It's pretty obvious why - a new Cal advantage in recruiting pitches: "With the Berkeley Health Department protocols, half our team won't be available for any given game, so you can play sooner"!
Tremendous discord in Oregon twitter-land….some serious Twilight “Team Edward v Team Jacob” type factions brewing, and when Lanning bolts for the SEC in 4 years you’re looking at a meltdown of epic proportions.
So true. Some people get all hyped for the next new young coach, and sure, sometimes you find an Urban Meyer. But way more often, it's a really f@#ing hard job that is about so much more than X's and O's. Pete Carrol was an amazing college coach later in his life. All these new young coaches in the Pac will not pan out. This Lanning dude might be a good defensive coach, but it sure don't hurt having a whole 11 of 5* dudes running around. It's why in my estimation Wittingham is the best coach in our league and a top 5 in the nation. Doing more with less. Wilcox having our Bears ever beat an Oregon or UW or $C is a credit to coaching, as we certainly aren't bigger, faster anymore. Gone for the moment are the days of the Shane Vereen and Jahvid Best and Keenan Allen. We take a Patrick Laird and beat them. So I get that Oregon fans are in a twitter. Give me a choice between Lanning and Wilcox for our Bears, and I take Wilcox any day in a heart beat. A proven great human being and team builder. Lanning may be great, but is more likely to flame out and depart.
Edward is the main vampire in the famous late 2000s/early 2010's "Twilight" Saga, while Jacob is the main werewolf. The main character, Bella, was somewhat in love with both of them. During the development of the series, the rabid teen fanbase was fervently split between "Team Jacob" and "Team Edward".
If Wilcox ever gets to the point where a third of the players in his best teams’ rotation play at the next level, like Cuonzo, I’d bet dollars to donuts that Cal will have ended the Rose Bowl streak.
Hard to have any more respect for the man. And as for the "but why didn't he take the Oregon job, cause it's a (cough) better job"....maybe he just wants to forge his own path? Win at Oregon....well, lots of people win at Oregon, so what? Win at Cal....they'll build a damn statue.
As the article states, 2 players confirmed it was Wilcox. I understand why Harrington would refute while not specifically stating who they had in mind. But I see no reason for the other 2 chaps to lie about it, do you?
It wasn't suppose to be leaked and several players are upset about it, I'm sure there will be a lot of walking back from the contents of the letter. Especially now that a decision has been made and it isn't a "local", which was the crux of the letter.
I am happy Wilcox did stay, if for no other reason it helps keep the recruiting class together, finding a coach this late in the cycle would have been tough and I do think Wilcox deserves another year to prove that this year was a fluke. As much as I would like to see a constant improvement in win totals, I do know sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way.
Wilcox is have proven with his past assistance and with decision to stay at Cal that he is very loyal so I wouldn’t expect any coaching changes via Wilcox firing and replacing anyone.
There might be some shuffling of coaching positions in order to accommodate a new coach and keep all the existing ones. I looked at our coaches and it looks like we do not have anyone in house to move to ST Coordinator position. I feel that Geep Chryst did an excellent job at TE coach this year. Looking at his resume, we are lucky to have him as a position coach at Cal, although I'm not sure what he was doing from 2018-2020. Any good ST coordinators out there?
Correct, I was texting while distracted so perhaps I wasn’t very clear and sorry for the grammar errors, this site needs an edit button. Any coaching changes that occur will be due to coaches leaving for other positions at schools, such as Ragle just did.
If this is true, it's pretty stunning. Oregon is clearly a better job than Cal, and it's his alma mater to boot. What would Wilcox's thought process be here?
Maybe he doesn't want the pressure....he can still go to any restaurant in the Bay Area not named Crogan's and eat a meal without being interrupted....
Over on BearInsider the scuttlebutt from the insiders is that Wilcox said he wanted to continue the job of building Cal's program from the inside, finishing the job Tedford couldn't. If so then I like his thinking.
This makes a lot of sense. Taking the Oregon job would be a case of failing upwards. Some people have enough integrity, or self respect, or whatever you want to call it, that they don’t want to do this.
I, for one, am shocked. I was dead wrong, about both Oregon's interest in him and his interest in going if offered, and I will eat my hat. This does completely change the game. Not that I ever really wanted him out, but I just wanted something new. I was rooting for him to get and take the job, thinking it would be a win-win. But with this gesture, give this man his extension!
I will as well....I thought the interview was to appease the donors that wanted a return to Oregon roots...never thought they'd offer him the gig, let alone he'd turn it down! I've eaten my hat, too.
