Football
0-0
(0-0 Pac-12)
Cal Bears Football Coaching Staff
Last Game
UCLA
Win
33-7
Nov 25, 2023
Pasadena, CA
Next Game
UC Davis
Aug 31
Berkeley, CA
Justin Wilcox
Head Coach
Justin Wilcox has compiled a long list of accomplishments and signature wins in his first six seasons as the Travers Family Head Football Coach at Cal including three victories over Stanford in the last four Big Game meetings most recently in 2022 with a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback. The other two Big Game victories during the stretch came at Stanford in 2019 and 2021 to make Wilcox only the fifth Cal head coach to be victorious at least twice in a row on The Farm, and along with Jeff Tedford, one of only two in the last 70 years since Pappy Waldorf won three straight from 1947-51. The Golden Bears also have a pair of wins over USC under Wilcox including Cal's most recent victory against the Trojans in its 2021 season finale in Berkeley that was its' second win in four seasons against the Trojans following a road win in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2018.
Wilcox signed a contract extension through the 2027 campaign this past January.
"I appreciate the opportunity to be the head football coach at Cal and am excited about the future of our program," Wilcox said in the announcement of his extension. "I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute I have spent with the extraordinary young men who have been in our program. We are in a great position and strongly aligned with our university thanks to the leadership of Chancellor Carol Christ and our Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton. I thank both of them for their continued trust and confidence in me to lead a football program that will make the entire Cal community proud. We have very high expectations. I think we've earned the right to expect more, and that's exactly what we're going to do."
"Justin Wilcox is a football coach who shares our values and vision, and we want to ensure that he is the leader of our program for the long term," Knowlton commented. "Justin is a great fit for Cal Athletics and our university, with a philosophy that places an emphasis on developing young men on the field, in the classroom and as people. I am confident our fans and alumni share my enthusiasm for the direction of our program, and the level of success we have seen to date has set a foundation for sustained excellence in the future."
"Since the beginning of his tenure, I have been impressed by Justin Wilcox's leadership, and his commitment to enabling our student-athletes to take full advantage of the academic and athletic opportunities we offer," Christ said. "He is, in my opinion, the quintessential Berkeley coach who understands the university's values, as well as the value his program brings to the campus as a rallying point for Cal's global community. College football is a highly competitive environment, and the investment represented in Justin's new contract is commensurate with all that I know he will contribute to our university in the years ahead."
Cal's 2022 squad was an inexperienced team that started the season with 58 of the 113 players on the roster having never participated in a game for the Bears including 35 in their first season at Cal as the Bears ranked 12th in the Pac-12 and 127th of 131 FBS schools on Phil Steele's experience chart. A total of 33 Bears played for the first time at Cal in 2022, while 24 made their first start for a Blue and Gold team that finished 4-8 overall. Through the end of the 2022 regular season, Cal is tied for second in the Pac-12 and tied for 10th nationally with three defensive touchdown while also ranking among the nation's top teams in several turnover statistical category including fumbles lost with its three ranking tied for third in the Pac-12 and tied for sixth nationally, turnover margin (#4 Pac-12, #17T NCAA) and turnovers lost (12, #4 Pac-12, #17T NCAA). At one point, Cal had the nation's longest streak by forcing at least one turnover in 19 consecutive games starting in the 2020 finale through the first six games of 2022. Cal is also among 2022 Pac-12 and NCAA leaders in net punting (#2 Pac-12, #30 NCAA), punt returns (#4 Pac-12, #24 NCAA), passing offense (#5 Pac-12, #29 NCAA). In addition, Cal is third in the Pac-12 and among NCAA leaders in fewest penalty yards per game (#27 NCAA), fewest penalty yards (#28 NCAA), fewest penalties per game (5.25, #30) and fewest penalties (#31 NCAA). Wilcox also received strong performances from several individuals in 2022 led by Pro Football Focus All-True Freshman team member Jaydn Ott, who leads all Pac-12 freshman and ranks among the nation's top freshmen in all-purpose yards (#3 NCAA), all-purpose yards per game (#4 NCAA), total touchdowns (#5 NCAA) and rushing touchdowns (#8 NCAA), while he is second among Pac-12 freshman and among the nation's top freshmen in receptions (46, #4 NCAA), receptions per game (3.8, #4 NCAA), overall rushing yards (#6 NCAA), rush yards per carry (#6 NCAA) and rush yards per game (#8 NCAA). J.Michael Sturdivant leads the nation’s freshmen in receptions, receptions per game and receiving yards, while ranking tied for second in touchdown receptions and third in receiving yards per game.
Wilcox's team came on strong at the end of the 2021 campaign with four victories in its final six contests including arguably its most impressive performance of the season in a 41-11 Big Game win that marked Cal's largest margin of victory against Stanford since 2004. Cal had a Big Game-record 636 total yards in the contest including 352 on the ground that were the most rushing yards in a game by the Bears since 2008. The 2021 Cal offense was capable of producing big numbers that included over 500 yards of total offense three times (636, at Stanford; 534, vs. Sacramento State; 517, vs. Oregon State) and more than 200 yards rushing on four occasions (352, at Stanford; 255, vs. Oregon State; 246, vs. Sacramento State; 213, vs. Colorado). The Bears' 2021 offense also took tremendous care of the football with its 10 turnovers the fewest ever by a Cal team playing a full schedule with the previous low 13 by Wilcox's 2019 squad. Cal lost only two fumbles in 2021 to rank tied for second nationally and lead the Pac-12 for fewest fumbles. The Bears were also second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally in turnover margin (+10, 0.83), while their 10 total turnovers lost were second in the Pac-12 and tied for seventh nationally. Fourth-year starting quarterback Chase Garbers, as well offensive linemen Matthew Cindric, Ben Coleman and McKade Mettauer earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors from the league's coaches. Garbers finished his Cal career ranked among the school's all-time leaders in total offense (4th), touchdown passes (T6th), passer efficiency (7th), passing yards (7th), 300-plus yard passing games (T7th) and 250-yard passing games (T9th), while he is also Cal's all-time leader for both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for a quarterback.
Wilcox's defense shone in the second half of the 2021 season by holding four of its last six opponents to 14 points or less. The Bears finished the campaign second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and fourth in rushing defense. Elijah Hicks led the way as a third-team All-American of Pro Football Focus and a consensus first-team All-Pac-12 pick, as well as the winner of the Pop Warner College Football Award, and a semifinalist for both the prestigious Campbell Trophy and Jason Witten College Man of the Year honors among many accolades. Hicks co-led the Pac-12 with a career-high four forced fumbles and 0.33 fumbles per game (#T11 NCAA). He also had three interceptions to tie for third in the conference. Fellow safety Daniel Scott earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus, while Cal had four players pick up honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors on the defensive side of the ball in OLB Marqez Bimage, OLB Cameron Goode, CB Lu-Magia Hearns and DL JH Tevis. Hearns also added honorable mention honors for the league's Defensive Freshman of the Year. Goode led the Pac-12 in per-game sacks with 0.68 and totaled 7.5 to finish his career eighth on Cal's all-time list with 21.5 (-132 yards).
Wilcox's defense was just getting untracked in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic ended the often-delayed season after four games with its final performance a second-half shutout of eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon in an inspiring 21-17 home victory over the Ducks. Oregon had come into the contest averaging 38.5 points per game but Cal was able to shut out the Ducks in the second half. Cal was the only team to blank Oregon for a half in either 2019 or 2020 and did it twice, adding a first-half shutout of the high-powered offense in Eugene in 2019. Kuony Deng forced a pair of fourth-quarter fumbles to earn his first-ever Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors in the 2020 victory, while Goode registered a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss. The offense also had two key long touchdown drives in the first half including the longest one in the Wilcox era that took 19 plays and 9:51 off the clock in a game in which the Bears had a decided advantage in both time of possession and total plays. Cal would also score the only points of the second half on a 28-yard third-quarter touchdown pass from Garbers to Nikko Remigio followed by Dario Longhetto's extra point. Camryn Bynum (first team) and Goode (second team) earned All-Pac-12 selections, while Kekoa Crawford, Jake Curhan, Deng, Josh Drayden, Brett Johnson, Zeandae Johnson, Nikko Remigio, Michael Saffell and Jake Tonges were honorable mention all-conference picks, and Damien Moore an honorable mention selection for the league’s Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.
