scenario to make these hires more palatable. Your concerns are valid. Frankly, I'm just desperate to see this program start getting some traction. Hypothetically, Wilcox is the culture setter and should hold them accountable. But we will soon find out.
Here's to hoping. Roll on?
I wonder if Harsin and Rolovich both took their jobs reasoning that Wilcox would be out in a year and they'd be well-positioned to be his successor.
If Wilcox is gone this time next year, Harsin and Rolovich will be looking for work with him. Assistants generally only replace the HC if there's been a tract record of success you hope to maintain.
Well, even Wilcox might suspect that, but if he gets the sack, what should he care how we do?
In answer to all your questions: Wilcox hired the best talent available to him under his budget to win. He's not thinking that he's out. He's focused on winning. Whether it happens or not has yet to be seen. Love the intolerance shown for two new coaches because they don't fit with someones agenda (not you Bowlesman). People looking for football coaches who fit their political ideologies will most likely always be disappointed.
My question was not about how Wilcox viewed the hires but how those hired saw their futures here. Also I haven't noted any intolerance for the political positions of the new coaches. I abhor their politics but they're here to coach football and I hope they're successful in their given roles.
Wasn't referring to you OD. ;-)
That conservative politics would even be brought up as a possible deal-breaker or at all might explain a culture that guarantees middling results in smashmouth football.
Explain. Are you implying there is a correlation between the politics of a coaching staff and playing “smash mouth football”???
No, more a matter of bringing up politics being outside the priorities of Smashmouth football. Why it always seems to be conservative politics brought up as a “red flag” on character is very telling, wearisome, and divisive.
Nick, excellent as always!
Might just be old enough to wonder, wasn't Boller labeled 'Jesus in cleats' when he got to campus? If that Jesus couldn't take us to the promised land, what chance did Mendoza have?
Boller shows the value and importance of competent coaching and how blending that with legit arm talent can lead to success.
And developing your talent within one program/system. QBs that move often are doing a disservice to themselves by starting within a new system each time. Unless it's just about the money (which is highly likely since so few will make it in the NFL).
What's interesting about Boller is how he blossomed in one year under Tedford and ended up getting drafted and having a decent pro career. Remember, prior to Tedford he was part of the disastrous Holmoe era. Not his fault.
In light of recent news, it seems quaint that he stuck around with us as long as he did. If the portal existed when Boller was around he probably would have played for four different teams.
If I were to rank the ten recruits that generated the most excitement upon committing to Cal, Boller would definitely make the list. Probably in the top five.
Don't forget Pat Barnes, Dave Barr, Marc Hicks, Russell White, Marshawn Lynch, and DeSean Jackson.
Russell White was huge, though we had to wait an extra year for him to see the field because of rules back then..
Can I get a Perry Klein?
Andre Carter would have to be near the top of that list. I don't know how Holmoe did it. Different time I guess.
MARC HICKS! If you know, you know.
Exactly.
Hicks was recruited in the mid 80s, well before the internet and legions of fans following recruiting. It's a different world from those days, in so many ways.
I'm nearly sure Hicks was the impetus for my dad to sign us up for cable.
I still fondly remember his performance in a victory over U$C in '85. (That's back when we were in the Pac 10. Old timers will remember that we used to play the Trojans every year.)
I remember that game well. The future Mrs Slug and I had become engaged a few days before that game. Cal won, 14-6. Hicks had a TD on a broken play that could easily have been a disaster for Cal.
But especially DeSean.
Keenan Allen, Zack Kline, Chris Martin
+1 for the Chris Martin reference!
100% agree on the points re Fernando. Look, he is free to leave for any reason or no reason. But he should have taken a class on existentialism while at Cal. No one is free from the consequences of their own actions. Living with those consequences is the core of the human experience. As you stated well, his departure killed the folk hero Fernando that we had grown to adore. It is unfortunate but it happened and he and we will all go our separate ways now.
As for me, I will root for the guys wearing our uniform, as I always do. Go Bears!!!!
On Being and Transferness
Safe to assume you’re expecting an entire coaching change next year (including Wilcox), one can only hope
Your article captures the conflicting emotions felt by Cal fans the day Cal’s edition of “Fernandomania” died. Just as Fernando Valenzuela came out of no where to capture the hearts and minds of Dodger fans in the 80s, this unheralded, marginally athletic football player did the same to Cal fans. But the Dodger’s Valenzuela didn’t bolt the very next year. Mendoza created a cult worthy following at Cal with his underdog story, play and intelligent/humorous press conferences. The media believed him. The coaches believed him, and so did we. He was “our boy”. A big game hero. We bent over backwards to both praise his successes and blame his shortcomings on someone else (I.e. the OL). But he has now forfeited all of that incredibly good, rare adulation and great feelings (he could have been an actual “Big Man on Campus” at Cal, which is unheard of for a Cal athlete) for the opportunity and money to prove himself all over again at a cut throat football school. He may make the transition but he certainly may not…..it’s not like his athletic ability jumps off the page. But he will never regain or recreate the flat out joy created when he tearfully said “98 yards with my boys”. It’s sad really. Sad for many reasons. I wish him well (and all the usual cliches). He will regret leaving (and the way he left) Cal but he won’t realize it for 20-30 years. His is a story reflecting the 21st century reality of college sports with NIL, the portal and TV control….and short term money for an 18-23 year old kid is very enticing. Where all this leaves the college sports fan is TBD. But one thing is sure: the fans are and will continue to be left behind emotionally, and solidly disillusioned.
Nando: The PsyOp
Infiltrate, ingratiate, and insinuate.
"I had some dreams they were Cal with a natty, Cal with a natty, and . . .
You're so vain.
You probably think this post is about you.
You're so vain"