But while making this stunning commitment to Cal is great, I still think Wilcox has some proving to do. The very fact we're so excited that he said no to Oregon despite being 15-25 in conference speaks volumes about where we are as a program. Eventually,JW should start winning more than he loses on a consistent basis, with 2022 being the optimal year to start....
Avi's tweets are bizarre. He thinks a HC is going to decline a high profile job cuz the fan base doesn't want him. Avi needs to spend more time outside.
Wilcox is a very different dude from most head coaches. At this point Oregon has so many expectations from the moment you step in the door to immediately produce. That is not his style.
That may be true but I doubt it. Wilcox is a fierce competitor as a coach and likewise as a former player. He doesn't blink at "expectations" especially when his own expectations are high to begin with.
No way Wilcox or members of his team (agent) are reading fan blogs, getting a pulse of fandom, and deciding to not take a job, which is what you suggested. Just didn't happen, Avi. It is your opinion, plain and simple.
It would be interesting and a window deeper into who Wilcox is should his reason(s) for not taking the job ever come to light but I doubt he will ever divulge it. So, peeps will speculate their opinions.
So, you think that coaches don't plan and have expectations to win every game they coach? I've been around coaches all my life and I have never heard a coach say, "I'm planning on losing and that is my expectation." Wilcox stayed at Cal cuz he expects to win every game he coaches. Please, for the love of gaaaawd, introduce me to a coach that doesn't plan and expect to win?
I never said that Wilcox plans on losing games. I agree, no coach plans to lose but even the great coaches do lose. Saban isn’t perfect every year at Alabama. A coach has expectations, win them all and then reality, a coach is probably going to lose some games. The expectations are with the program, Cal has lower expectations for its program than USC, Oregon, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc., that’s a fact.
Would Wilcox like to win all his games at Cal, of course, will he? Absolutely not. Cals program and fans consider a 8-10 win season every 4-5 years success. Oregon, SC, Bama consider that failure and that will get you fired. At Cal you can have 3 seasons where you go 7-6, 8-5 and 5-7 and not only will you not get fired, you will probably get an extension.
Apparently back to back losing seasons and being 10 games under .500 in Conference is enough to get an extension at Cal...this is how you counter the Sonny Dykes Wandering Eye syndrome.
Meanwhile, Oregon fans and donors are packing Cristobal's suitcase for his Miami interview after they lose in the P12 Championship games after a back to back New Years Day Six appearances, including a Rose Bowl win.
Wilcox clearly doesn't wanna deal with that schitt...I wonder what his price was, because he interviewed nonetheless...
You are looking at the body of work out of context from one point of perspective. Throw out Covid and look at our rise. Throw in Covid, a new OC (and OL coach and more) and we get some hiccups. Look at our recruiting class last year: #19. When was the last time we broke the top 50, 40 or 30? Wilcox is solid, but you don't take a program and change the entire personnel to fit your program from a completely different program in three years and the Covid years, to me, are toss outs. Wilcox has stamped his personality on the culture of the team, and it only gets better from here on out. You respond to all these changes, Dykes, Cristobal and Wilcox from the viewpoint of the fan. Put yourself in the seat of the AD. The big question every AD has to ask: if I fire this guy who can I find that is better where we won't take years to improve and who won't use the job as a stepping stone to a better job. Clearly in our case the best answer was Wilcox. I think that is especially true knowing that Oregon offered him a dream job: home turf, big salary, awesome facilities, Phil Knight's checkbook ,and unbelievable talent and recruiting. Tell me any other coach looking to move up to a top tier program that would not have jumped at the job? Tell me any coach who was in Wilcox's position who would have stayed where they are?
Allow me to say I am stunned that a head coach with a 4-8 conference record in last two seasons is suddenly being treated by the alums as the second coming because he supposedly turned down an offer by mighty Oregon to work things out at Cal. This is either the greatest stroke of fortune by a coach who should have been on the hottest of seats or a master lesson in PR spin obviously involving several people. Either way, bravo coach, the world is now your oyster.
Shut it with such accustations. I've been in Berkeley in every game that I could in the Wilcox era and even some away games (e.g. Tucson in 2018, Ole Miss in 2019, all Big Games).
Scrounging for a head coach in the current market (considering our budgetary overlords) would be a disaster. I've not been super impressed with Wilcox in many aspects but he might represent our best option.