Wilcox previously led Cal to back-to-back winning campaigns and bowl games in 2018 and 2019 for the first time since 2008 and 2009, as well as produced four victories that knocked off a combination of five reigning and current Pac-12 champions. In 2018, the Bears beat USC (2017 champion) and Washington (2018 champion), then took down defending 2018 champion Washington again in 2019, and in 2020 won over an Oregon squad that had captured Pac-12 crown in both 2019 and 2020. In addition to the road wins at USC and Stanford in 2018 and 2019 that ended droughts that dated back to 2000 at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2009 at Stanford Stadium, the Bears' 2019 victory over UCLA was their first over the Bruins in the Rose Bowl in a decade. The Bears took down a top-20 team in each of Wilcox’s first four seasons with victories over No. 8/9 Washington State (2017), No. 15/13 Washington (2018), No. 14/12 Washington (2019) and No. 23/21/20 Oregon (2020). During his first five seasons as Cal's head coach, Wilcox’s teams are 10-2 in non-conference regular-season games including a 4-1 mark against Power 5 schools.
Wilcox began the 2019 season with four straight wins to move the Bears into the No. 15 spot in the AP Top 25 and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll. The victories included road wins at then-No. 14/12 Washington and Ole Miss, with the latter the first road triumph by a Pac-12 school at an SEC foe since 2010. The two signature victories helped the Bears to a 4-2 mark in true road games to give Cal back-to-back winning seasons on the road for the first time since 2004. A strong defense led by Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Evan Weaver; an offense that took care of the football, produced explosive plays and had a penchant for game-winning drives; and a disciplined team that led the conference and ranked in the top 15 nationally in all penalty categories were among the keys to success. Weaver led the nation in total tackles (school-record and career-high 182), total tackles per game (14.0), solo tackles (103) and solo tackles per game (7.9) for a defense that allowed only 21.9 points per contest and ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in both scoring defense and total defense (389.9 ypg). In addition to being the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Year, Weaver was a finalist for several other awards honoring the nation's top player (Lombardi Honors), defensive player (Lott IMPACT Trophy), linebacker (Butkus Award) and senior (Senior CLASS Award). Wilcox also played a role in the significant development of several others including arguably and most notably Ashtyn Davis, who anchored the team's defensive backfield and was one of three national finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy given annually to the nation's top collegiate player who began his career as a walk-on. On offense, Cal put together game-winning drives on its final possessions both at Washington and Stanford while committing only 13 turnovers to establish a then-school record for the fewest giveaways in a full season that was later bettered by the 2021 team. Cal committed only nine turnovers in its last 12 contests after a season-high four in the opener against UC Davis and did not turn the ball over a single time on five occasions. Cal's offense mostly clicked when Garbers was healthy with the Bears a perfect 7-0 in games he started and played more than a half. During its last four wins all coming over the team's final five games, the Cal offense averaged 30.0 points and 414.3 total yards per contest including a season-high 35 in its final game in a Redbox Bowl victory over Illinois.
Wilcox guided the Bears to the Cheez-It Bowl and a 7-6 overall record in his second campaign in 2018 with the bowl appearance Cal's first in three seasons and first in a Pac-12 affiliated bowl since 2011. Cal reached a high point of 7-4 after winning four of five Pac-12 games in one stretch, highlighted by signature victories over eventual Pac-12 champion and then-No. 15/13 Washington, as well as at USC with the victory over the Trojans clinching bowl eligibility. Cal also started the season with a 3-0 mark and in Week 5 made its first appearance since 2015 in the AP Top 25 at No. 24. Cal’s defense finished the 2018 campaign among national and Pac-12 leaders in nearly every category. The Bears ranked in the top 10 nationally and paced the conference in interceptions (21, No. 2 NCAA), defensive touchdowns (5, No. T4 NCAA), turnovers gained (28, No. T6 NCAA) and passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg, No. 9 NCAA). Cal also led the league and ranked in the top 20 in the country in pass efficiency defense (107.26, No. 11 NCAA) and first downs allowed (227, No. 18 NCAA). In addition, the Bears were 15th nationally in total defense (317.2 ypg) and 22nd in scoring defense (20.4 ppg), while finishing third in the Pac-12 in both categories. Weaver (Pro Football Focus) and Jordan Kunaszyk (Sports Illustrated) earned second-team All-American honors and paced the nation with a total of 307 tackles between them that are the most ever in a campaign by a Cal duo. Weaver's 159 tackles were the second-highest total in the nation and at the time tied for second on Cal's all-time single-season list until he surpassed the total in 2019 to move his 2018 final number down a spot. Kunaszyk's 148 tackles were the fourth-highest single-season total in school history at the time (now fifth) and also fifth nationally. Weaver's 12.2 stops per game were sixth in the nation while Kunaszyk's 11.4 were ninth with Weaver and Kunaszyk ranking second and third, respectively, in the Pac-12 in both total tackles and tackles per game as the duo combined for 34.3 percent of Cal's total stops. Jaylinn Hawkins led the Pac-12 and tied for third nationally with his six interceptions including three in the Cheez-It Bowl to earn Defensive Player of the Game honors and a spot on Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl squad. Patrick Laird led the 2018 offense and finished 39 yards from becoming only the third Cal player to ever amass a pair of 1000-yard rushing seasons. He did become the first Cal player since Marshawn Lynch to rush for over 100 yards twice in the Big Game with his second consecutive 100-yard rushing contest against Stanford and also had more receptions in a season than any running back in school history with a team-high 51. Laird captured a multitude of honors for his accomplishments on and off the field highlighted by his selection as a second-team Senior All-American by the Senior CLASS Award, his spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, and his selections as one of three national finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy and a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy.
The highlights of Wilcox's first season as the head coach in Berkeley in 2017 included a 3-0 start and non-conference wins over Power 5 programs North Carolina and Ole Miss, as well as a 37-3 victory over then No. 8/9 Washington State in an ESPN nationally-televised Friday night home game. The victory against the Cougars snapped Cal's 17-game losing streak to top-10 teams, was the Bears' first victory against a top-10 team since 2003 and only its second top-10 win dating back to 1977. Cal finished 5-7 overall by adding a Pac-12 victory over Oregon State while taking three conference squads down to the final moments before falling by a combined total of seven points to Arizona, and on the road in its final two games of the season at UCLA and Stanford. Cal ranked among the nation’s top defenses for much of the season in nearly every category related to turnovers before finishing among the nation's best in defensive touchdowns (4, No. 21T NCAA), fumbles recovered (10, No. 27T), turnovers gained (24, No. 29T) and passes intercepted (14, No. 32T). Cal’s seven takeaways against Washington State equaled the second-most by an FBS team in 2017 with the Bears’ 9.0 sacks in the contest the most by a Cal team since 2005. The 2017 Cal defense had better total numbers and rankings than the 2016 squad in 14 of the primary 15 team defensive statistics tracked by the NCAA. Even more impressive was the Bears’ average improvement in the national rankings of just under 40 spots per category in those 15 defensive statistical categories..Ross Bowers, Laird, Kanawai Noa and Vic Wharton III led Cal’s 2017 offense with Bowers throwing for 3039 yards to rank sixth on the Bears’ all-time single-season list and Laird (1127 yards, 8 TD) becoming the 16th Cal player to rush for 1000 yards or more in a season, while Wharton III (67-871, 5 TD) and Noa (56-788, 4 TD) were the top two receivers. Devante Downs, Laird, James Looney and Patrick Mekari were honorable mention All-Pac-12 picks.
Wilcox has coached 11 players at Cal who are currently affiliated with NFL teams as players in Ian Bunting (Dallas), Bynum (Minnesota), Jake Curhan (Seattle), Davis (New York Jets), Garbers (Las Vegas), Goode (Miami), Hawkins (Atlanta), Hicks (Chicago), Mekari (Baltimore) and Jake Tonges (Chicago). Seven of the 11 are on active rosters, while Garbers, Laird and Goode are on practice squads, and Bunting on injured reserve.
Cal football student-athletes have also had success in the classroom throughout Wilcox's tenure. The program announced its highest Graduation Success Rate ever at 84 percent in December of 2021, according to data released by the NCAA. Cal has also recorded its top score in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate and its highest team grade-point average under Wilcox. In addition, 60 Golden Bears have been named to the last two Pac-12 Academic Honor Rolls since it's inception in 2020 including 31 in the most recent edition in 2021. Matt Anderson was the Pac-12's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017 before Michael Saffell won the prestigious award in 2020.
Fan support for the Bears has also increased since Wilcox became the team's head coach. Student attendance nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018, and student ticket purchases where higher in 2021 than they had been in the past 10 years. In addition, Cal fans had a 95% season-ticket renewal rate for 2021 compared to the 2019 campaign.
Wilcox has also played a significant role in several recent gifts that have benefited the Cal football program. He was instrumental in securing a seven-figure gift to the school's football program in 2019 from former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the two-time reigning NFL AP MVP, Super Bowl XLV MVP and highest paid quarterback in the NFL with a salary valued at $50.3 million annually from 2022-24 in his most recent contract signed. Rodgers' gift was used to renovate the football locker room and create the Aaron Rodgers Football Scholarship that is now awarded annually to a junior college transfer like Rodgers, who came to Cal after one season at Butte College near his hometown of Chico. In 2021, the Travers Family committed $7.5 million to endow the Travers Family Head Football Coach position and Paul White gave $1.5 million to fund the Paul F. White Innovation and Wellness Center.
Wilcox's players have also been active in the community with Laird's 2018 selection the first of three consecutive seasons in which Cal had a student-athlete named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, with Laird followed on the squad by Marcel Dancy in 2019 and Elijah Hicks in 2020. Laird earned a spot on the prestigious squad primarily for his work with the Patrick Laird Summer Reading Challenge, which was later picked up by Saffell, while Dancy was honored for his efforts as a volunteer coach for the Oakland Dynamites Youth Football and Cheer squad, and Hicks for his fundraising efforts that included netting over $60,000 for families affected by COVID-19. Saffell was also a finalist for the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy while Hicks was the winner of the 2021 Pop Warner College Football Award and a two-time semifinalist in 2020 and 2021 for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, as well as a 2021 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist.
Wilcox made his objectives clear at his opening press conference shortly after he was hired on January 14, 2017.
"The goal here is pretty simple," Wilcox said. "It is to consistently compete for championships, graduate our student-athletes and leave them with a fulfilling experience in Berkeley. The type of student-athlete we want at Cal is smart and tough. We want student-athletes that will play football at a high level and also succeed in the classroom at the top public institution in the world. Recruiting players that come from winning programs and know how to win is important. They will help us to build and maintain a winning culture."
Wilcox and his staff emphasize the importance of recruiting their own backyard.
"There are a large number of student-athletes in our own geographic footprint that fit our profile athletically and academically, and we have had a lot of success attracting many of them to Cal," Wilcox said. "Being successful recruiting your backyard is important for so many reasons. There are so many Cal alumni in our area that want to support our program and our student-athletes when they attend Cal, and having student-athletes from their communities in our program will help them connect with our university."
Prior to becoming Cal's head coach, Wilcox spent the previous 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator at Boise State (2006-09), Tennessee (2010-11), Washington (2012-13), USC (2014-15) and Wisconsin (2016). Over his first 20-plus seasons in collegiate coaching, Wilcox has been a member of staffs that have participated in 16 bowl games, won five conference or division championships and compiled an all-time record of 176-86 (.672).
In his most recent position before becoming Cal's head coach, Wilcox helped a 2016 Wisconsin team to an 11-3 overall record and a No. 9 ranking in the final AP Top 25 in addition to a Cotton Bowl win as the team’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. The Badgers also captured the Big Ten West Division with a 7-2 league mark. At Wisconsin, Wilcox inherited a defense that had to replace five of 11 starters and was still able to produce one of the most effective units in the nation. The Badgers ranked among the country’s top 10 in five key categories – rushing defense (98.8 ypg, No. 3), third-down conversion defense (27.9%, No. 4), scoring defense (15.6 ppg, No. 4), total defense (301.4 ypg, No. 7) and passing efficiency defense (106.91, No. 10) – despite facing a schedule that featured seven nationally ranked opponents. T.J. Watt was named a first-team All-American by ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated, as well as first-team All-Big Ten, while T.J. Edwards was selected the Defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl.
Wilcox was also instrumental to the success of Washington and USC in four previous seasons as a defensive coordinator in the Pac-12.
The Trojans won the Pac-12 South title in 2015 and made a second consecutive appearance in the Holiday Bowl, leading the conference in third-down conversion defense and scoring five defensive touchdowns (No. 3 NCAA). In 2014, USC’s defense ranked among the nation’s top 20 in turnover margin, red zone defense and third-down conversion defense.
The Huskies ranked in the top 40 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense in his first campaign in 2012 after finishing the previous season ranked lower than No. 105 in each category. Washington’s scoring defense jumped to tied for No. 29 nationally in 2013, while its team passing efficiency defense improved 60 spots to No. 27 in 2012 before climbing to No. 10 in 2013, with its 41.0 sacks tied for fourth nationally. Washington played in the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl and 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl.
Wilcox also spent two seasons as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator (2010-11) and four campaigns as the defensive coordinator at Boise State (2006-09). The Broncos went 49-4 during his time in the role at Boise State while leading the Western Athletic Conference in scoring defense and total defense each season. In 2009, Wilcox guided Boise State to a No. 14 ranking in both total defense and scoring defense as well as a No. 3 showing in turnover margin. The Broncos opened the season with a 19-8 win over eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon and closed the campaign with a 17-10 victory over previously undefeated TCU in the Fiesta Bowl while winning their third Western Athletic Conference title in four seasons with Wilcox as defensive coordinator and fourth in his six seasons on the staff (2002, 2006, 2008, 2009). Boise State’s 2008 squad posted a 12-1 record with Wilcox’s defense ranked third nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 12.6 points per game and holding eight of 13 opponents to 10 points or fewer. The Broncos also led the WAC in rushing defense in both 2006 and 2007. Boise State was No. 8 nationally against the run during Wilcox’s 2006 debut season as defensive coordinator, and his overall defensive scheme was instrumental in helping the squad to a 13-0 record and an overtime victory against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Wilcox spent three seasons as Cal’s linebackers coach from 2003-05 in his first position as a full-time coach following two campaigns as a graduate assistant at Boise State (2001-02). The Bears posted a 26-12 record during his first stint in Berkeley with trips to the Insight, Holiday and Las Vegas bowls.
The 1999 graduate of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology is the son of Dave Wilcox, a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1964-74. His uncle, John (Philadelphia Eagles, 1960), and brother, Josh (New Orleans Saints, 1998-99), also played in the NFL.
As a collegiate student-athlete, Wilcox was a safety and cornerback at Oregon (1996-99), helping the Ducks to bowl games (1997 Las Vegas Bowl, 1998 Aloha Bowl, 1999 Sun Bowl) in each of his final three seasons. In 1999, he was named second-team All-Pac-10 and also earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors.