Fair point, but you also have to keep in mind situational context. Winning with 5-star recruits and a friendly/supportive administration is a lot easier. Also, some of us fans value character in our leadership and want our student-athletes to be part of a program that genuinely improves their lives and helps them build character and life skills. Finally, I'd say that some of us fans may be a little high on the Kool-aid but do see a path towards becoming a lot more competitive especially with tweaks on the offensive side of the ball. I'm hoping to see both Character and Cruelty (in Harbaugh philosophy). The Character is there and we've seen cruelty on the defense, if we can get there on offense, we'll be in good shape.
Well put: well put. I've long endorsed the notion that plenty of *student*-athletes that can hold their own in Berkeley end up playing at ND, Stanfurd, Navy, and the few other universities that make both identities important. Those players—from both sides of the ball— exist, but end up in the wrong campus. Let's get those guys playing for Cal.
do we have any non commits--comitments moving on likely due to conference mess?
wilcox we believe in you *tear*
It's pretty obvious why - a new Cal advantage in recruiting pitches: "With the Berkeley Health Department protocols, half our team won't be available for any given game, so you can play sooner"!
Whether or not this is true, it has certainly gotten Oregon Twitter's panties in a bunch...
It'll make it that much better when we beat them next year!
Tremendous discord in Oregon twitter-land….some serious Twilight “Team Edward v Team Jacob” type factions brewing, and when Lanning bolts for the SEC in 4 years you’re looking at a meltdown of epic proportions.
Exactly. I'm loving all the "Lanning >>>> Wilcox!!" posts, as if Lanning isn't basically Wilcox but 5 years ago.
So true. Some people get all hyped for the next new young coach, and sure, sometimes you find an Urban Meyer. But way more often, it's a really f@#ing hard job that is about so much more than X's and O's. Pete Carrol was an amazing college coach later in his life. All these new young coaches in the Pac will not pan out. This Lanning dude might be a good defensive coach, but it sure don't hurt having a whole 11 of 5* dudes running around. It's why in my estimation Wittingham is the best coach in our league and a top 5 in the nation. Doing more with less. Wilcox having our Bears ever beat an Oregon or UW or $C is a credit to coaching, as we certainly aren't bigger, faster anymore. Gone for the moment are the days of the Shane Vereen and Jahvid Best and Keenan Allen. We take a Patrick Laird and beat them. So I get that Oregon fans are in a twitter. Give me a choice between Lanning and Wilcox for our Bears, and I take Wilcox any day in a heart beat. A proven great human being and team builder. Lanning may be great, but is more likely to flame out and depart.
Edward is the main vampire in the famous late 2000s/early 2010's "Twilight" Saga, while Jacob is the main werewolf. The main character, Bella, was somewhat in love with both of them. During the development of the series, the rabid teen fanbase was fervently split between "Team Jacob" and "Team Edward".
I honestly haven’t heard of anyone turning down their alma mater that is also a significantly better program.
I can think of one! Joanne Boyle said no to Duke women's basketball to stay in Berkeley.
As Cuonzo Martin said, “Why not Cal?” Much respect for Wilcox.
If Wilcox ever gets to the point where a third of the players in his best teams’ rotation play at the next level, like Cuonzo, I’d bet dollars to donuts that Cal will have ended the Rose Bowl streak.
Looks like I'll be buying more Cal Jersey's this year!
Remember you can only wear one at a time.
THAT'S WHAT I HAVE A FAMILY FOR JIMMY.
YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME, JIMMY C
That’s fair, SGB…apologies for the assumption.
Hard to have any more respect for the man. And as for the "but why didn't he take the Oregon job, cause it's a (cough) better job"....maybe he just wants to forge his own path? Win at Oregon....well, lots of people win at Oregon, so what? Win at Cal....they'll build a damn statue.
On top of this, a lot assumptions around the supposed offer.
Did they low-ball him? Wouldn't make sense to make the jump for the same salary.
"buh my cost of living!" yeah well how about the differences between the two places. Maybe he *gasps* likes Berkeley.
Former UO players wrote a letter to the AD and Wilcox while not mentioned specifically was their choice.
https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/john_canzano/2021/12/canzano-ex-oregon-ducks-greats-wrote-letter-to-ad-rob-mullens-worried-about-programs-lost-identity.html
This was not about Chip Kelly...my guess it was all about Wilcox.
The letter they wrote is at the bottom of the article, give it a read.
Harrington refuted it being specifically about Wilcox - so there is at least a mix of opinions on that letter.
As the article states, 2 players confirmed it was Wilcox. I understand why Harrington would refute while not specifically stating who they had in mind. But I see no reason for the other 2 chaps to lie about it, do you?
I don't which is why I wrote "there is a mix of opinions on that letter"
It wasn't suppose to be leaked and several players are upset about it, I'm sure there will be a lot of walking back from the contents of the letter. Especially now that a decision has been made and it isn't a "local", which was the crux of the letter.