Justin Wilcox File
Birthdate: November 12, 1976
Hometown: Junction City, OR
High School: Junction City HS
College: Oregon, 1999, Bachelor's In Anthropology
All-Time Head Coaching Record (6 Seasons): 30-36 (5-7, 2017; 7-6, 2018; 8-5, 2019; 1-3, 2020; 5-7, 2021; 4-8, 2022)
Head Coaching Record at Cal (6 Seasons): Same
Coaching Experience
*Season: School – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2001: Boise State – Graduate Assistant
2002: Boise State – Graduate Assistant (WAC Champions, Humanitarian Bowl)
2003: California – Linebackers (Insight Bowl)
2004: California – Linebackers (Holiday Bowl)
2005: California – Linebackers (Las Vegas Bowl)
2006: Boise State – Defensive Coordinator (WAC Champions, Fiesta Bowl)
2007: Boise State – Defensive Coordinator (WAC Champions, Hawaii Bowl)
2008: Boise State – Defensive Coordinator (Poinsettia Bowl)
2009: Boise State – Defensive Coordinator (WAC Champions, Fiesta Bowl)
2010: Tennessee – Defensive Coordinator (Music City Bowl)
2011: Tennessee – Defensive Coordinator
2012: Washington – Defensive Coordinator (Las Vegas Bowl)
2013: Washington – Defensive Coordinator (Fight Hunger Bowl)
2014: USC – Defensive Coordinator (Holiday Bowl)
2015: USC – Defensive Coordinator (Pac-12 South Division Champions, Holiday Bowl)
2016: Wisconsin – Defensive Coordinator/Inside LInebackers (Cotton Bowl)
2017: California – Head Coach
2018: California – Head Coach (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California – Head Coach (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California – Head Coach
2021: California – Travers Family Head Football Coach
2022: California – Travers Family Head Football Coach
*Season in which bowl game was played
Jake Spavital
Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach
COACHING CAREER
Texas State – Head Coach (2019-22)
– Helped Texas State steadily improve during his four seasons as a first-time head coach after taking over a program that had only recently moved to the FBS level in 2012 including a second-place finish in the Sun Belt's West Division in his third season in 2021
– Produced the program's first FBS All-American during the 2020 season in return specialist/punt returner Jeremiah Haydel (ESPN, FWAA, Phil Steele) after he ranked third nationally in combined kick return yardage and was one of only two FBS players to return a kickoff and punt for a touchdown
– Also coached Freshman All-American (The Athletic) left tackle Dalton Cooper
West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach (2017-18)
– Helped lead the Mountaineers to a pair of bowl games at the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl and 2018 Camping World Bowl with spots in the AP Top 25 both seasons and a No. 20 finish after an 8-4 mark in 2018
– Squad finished in the top 10 in the nation in 2018 in passing offense (351.3, #4), team passing efficiency (168.66, #5), total offense (512.3, #8), and scoring offense (40.3, #10) after 2017 team was in the top 25 in passing offense (309.3, #13), total offense (459.6, #20) and scoring offense (34.5, #22)
– Coached quarterback Will Grier both seasons after he transferred from Florida and combined to complete 516-of-785 (65.7%) passes for 7354 yards with 71 touchdowns and 20 interceptions for a 169.18 rating with his 351.3 passing yards per game and 37 touchdown passes in 2018 ranking second and fifth in the nation, respectively
California – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2016)
– Coached a Cal offense that ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense (358.8), 10th in total offense (513.2) and 22nd in scoring offense (37.1 ppg) among eight top 25 national rankings
– Helped Cal establish single-school records for pass completions (383), first downs by penalty (35), fewest fumbles lost (3) and fewest turnovers (15) while equaling a school mark for field goals made (22)
– Instrumental in the recruitment of quarterback Davis Webb, a graduate transfer from Texas Tech who went on to become the Senior Bowl MVP and be selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft after starting all 12 games in his lone season at Cal and completing 382-of-620 passes (61.6%) for 4295 yards with 37 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a 135.63 passing efficiency rating to rank among the nation's leaders in nearly every passing category including passing attempts (No. 2), completions (No. 3), points responsible for per game (21.7, No. 3), total offense (348.8, No. 4), passing yards (No. 5), total plays (No. 6, 653), points responsible for (260, No. 7) and passing touchdowns (No. T8), while also setting Cal single-season records for passing attempts, completions and total plays, while equaling single-season school marks for most touchdowns responsible for (43) as well as 300-yard passing games (10)
– Wide receiver Chad Hansen earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Athlon Sports, the Associated Press, ESPN.com and Phil Steele, while he was also a second-team All-Pac-12 pick of the league's coaches after ranking third in the country in per-game receptions (9.2) and fourth in receiving yards (124.9), while he was also 11th nationally in receptions (92), 17th in receiving yards (1249) and tied for 22nd in touchdown receptions (11) despite missing two games due to injury
– Wide receiver Demetrius Robertson was a unanimous freshman All-American who broke Cal single-season freshman records by DeSean Jackson for receiving yards and Keenan Allen for receptions while equaling Jackson's Cal freshman mark in touchdown receptions after totaling 50 receptions for 767 yards with seven touchdown catches
Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2014-15); Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2013)
– Helped squad to 25-14 record over three-year stint with the Aggies
– Oversaw the 2014 quarterback transition from Johnny Manziel to a pair of first-time starters in Kyle Allen and Kenny Hill and helped the Aggies rank among nation's leaders in passing touchdowns (39, #7T NCAA) and passing offense (305.5, #12 NCAA)
– Served as the Aggies' co-offensive coordinator for the 2013 regular season before being promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl and in his debut game as the play-caller the Aggies compiled 541 yards of total offense and rallied from 21 points down to beat Duke, 52-48, in the largest comeback in school history
– The 2013 Aggies set single-season SEC and school records with 4593 passing yards and had 6999 total yards of offense to rank second in SEC and Texas A&M history, while checking in at fourth nationally in total offense (538.4 ypg) and seventh in passing offense (353.3 ypg)
– Manziel threw 37 touchdown passes in 2013 to rank tied for fourth in the nation while passing for 4114 yards with an average of 316.5 yards per game that was ninth
West Virginia – Quarterbacks (2011-12)
– Spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach for Geno Smith, who finished his collegiate career in 2012 having completed 988-of-1465 (67.4%) of his passes for 11662 yards with 98 touchdown throws
– Mountaineers ranked in the top 10 nationally in 2012 in passing efficiency (161.97, #9), scoring offense (39.5 ppg, #9), passing offense (330.2 ypg, #10) and total offense (502.0 ypg, #10) with Smith ranking fifth nationally in passing yards (4205) and passing yards per game (323.5) as well as sixth in passing efficiency (163.86)
– Helped lead Mountaineers to a 10-3 overall record and a win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl in his first season with West Virginia in 2011 with the team ranking sixth nationally in passing offense (346.9) and also in the top 20 in scoring offense (37.6, #13), total offense (469.5, #15) and passing efficiency (151.14, #19).
Oklahoma State – Graduate Assistant, Offense (2010)
– Cowboys ranked second nationally in passing offense (387.2) and scoring offense (48.7), as well as third in total offense (545.9) on their way to an 11-2 overall record capped with a win over Arizona in the Alamo Bowl
Houston – Graduate Assistant, Offense (2009)
– Cougars went 10-4 and led the nation in total offense (563.4), passing offense (433.7) and scoring offense (42.2)
Tulsa – Quality Control, Offense (2008)
– Golden Hurricane led the nation in total offense (569.9) while ranking second in scoring offense (47.2) and ninth in passing offense (301.9) on their way to an 11-3 record and win over Ball State in the GMAC Bowl
PLAYING CAREER
Missouri State, Quarterback (2004-07)
– Two-year letterwinner as a quarterback and punter for Missouri State
Union High School, Tulsa, Okla., Quarterback (2000-03)
– Consensus first-team all-state quarterback for a program that won the Class 6A state title game in his 2002 junior season, finished his junior and 2003 senior campaigns ranked second and third in the nation, respectively, and posted a 26-1 record during those two seasons
OTHER
– Wife, the former Mehgan Morris, is one of the top collegiate gymnasts in West Virginia history
– Brother, Zac, was the defensive coordinator at Texas State during Jake's tenure as head coach (2019-22) after previous coaching stints at Texas Tech (2015-18), Houston (2008-14) and Oklahoma (2005-07) following his collegiate playing career at Murray State (2003-04) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2001-02)
– Father, Steve, is a former high school football coach
YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING POSITIONS
Season: Team – Position (Postseason)
2022: Texas State – Head Coach
2021: Texas State – Head Coach
2020: Texas State – Head Coach
2019: Texas State – Head Coach
2018: West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Camping World Bowl)
2017: West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Liberty Bowl)
2016: California – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2015: Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Music City Bowl)
2014: Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Liberty Bowl)
2013: Texas A&M – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Chick-fil-A Bowl)
2012: West Virginia – Quarterbacks (Pinstripe Bowl)
2011: West Virginia – Quarterbacks (Orange Bowl)
2010: Oklahoma State – Graduate Assistant (Alamo Bowl)
2009: Houston – Graduate Assistant (Armed Force Bowl)
2008: Tulsa – Offensive Quality Control (GMAC Bowl)
FILE
Pronunciation: SPAH-vih-tall
Birthdate: May 1, 1985
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
High School: Union HS
College: Missouri State, 2008, Bachelor's, Business Administration
Family: Wife – Mehgan; Daughter – Madison Grace; Son – Landyn Zachary
Peter Sirmon
Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
Peter Sirmon is in his fifth season at Cal and his third campaign as the team's defensive coordinator in 2022. He will also continue to work with the inside linebackers for the fifth consecutive campaign. Sirmon started at Cal in 2018 as the Golden Bears' inside linebackers coach before adding co-defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator duties to his role in 2019. He served as the team's recruiting coordinator for three seasons from 2019-21.
Since his arrival at Cal, Sirmon has been instrumental for developing several key players including the nation’s leading tackler, consensus first-team All-American and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year ILB Evan Weaver in 2019. Elijah Hicks was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 selection in Sirmon's defense in 2021. CB Camryn Bynum (2020 first team, 2019 second team), OLB Cameron Goode (2020 second team), S Ashtyn Davis (2019 second team) and ILB Jordan Kunaszyk (2018 first team) have also been first or second-team All-Pac-12 selections during Sirmon's tenure. Weaver was also a second-team All-Pac-12 pick in 2018.
Eight of the defensive players Sirmon has coached at Cal since his 2018 arrival are currently on NFL rosters in Bynum (Minnesota), Davis (New York Jets), ILB Kuony Deng (Atlanta), CB Josh Drayden (Washington), Cameron Goode (Miami), Hicks (Chicago), Kunaszyk (Washington) and S Jaylinn Hawkins (Atlanta).
Sirmon's 2021 defense improved throughout the season in his first full campaign as the team's defensive coordinator (his first season in the role in 2020 was shortened to four games by COVID-19). Cal held four of its final six opponents to 14 points or less in 2021 while the Bears also won four of their final six games. Cal finished the campaign second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (22.2 ppg), fourth in total defense (366.7 ypg) and fourth in rushing defense (137.2 ypg). Hicks led the way as a third-team All-American of Pro Football Focus and a consensus first-team All-Pac-12 pick, as well as the winner of the Pop Warner College Football Award, and a semifinalist for both the prestigious Campbell Trophy and Jason Witten College Man of the Year honors among many accolades. Hicks notched 72 tackles while co-leading the Pac-12 with a career-high four forced fumbles and 0.33 fumbles per game (T#11 NCAA). He also had three interceptions to tie for third in the conference. Fellow safety Daniel Scott earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus and was among the league's leaders in solo tackles (team-high 60, #T2), interceptions (team-high-tying 3, #T3) and total tackles (team-high 82, #10 Pac-12) with all career bests. True freshman cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III finished with team highs of 10 pass breakups and 11 passes deflected, while sixth-year senior cornerback Josh Drayden started and played in all 12 games on his way to a school-record 55 career games played. In addition to Hicks' first-team selection by the league's coaches, Cal had four players earn honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors on the defensive side of the ball in OLB Marqez Bimage, Goode, Hearns and DL JH Tevis. Hearns also picked up honorable mention honors for the league's Defensive Freshman of the Year. Goode led the Pac-12 in sacks with 0.68 per game and totaled 7.5 to finish his career eighth on Cal's all-time list with 21.5 (-132 yards).
Cal will have experience on the defensive side of the ball in 2022 with five players who started at least half of the team's games a year ago returning including Scott (12), ILB Muelu Iosefa (10), Hearns (8), CB Collin Gamble (8) and OLB Braxten Croteau (6), as well as a trio of inside linebackers in Trey Paster (5), Nate Rutchena (3) and Femi Oladejo (1) that combined to start nine contests in 2021 and took a majority of the team's snaps at the position over the final two-thirds of the campaign. In addition, the Bears' defensive line will feature the return of Brett Johnson, who played in all 17 games with 13 starts in 2019 and 2020 before missing the 2021 campaign due to an injury, as well as another pair of players in Jaedon Roberts (2) and Ethan Saunders (1) that both started games in 2021.
In his first season as the team's defensive coordinator in a 2020 campaign shortened to four games by COVID-19, Bynum (first team) and Goode (second team) earned All-Pac-12 selections while Deng, Drayden, DL Brett Johnson and DE Zeandae Johnson were honorable mention all-conference picks. Deng served as a team captain in 2020 when he led the squad with 31 tackles and two forced fumbles, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss (-10 yards) and one quarterback hurry. He ranked third in the Pac-12 and tied for fourth nationally with 0.5 forced fumbles per game as well as tied 10th in the conference in tackles with 7.8 stops per contest. Both of his forced fumbles came in the fourth quarter of a 21-17 win over Oregon. Goode was tied for second both nationally and in the Pac-12 with his 2.0 tackles for loss per game, as well as sixth in the Pac-12 and tied for 30th in the nation with 0.75 sacks per contest. Drayden ranked tied for second in the Pac-12 and tied for 13th nationally with his 1.2 passes defended per game. Cal's 2020 defense led the Pac-12 and ranked tied for 20th nationally in red zone defense by allowing only 12 scores in 16 opponents' red zone visits (75.0%) with only nine of the 12 touchdowns. The defense was also a disciplined unit that helped the Bears lead the Pac-12 in per game averages for both fewest penalty yards (35.0) and penalties (4.5), while ranking fifth and tied for 12th nationally.
In 2019, Sirmon was Cal's co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, and paired up with his fellow defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Tim DeRuyter to earn FootballScoop Linebackers Coaches of the Year presented by AstroTurf honors. Weaver finished the 2019 campaign with a school-record 182 tackles and in addition to his consensus first-team All-American honors was also the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. In addiition, he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, LLott IMPACT Trophy, The Lombardi and the Senior Class Award. Weaver (182) and Deng (119, No. 3 Pac-12, No. 15 NCAA) finished the 2019 season with a combined 301 tackles. The number not only allowed Cal to lead the nation for most tackles by a duo for a second straight season but was six shy of the Bears' school-record of 307 by a duo that Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) recorded in 2018.
In his first season on Cal's staff in 2018, Sirmon helped the Bears' defense finish among national and Pac-12 leaders in nearly every category. The Bears ranked in the top 10 nationally and paced the conference in interceptions (21, No. 2 NCAA), defensive touchdowns (5, No. T4 NCAA), turnovers gained (28, No. 6T NCAA) and passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg, No. 9 NCAA). Cal also led the league and ranked in the top 20 in the country in pass efficiency defense (107.26, No. 11 NCAA) and first downs allowed (227, No. 18 NCAA). In addition, the Bears were also 15th nationally in total defense (317.2 ypg) and 22nd in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) while ranking third in the Pac-12 in both categories. Both of Sirmon's starting inside linebackers in 2018 – Weaver (Pro Football Focus) and Kunaszyk (Sports Illustrated) – earned second-team All-American honors with Kunaszyk adding first-team All-Pac-12 recognition from the league's coaches while both earned first-team all-conference accolades from multiple media organizations. Their combined 307 tackles were the most by any duo in the nation and the highest total ever by two players in a single season at Cal. Weaver's 159 tackles were the second-highest total in the nation and are tied for third on Cal's all-time single-season list while his 12.2 stops per game were sixth in the country. Kunaszyk's 148 tackles are the fifth-highest single-season total in school history and were fifth nationally with his 11.4 tackles per contest ninth in the nation. Weaver and Kunaszyk ranked second and third, respectively, in the Pac-12 in both total tackles and tackles per game. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins led the Pac-12 and tied for third nationally with his six interceptions including three in the Cheez-It Bowl to earn Defensive Player of the Game honors and a spot on Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl squad.
On the recruiting front, Sirmon highlighted his three-year tenure as Cal's recruiting coordinator by the signing of a 2021 class that ranked as high as No. 20 according to ESPN, which was Cal's highest-ranked class since the 2011 group checked in at No. 15 nationally by 247Sports.
Prior to his arrival at Cal, Sirmon was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State (2016) and Louisville (2017) for one season each after previously coaching on staffs with Cal's Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox for six seasons at Tennessee (2010-11), Washington (2012-13) and USC (2014-15), including the final three campaigns during that six-year stint as a recruiting coordinator.
Sirmon helped Louisville to an 8-5 record and an appearance at the TaxSlayer Bowl as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach in 2017. Louisville was nationally ranked for much of the season and reached as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25. Sirmon’s defense was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 10 fumbles recovered and third with 23 turnovers gained to help get the ball back to a high-powered offense that ranked third nationally in scoring. Linebacker Dorian Etheridge earned Freshman All-American honors after leading the Cardinals with 83 tackles while All-ACC honorable mention selection Trumaine Washington was involved in a team-best six takeaways with four interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Mississippi State won the St. Petersburg Bowl during Sirmon’s lone campaign as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2016 with his unit contributing four defensive touchdowns to tie for eighth nationally. A Bulldogs’ defense that included 11 first-time starters and nine freshmen had 23 turnovers gained to rank tied for 38th nationally with the total nine more than the previous season. Linebacker Leo Lewis led all SEC freshmen in tackles (79) and became the first FWAA Freshman All-American in school history, while Jeffrey Simmons paced all SEC freshmen defensive linemen in tackles (40) on his way to joining Lewis on the Freshman All-SEC team.
Sirmon spent two campaigns from 2014-15 at USC as the associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach. In 2015, the Trojans won the Pac-12 South title and made a second consecutive appearance in the Holiday Bowl, leading the Pac-12 in third-down conversion defense and scoring five defensive touchdowns to rank third nationally. Sirmon's guidance propelled outside linebacker Su'a Cravens to All-Pac-12 first-team honors for the second straight season before Cravens was taken in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Inside linebacker Cameron Smith was selected as the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in addition to being named a Freshman All-American by several media outlets.