I think it would be naive of any of the signatories to believe their letter wouldn't eventually get out.
I ended the season on the fence about Wilcox staying at Cal. Now I'm all in. Go get 'em, coach and Go Bears!
I gotta say. That’s my coach.
I am happy Wilcox did stay, if for no other reason it helps keep the recruiting class together, finding a coach this late in the cycle would have been tough and I do think Wilcox deserves another year to prove that this year was a fluke. As much as I would like to see a constant improvement in win totals, I do know sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way.
So who is Wilcox going to hire as ST Coordinator? Any other coaching changes?
Jeez I hope so.
Wilcox is have proven with his past assistance and with decision to stay at Cal that he is very loyal so I wouldn’t expect any coaching changes via Wilcox firing and replacing anyone.
There might be some shuffling of coaching positions in order to accommodate a new coach and keep all the existing ones. I looked at our coaches and it looks like we do not have anyone in house to move to ST Coordinator position. I feel that Geep Chryst did an excellent job at TE coach this year. Looking at his resume, we are lucky to have him as a position coach at Cal, although I'm not sure what he was doing from 2018-2020. Any good ST coordinators out there?
ummm, Ragle left for a HC position.
Correct, I was texting while distracted so perhaps I wasn’t very clear and sorry for the grammar errors, this site needs an edit button. Any coaching changes that occur will be due to coaches leaving for other positions at schools, such as Ragle just did.
I'm sure he knows that, and he's saying no other changes initiated by Wilcox.
If this is true, it's pretty stunning. Oregon is clearly a better job than Cal, and it's his alma mater to boot. What would Wilcox's thought process be here?
There's a certain breed of person that likes, maybe even demands, to finish what he/she started. Maybe he's that guy.
Maybe he doesn't want the pressure....he can still go to any restaurant in the Bay Area not named Crogan's and eat a meal without being interrupted....
Over on BearInsider the scuttlebutt from the insiders is that Wilcox said he wanted to continue the job of building Cal's program from the inside, finishing the job Tedford couldn't. If so then I like his thinking.
This makes a lot of sense. Taking the Oregon job would be a case of failing upwards. Some people have enough integrity, or self respect, or whatever you want to call it, that they don’t want to do this.
Agree 100%...
To hear Wilcox turned down Oregon to stay at Cal is really a game changer that very few saw coming.
Let's keep the momentum going, one victory at a time. This is a good start.
I, for one, am shocked. I was dead wrong, about both Oregon's interest in him and his interest in going if offered, and I will eat my hat. This does completely change the game. Not that I ever really wanted him out, but I just wanted something new. I was rooting for him to get and take the job, thinking it would be a win-win. But with this gesture, give this man his extension!
I will as well....I thought the interview was to appease the donors that wanted a return to Oregon roots...never thought they'd offer him the gig, let alone he'd turn it down! I've eaten my hat, too.
But while making this stunning commitment to Cal is great, I still think Wilcox has some proving to do. The very fact we're so excited that he said no to Oregon despite being 15-25 in conference speaks volumes about where we are as a program. Eventually,JW should start winning more than he loses on a consistent basis, with 2022 being the optimal year to start....
I don't know about a restaurant. Once he licks his lips he'll be recognized immediately.
Seriously....EVERYONE knows him over at Everett & Jones's BBQ...lotsa lip-smackin'!!!
Avi's tweets are bizarre. He thinks a HC is going to decline a high profile job cuz the fan base doesn't want him. Avi needs to spend more time outside.
Wilcox is a very different dude from most head coaches. At this point Oregon has so many expectations from the moment you step in the door to immediately produce. That is not his style.
That may be true but I doubt it. Wilcox is a fierce competitor as a coach and likewise as a former player. He doesn't blink at "expectations" especially when his own expectations are high to begin with.
No way Wilcox or members of his team (agent) are reading fan blogs, getting a pulse of fandom, and deciding to not take a job, which is what you suggested. Just didn't happen, Avi. It is your opinion, plain and simple.
It would be interesting and a window deeper into who Wilcox is should his reason(s) for not taking the job ever come to light but I doubt he will ever divulge it. So, peeps will speculate their opinions.
Agreed and as I have said elsewhere, consistent 6-8 win seasons at Cal gets you an extension.
Consistent 8-10 wins at Oregon will get you fired.
So, you think that coaches don't plan and have expectations to win every game they coach? I've been around coaches all my life and I have never heard a coach say, "I'm planning on losing and that is my expectation." Wilcox stayed at Cal cuz he expects to win every game he coaches. Please, for the love of gaaaawd, introduce me to a coach that doesn't plan and expect to win?
We have entered the Twilight Zone.
Tyrone Willingham during his last year at Washington.
Tyrone was not well liked by his players and they gave up on him. I will grant you that.
I never said that Wilcox plans on losing games. I agree, no coach plans to lose but even the great coaches do lose. Saban isn’t perfect every year at Alabama. A coach has expectations, win them all and then reality, a coach is probably going to lose some games. The expectations are with the program, Cal has lower expectations for its program than USC, Oregon, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc., that’s a fact.
Would Wilcox like to win all his games at Cal, of course, will he? Absolutely not. Cals program and fans consider a 8-10 win season every 4-5 years success. Oregon, SC, Bama consider that failure and that will get you fired. At Cal you can have 3 seasons where you go 7-6, 8-5 and 5-7 and not only will you not get fired, you will probably get an extension.
Apparently back to back losing seasons and being 10 games under .500 in Conference is enough to get an extension at Cal...this is how you counter the Sonny Dykes Wandering Eye syndrome.
Meanwhile, Oregon fans and donors are packing Cristobal's suitcase for his Miami interview after they lose in the P12 Championship games after a back to back New Years Day Six appearances, including a Rose Bowl win.
Wilcox clearly doesn't wanna deal with that schitt...I wonder what his price was, because he interviewed nonetheless...
You are looking at the body of work out of context from one point of perspective. Throw out Covid and look at our rise. Throw in Covid, a new OC (and OL coach and more) and we get some hiccups. Look at our recruiting class last year: #19. When was the last time we broke the top 50, 40 or 30? Wilcox is solid, but you don't take a program and change the entire personnel to fit your program from a completely different program in three years and the Covid years, to me, are toss outs. Wilcox has stamped his personality on the culture of the team, and it only gets better from here on out. You respond to all these changes, Dykes, Cristobal and Wilcox from the viewpoint of the fan. Put yourself in the seat of the AD. The big question every AD has to ask: if I fire this guy who can I find that is better where we won't take years to improve and who won't use the job as a stepping stone to a better job. Clearly in our case the best answer was Wilcox. I think that is especially true knowing that Oregon offered him a dream job: home turf, big salary, awesome facilities, Phil Knight's checkbook ,and unbelievable talent and recruiting. Tell me any other coach looking to move up to a top tier program that would not have jumped at the job? Tell me any coach who was in Wilcox's position who would have stayed where they are?
I’m not even counting 2020, that was a mess of a season. The only thing I hold against Wilcox from 2020 is the Big Game loss.
Oh.
Oregon fanbase is trying its best to be SEC-level insane but without the success to back it up
Allow me to say I am stunned that a head coach with a 4-8 conference record in last two seasons is suddenly being treated by the alums as the second coming because he supposedly turned down an offer by mighty Oregon to work things out at Cal. This is either the greatest stroke of fortune by a coach who should have been on the hottest of seats or a master lesson in PR spin obviously involving several people. Either way, bravo coach, the world is now your oyster.
Wilcox is to the Cal fanbase that Trump is to the GOP base.
All these Cal fans that love him, they sure don’t show up at Memorial for games because that stadium was empty this season.
Screw off, I have season tickets and my ass lives in DC. I try to get out as much as I can.
Shut it with such accustations. I've been in Berkeley in every game that I could in the Wilcox era and even some away games (e.g. Tucson in 2018, Ole Miss in 2019, all Big Games).
This is patently false.
I'd buy season passes if I lived in Berkeley.
Scrounging for a head coach in the current market (considering our budgetary overlords) would be a disaster. I've not been super impressed with Wilcox in many aspects but he might represent our best option.
Fair point, but you also have to keep in mind situational context. Winning with 5-star recruits and a friendly/supportive administration is a lot easier. Also, some of us fans value character in our leadership and want our student-athletes to be part of a program that genuinely improves their lives and helps them build character and life skills. Finally, I'd say that some of us fans may be a little high on the Kool-aid but do see a path towards becoming a lot more competitive especially with tweaks on the offensive side of the ball. I'm hoping to see both Character and Cruelty (in Harbaugh philosophy). The Character is there and we've seen cruelty on the defense, if we can get there on offense, we'll be in good shape.
Well put: well put. I've long endorsed the notion that plenty of *student*-athletes that can hold their own in Berkeley end up playing at ND, Stanfurd, Navy, and the few other universities that make both identities important. Those players—from both sides of the ball— exist, but end up in the wrong campus. Let's get those guys playing for Cal.