Sirmon was the linebackers coach at Washington the two prior seasons from 2012-13, adding recruiting coordinator to his duties for the first time in 2013. The Huskies ranked in the top 40 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense in his first campaign in 2012 after finishing the previous campaign lower than No. 105 in each category. Washington’s scoring defense jumped to tied for No. 29 nationally in 2013, while its team passing efficiency defense improved 60 spots to No. 27 in 2012 before climbing to No. 10 in 2013, with its 41.0 sacks tied for fourth nationally the same season. The Huskies played in the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl and 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl with Sirmon moving on to USC before the latter. Sirmon tutored eventual first-round NFL Draft pick Shaq Thompson during his back-to-back honorable mention All-Pac-12 seasons as a 2012 freshman and 2013 sophomore.
Sirmon’s successful tenures as the recruiting coordinator at both Washington and USC were highlighted by Rivals’ top recruiting class in 2015 that included 12 top-100 recruits after a 2014 Trojans’ group that ranked No. 9 and a 2013 Washington unit that was No. 18, all according to 247Sports. Notable members of those recruiting classes included current NFL players highlighted by USC’s Sam Darnold (Carolina), Rasheem Green (Houston), Adoree’ Jackson (New York Giants), Ronald Jones II (Kansas City), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City), as well as Washington’s Kevin King and John Ross, both of whom are currently free agents.
Sirmon first coached with Wilcox for two seasons at Tennessee, starting as a graduate assistant working with the Vols’ safeties during their 2010 Music City Bowl campaign before being promoted to linebackers coach in 2011.
Sirmon also spent one season as a graduate assistant at Oregon in 2009 when the Ducks won a Pac-10 title and played in the Rose Bowl after getting into the coaching business as the linebackers coach at Central Washington in 2008 for a team that finished 10-2 overall and reached the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Sirmon played seven NFL seasons as a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans from 2000-06, participating in 81 games with 54 starts and registering 343 career tackles while adding four interceptions including one that he returned for a touchdown. Tennessee won two divisional titles (2000 AFC Central, 2002 AFC South) before picking a third playoff appearance during his tenure in 2003. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Sirmon, who received his bachelor's degree in political science from Oregon in 1999, was a starter in all four of his collegiate seasons (1996-99) and selected to the Senior Bowl after his 1999 senior campaign. He helped the Ducks to winning campaigns in each of those seasons and three bowl games (1997 Las Vegas Bowl, 1998 Aloha Bowl, 1999 Sun Bowl). A four-year collegiate teammate of Wilcox and a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a 1999 senior, Sirmon was the Ducks' leading tackler during his sophomore and senior seasons.
Sirmon and his wife, Lindsay, have four children with their son Jackson a fifth-year senior inside linebacker on the Cal football team as a graduate transfer from Washington after playing four seasons for the Huskies. The couple's three daughters are Austyn, Savanna and Sadie.
Peter Sirmon File
Birthdate: February 18, 1977
Hometown: Walla Walla, WA
High School: Walla Walla HS
College: Oregon, 1999, Bachelor’s in Political Science
Family: Wife, Lindsay; Son, Jackson; Daughters, Austyn, Savanna, Sadie
Pronunciation: Sermon
Peter Sirmon Coaching History
Season: Team (League) – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2008: Central Washington (NCAA Division II) – Linebackers (NCAA Division II Playoffs)
2009: Oregon (NCAA Division I FBS) – Graduate Assistant (Pac-12 Champions, Rose Bowl)
2010: Tennessee (NCAA Division I FBS) – Graduate Assistant, Safeties (Music City Bowl)
2011: Tennessee (NCAA Division I FBS) – Linebackers
2012: Washington (NCAA Division I FBS) – Linebackers (Las Vegas Bowl)
2013: Washington (NCAA Division I FBS) – Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2014: USC (NCAA Division I FBS) – Linebackers/Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Holiday Bowl)
2015: USC (NCAA Division I FBS) – Linebackers/Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Pac-12 South Division Champions, Holiday Bowl)
2016: Mississippi State (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers (St. Petersburg Bowl)
2017: Louisville (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers (TaxSlayer Bowl)
2018: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Associate Head Coach/Inside Linebackers (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Inside Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2021: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2022: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
Mike Bloesch
Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator
North Texas – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2022); Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (2021); Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (2020)
– Has helped 2022 Frisco Bowl-bound squad lead Conference USA and rank ninth nationally in fewest per-game sacks allowed (0.85) while ranking second in the conference and 10th nationally in tackles for loss allowed (4.00)
– Team also paces Conference USA in 2022 in passing yards per completion (15.35, No. 4 NCAA), shares a piece of the conference lead for fewest fumbles lost (6, No. 30 NCAA), ranks second in team passing efficiency (147.95, No. 30 NCAA), and third in total offense (463.8, No. 20) and scoring offense (33.9, No. 29 NCAA)
– Produced a pair of 2022 first-team All-Conference USA selections in tight end Var’Keyes Gumms (33-451, 5 TD) and offensive lineman Manase Mose
– Quarterback Austin Aune leads the nation in 2022 with an average of 15.39 passing yards per completion and has also posted top-20 national rankings for passing touchdowns (32, No. 8), yards per pass attempt (8.73, No. 14), points responsible for (198, No. 15T) and passing yards (3309, No. 17)
– Wide receiver Jyaire Shorter co-leads Conference USA and is tied for 11th nationally with his 10 touchdown receptions
– Directed one of the nation’s leading rushing attacks and mentored one of the top offensive line units in the country in 2021 with the Mean Green pacing Conference USA and finishing among the country’s top 10 in rushing offense (233.5 ypg, No. 5) and sacks allowed (1.15, No. 10T)
– Running back DeAndre Torrey’s 1215 rushing yards in 2021 were the seventh-best single season total in North Texas history with his 101.2 rushing yards per game 21st in the country
- Helped guide the Mean Green to the nation’s eighth-ranked total offense in 2020 with a balanced attack that averaged 513.2 yards per game and was also among national leaders in rushing offense (230.2, No. 13), yards per play (6.59, No. 22), scoring offense (34.4, No. 23) and passing offense (283.0, No. 25) with all numbers also leading Conference USA
- Wide receiver Jaelon Darden had an All-American senior season in 2020 when he was also the Conference USA Most Valuable Player and led the league in nearly every category including top-five national finishes in touchdown catches (19, No. 2), receptions (74, No. 5) and receiving yards (1190, No. 3 NCAA) in just nine games before being selected by Tampa Bay in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft
- Finalist for Football Scoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year (2021) and twice nominated for the Broyles Award honoring the nation’s top assistant coach (2020, 2022)
Tulsa – Offensive Line (2016-19); Quality Control Tight Ends (2015)
– Coached four different offensive linemen to seven American Athletic Conference honors during his tenure
– Offensive line paved the way for a 2016 team that finished 10-3, won the Miami Beach Bowl and ranked among the nation’s top 10 in total offense (527.0, No. 4), scoring offense (42.5, No. 7) and rushing offense (261.7, No. 8) while establishing a school record with eight 300+ rushing games (second-most in nation) and becoming the first Division I school to have a 3000-yard passer (Dane Evans, 3348), two 1000-yard rushers (James Flanders, 1629; D’Angelo Brewer, 1435) and two 1000-yard receivers (Kevin Lucas, 1180; John Atkinson, 1058) in the same season
– Recruited and signed a pair of offensive linemen selected in the 2022 NFL Draft in Tyler Smith (Dallas, first round) and Chris Paul (Washington, seventh round)
Houston – Analyst (2014)
– Responsible for providing analytical support for the offensive coaching staff including video breakdown, self and opponent scouting, game day support and analysis for an 8-5 team that won the Armed Forces Bowl
Temple High School (Temple, TX) – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (2011-13)
– Helped the program capture the District 8-5A championship in 2013 while averaging 44 points and 512 offensive yards per game
– Also served as the school's powerlifting head coach, middle school coordinator and recruiting coordinator
Cooper High School (Abilene, TX) – Offensive Line (2009-10)
– Coached squads that captured a District 4-4A championship in 2009 and a District 3-5A crown in 2010 on the way to a combined two-year record of 20-6
– Set school records in 2010 for most points (528) and total yards in a season (6040)
PLAYING CAREER
Houston, Offensive Line (2004-08)
– Started 37 consecutive games at offensive guard during his final three campaigns while helping the Cougars to their first bowl victory in 28 years with a win at the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl
– Earned Conference USA honorable mention all-conference honors in 2007 and 2008
YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING POSITIONS
Season: Team – Position (Postseason, Notes)
2023: California – Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator
2022: North Texas – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Frisco Bowl)
2021: North Texas – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (Frisco Bowl)
2020: North Texas – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (Myrtle Beach Bowl)
2019: Tulsa – Offensive Line
2018: Tulsa – Offensive Line
2017: Tulsa – Offensive Line
2016: Tulsa – Offensive Line (Miami Beach Bowl)
2015: Tulsa – Quality Control Tight Ends (Independence Bowl)
2014: Houston – Analyst (Armed Forces Bowl)
2013: Temple High School (Temple, TX) – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (District 8-5A Champions)
2012: Temple High School (Temple, TX) – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2011: Temple High School (Temple, TX) – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2010: Cooper HS (Abilene, TX) – Offensive Line (District 3-5A Champions)
2009: Cooper HS (Abilene, TX) – Offensive Line (District 4-4A Champions)
FILE
Pronunciation: Rhymes with “flesh”
Birthdate: February 21, 1986
Hometown: Spring, TX
High School: Klein Collins HS
College: Houston, 2007, Bachelor’s, Kinesiology-Sports Administration; Lamar, 2013, Master’s, Education Administration
Family: Wife – Lexi; Sons – Beau, Drew
Aristotle Thompson
Running Backs
Aristotle Thompson is in his third season as the running backs coach at Cal in 2022 after spending the previous 11 campaigns in the same role at Cal Poly. Cal's run game has shown moments of brilliance under the guidance of Thompson highlighted by a 352-yard rushing game to a key a 41-11 blowout at Stanford in 2021 that were the most rushing yards in a game by the Bears since 2008.
Thompson will have a strong 2022 group in Berkeley featuring the return of the foursome of DeCarlos Brooks, Damien Moore, Chris Street and Ashton Stredick. Moore, who has been selected as a third-team Preseason All-Pac-12 choice by Phil Steele prior to the 2022 campaign, has been the most productive member of the group over the last two seasons with career totals of 712 yards rushing and six touchdowns over 15 games and eight starts.
Thompson also played a critical role in the recruitment of two running backs that will join the foursome in 2022 with Jaydn Ott (Rivals, No. 14) and Ashton Hayes (No. 30 Rivals) ranking among the nation's top 30 at the position in the 2021 recruiting class. The duo combined to rush for 2875 yards and 44 touchdowns as high school seniors a year ago. Ott, who was a mid-year enrollee at Cal in January 2022 and practiced with team during spring football the following April, has picked up a fourth-team preseason All-Pac-12 selection from Phil Steele in 2022 before ever taking a snap for the Golden Bears.
The 352-yard rushing game was one of four times the Bears rushed for 200 yards or more in 2021 (255, vs. Oregon State; 246 vs. Sacramento State, 213; vs. Colorado). The 2021 Bears also took tremendous care of the football with its 10 turnovers the fewest ever by a Cal team playing a full schedule including only two lost fumbles to rank tied for second nationally and lead the Pac-12 for fewest fumbles. Christopher Brooks was the team's top rusher with 607 yards and four touchdowns on 116 carries, while Moore contributed 517 yards and a team-high six scores on 100 carries with all career highs.
Thompson's unit showed tons of promise in his first season in Berkeley in 2020 despite only playing four games and being limited in practice time due to COVID-19. The Bears notched their best effort on the ground with a season-high 241 rushing yards against Stanford that were the most since the team compiled 305 at Oregon State in 2018. Moore led the way against the Cardinal with a career-high 121 yards and one touchdown including a 54-yard run that was the team's longest play from the line of scrimmage in 2020. Moore was also the first Cal true freshman to rush more than 100 yards in the Big Game since Marshawn Lynch had 122 in 2004 and an honorable mention selection for the Pac-12's Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. The Bears' offense largely due to the play of the running backs was able to keep control the football much of the time during those four contests with a 31:36 time of possession average that was fourth in the Pac-12 and 30th in the nation.
During Thompson's time in San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly fielded a strong run game that featured at least one 1000-yard rusher in each of his final nine campaigns and helped the Mustangs put together five consecutive winning seasons from 2010-14.
Thompson coached five players that earned FCS All-American honors over seven different seasons during his time at Cal Poly and also had one of his running backs recognized nationally or by the Big Sky for seven consecutive campaigns.
Thompson and Cal's Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox worked together previously at Boise State, first in 2001 when Thompson was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Broncos and Wilcox was a graduate assistant in his first season in the coaching profession. The two teamed up again during the 2007 and 2008 seasons with Thompson the assistant director of football operations and Wilcox the defensive coordinator. The Broncos were 30-7 during their three seasons together in Boise and played in bowl games each of the final two years.
"I know first-hand the type of coach and person Aristotle is," Wilcox said when Thompson was hired on January 14, 2020. "He joins our program after spending more than a decade coaching and teaching at a strong academic institution like Cal Poly, and understanding that type of strong academic environment is important. He also has a long track record of developing running backs, and he is well-known and well-liked in recruiting circles, particularly on the West Coast."
"I am excited to become part of a tremendous coaching staff at Cal," Thompson said the day he was hired. "This is a program that has established a great culture over the last three years and I'll do everything I can to contribute to it."
Thompson was a four-year letterwinner as a running back at Boise State (1997-2000), helping the Broncos to their first two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference championships with Big West titles in 1999 and 2000. Boise State also won the Humanitarian Bowl both seasons with victories over Louisville (1999) and UTEP (2000).
Thompson earned a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences with an emphasis in criminal justice from Boise State in 2001 and is a 1996 graduate of Jesuit High School in Portland.
Aristotle Thompson File
Birthdate: September 11, 1978
Hometown: Portland, OR
High School: Jesuit HS (Portland, OR)
College: Boise State, 2001, Bachelor's, Social Sciences with emphasis in Criminal Justice
Family: Wife, Sarah; Sons – Brock, Bryson, Lennon; Daughters – Akyra, Payton
Coaching History
Seasons: Team (League) – Position (Championships, Postseason)
2001: Boise State (Division I-AA, WAC) – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach
2002: Nampa High School, Nampa, ID – Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
2003: Eastern Oregon (NAIA, Cascade Collegiate Conference) – Wide Receivers
2004: Eastern Oregon (NAIA, Cascade Collegiate Conference) – Wide Receivers
2005: Grant High School, Portland, OR, PIL) – Defensive Coordinator/Running Backs
2007: Boise State (FCS, WAC) – Assistant Director of Football Operations
2008: Boise State (FCS, WAC) – Assistant Director of Football Operations
2009: Cal Poly (FCS, Great West) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2010: Cal Poly (FCS, Great West) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2011: Cal Poly (FCS, Great West) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator (Great West Champion)
2012: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator (Big Sky Champion)
2013: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2014: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2015: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2016: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2017: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Assistant Head Coach; Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2018: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Assistant Head Coach; Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2019: Cal Poly (FCS, Big Sky) – Assistant Head Coach; Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2020: California (FBS, Pac-12) – Running Backs
2021: California (FBS, Pac-12) – Running Backs
2022: California (FBS, Pac-12) – Running Backs
Burl Toler III
Wide Receivers
Burl Toler III is in his eighth season on the coaching or football staff at his alma mater Cal in 2022, as well as his fifth as a full-time assistant coach and fourth working with the wide receivers. He is also in his first campaign as the team's recruiting coordinator in 2022. Toler's first full-time coaching job with the Golden Bears was as the running backs coach in 2018. He also spent three seasons as a quality control assistant for the Golden Bears from 2013-15 working mostly with special teams and was a four-year letterwinner as a Cal wide receiver from 2001-04.
Toler will have a mostly young and inexperienced but talented wide receiver group to work with in 2022 including a duo of four-start redshirt freshmen in J.Michael Sturdivant and Mavin Anderson, who respectively ranked as high as the No. 17 (Sturdivant. ESPN), and No. 30 (Anderson, 247Sports) wide receivers in the 2021 recruiting class. Neither Both were also among the top 200 recruits overall in the class with Sturdivant coming in at No. 104 by ESPN and Anderson at No. 196 according to 247Sports.
Although neither Sturdivant caught a pass as true freshman in 2021, they will have plenty of opportunities in 2022 with the departures of six of the team's top seven receivers from a year including a pair on now on NFL rosters in Trevon Clark (Baltimore) and Kekoa Crawford (Indianapolis). Jeremiah Hunter is the only returning receiver in 2022 with double-digit catches a year ago when he contributed 21 receptions for 388 yards and one touchdown. Hunter's average of 18.5 yards per reception ranked 20th nationally and second in the Pac-12 behind only 2021 teammate Clark (19.9, 7th), who had a team-high 658 receiving yards on 33 catches a year ago including an 84-yarder that was the longest ever in the Big Game and one of his four touchdowns on the campaign. Clark was also among the Pac-12 leaders in total receiving yards (7th) and receiving yards per game (54.8, 8th), while Crawford had a team-high 40 receptions for 513 yards and was 12th in the league with an average of 3.6 receptions per game. Nikko Remigio equaled his career best with 38 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Other 2022 wide receivers with experience at Cal include Justin Richard Baker, Tommy Christakos, Aidan Lee, Mason Mangum and Monroe Young.
Crawford was the team's top receiver during a 2020 season that was shortened to four games due to COVID-19, ranking tied for ninth in the Pac-12 in per game receptions (4.8 rpg) and 10th in receiving yards (58.0 ypg). Crawford and Remigio both earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors.
Remigio had his best collegiate numbers as a 2019 sophomore when he led Cal with career-high-tying 38 receptions for a career-high 513 yards while adding a career-high three touchdown grabs.
During Toler's one season as the Bears' running backs coach in 2018 he tutored Patrick Laird, who finished his Cal career with 2153 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns on the ground before going on to play three seasons in the NFL for Miami from 2019-21. Laird caught more passes in his Cal career than any running back in school history with 99 receptions for 608 yards with five touchdowns. Laird racked up the numbers as a 2018 senior under Toler when he ran for 961 yards to finish just 39 from becoming only the third Cal player to ever amass a pair of 1000-yard rushing seasons and joining Marshawn Lynch and Russell White in the elite group. Laird did become the first Cal player since Lynch to rush for over 100 yards twice in the Big Game in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018, while his 51 receptions as a senior in 2018 were also a single-season school record for a running back. Laird captured a multitude of honors for his accomplishments on and off the field during his 2018 senior season highlighted by his second-team Senior All-American pick by the Senior CLASS Award, his spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, and his selection as a Burlsworth Trophy finalist and Campbell Trophy semifinalist.
Toler spent the 2017 season as the wide receivers coach at UC Davis, and one of his charges, Keelan Doss, led all FCS and FBS schools in receptions (115), per-game receptions (10.5 rpg) and yards receiving (136.3 ypg), while his 1499 total yards receiving led all FCS receivers. Doss earned consensus first-team All-America and Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors while being a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given annually to the nation's top FCS player. Wide receiver Marcus Cummins also earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors under Toler's tutelage in 2017. Doss signed an undrafted free agent contract with Oakland in 2019 and played in nine games for the Raiders in 2019 and 2020. He is currently on the New York Giants' roster.
In 2016, Toler served as the wide receivers coach at Fresno State, helping three wideouts to at least 45 catches and 630 yards receiving each, with KeeSean Johnson ranking third in the Mountain West Conference by totaling 5.5 receptions per game. Johnson would be drafted in the sixth round by Arizona in 2019 and made a combined 36 catches for 360 yards and one touchdown during the first two of his three seasons with the Cardinals. He is currently a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Toler filled several different roles during his first three seasons on the football staff from 2013-15 as the special teams quality control assistant all three seasons, while also working with the wide receivers in 2014 and the running backs in 2015 when Cal won the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Toler started his playing days with the Golden Bears as a walk on and helped Cal to an Insight Bowl victory and a Holiday Bowl appearance in his final two seasons. He compiled career totals of 69 receptions, 873 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Toler was Cal's second-leading receiver as a 2003 junior with 48 catches for 609 yards receiving to go along with three scoring grabs. He completed his junior campaign by hauling in a team-high six passes for 84 yards in a 52-49 victory over Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl.
Toler graduated from Cal in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in social welfare and a concentration in sociology.
Following his collegiate playing career, he spent time a player in the NFL on the rosters of the Oakland Raiders (2006) and the Washington Redskins (2007-08). He also played in NFL Europe (Cologne), the Italian Football League (Bologna), the Canadian Football League (Hamilton) and Arena Football League (Orlando, San Antonio, San Jose) before retiring as a player in 2013.
Toler's family has a deep connection to Cal and the Bay Area. His father, Burl Toler Jr., was a four-year letterwinner as a linebacker for the Bears from 1974-77 and a team captain as a senior in 1977. His mother, Susan, is a Cal graduate, as are his brother, Cameron, and sisters, Pita and Laureina. Cameron, was a member of the Cal football program from 2004-07, while Pita and Laureina were on the Golden Bears' track and field team. Pita also recently worked at Cal as a member of the athletic development staff. Burl also has another sister, Christianna, who is an artist in New York. In addition, his grandfather, the late Burl Toler Sr., played on the legendary unbeaten 1951 University of San Francisco football team that refused to accept an Orange Bowl bid because it didn't include the team's two black players and later became the first African-American official in the NFL before spending 25 seasons in the role from 1965-89.
Toler and his wife, Drea, are the parents of daughters, Lale and Lana, and son, Burl IV.
Burl Toler III File
Birthdate: April 7, 1983
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
High School: Bishop O'Dowd HS
College: Cal, 2005, Bachelor’s in Social Welfare
Family: Wife, Drea; Daughters, Lale and Lana; Son, Burl IV
Coaching History
Season: Team (League) – Position (Postseason, Champions)
2013: California (FBS Division I-A, Pac-12) – Quality Control, Special Teams
2014: California (FBS Division I-A, Pac-12) – Quality Control, Special Teams/Wide Receivers
2015: California (FBS Division I-A, Pac-12) – Quality Control, Special Teams/Running Backs (Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl)
2016: Fresno State (FBS Division I-A, Mountain West) – Wide Receivers
2017: UC Davis (FCS Division I-AA, Big Sky) – Wide Receivers
2019: California (FBS Division I-A, Pac-12) – Running Backs (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California (FBS Division I-A, Pac-12) – Wide Receivers (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California – Wide Receivers
2021: California – Wide Receivers
2022: California – Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator
*Season in which bowl game was played
Tim Plough
Tight Ends Coach
Boise State – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2021-22)
– Part of the coaching staff that recruited the Mountain West’s second-ranked recruiting class and the highest-ranked group in school history in 2021
– Offense led MWC and ranked seventh nationally in red zone offense in 2021 by scoring on 92.5% of their trips to the red zone while also checking in among the top three teams in the Mountain West and upper half of the NCAA in fumbles lost (5, No. 2T MWC, No. 20T NCAA), fewest penalties (60, No. 3 MWC, No. 17 NCAA), fewest penalties per game (5.00, No. 3 MWC, No. 22 NCAA), turnover margin (0.58, No. 3 MWC, No. 22 NCAA), third down conversions (44.2%, No. 3 MWC, No. 28 NCAA) and completion percentage (62.1%, No. 3 MWC, No. 57 NCAA)
– First-team All-MWC wide receiver Khalil Shakir registered career highs of 77 receptions, 1117 yards receiving (No. 3 MWC, No. 24 NCAA) and seven touchdowns in 2021 with his per-game marks in receiving yards (93.1, No. 4 MWC, No. 22 NCAA) and receptions (6.4, No. 5 MWC, No. 22 NCAA) also among conference and national bests
– Coached three offensive linemen who earned All-MWC honors in 2021 with John Ojukwu a first-teamer while Ben Dooley and Jake Stetz picked up second-team recognition, while mentoring quarterback Hank Bachmeier to career-high numbers in completions (252), passing yards (3079, No. 4 MWC, No. 24 NCAA), touchdowns (20) and passing yards per game (256.6, No. 4 MWC, No. 24 NCAA), while his 62.8% completion percentage was also third in the MWC and 23rd nationally
UC Davis – Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2019-2020); Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2017-18, 2010-12); Quarterbacks (2009); Student Assistant (2008)
– Ranked third in the Big Sky and sixth nationally in 2019 in passing offense (309.2), as well as among conference and/or national FCS leaders in sacks allowed (1.17, No. 2 Big Sky, No. 15 FCS), completion percentage (64.9%, No. 2 Big Sky, No. 9 NCAA), tackles for loss allowed (5.25, No. 4 Big Sky, No. 25 FCS) and total offense (No. 22 NCAA, 433.0)
– Helped squad to Division I era records for overall (10) and conference (7) victories as well as a share of the Big Sky title, a 10-3 record and the school’s first FCS playoff appearance in 2018, where the Aggies won in the Round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals, by ranking among national FCS leaders in passing offense (322.8, No. 3), total offense (488.9, No. 7) and scoring offense (39.7, No. 8)
– Coached a pair of dynamic offensive players in back-to-back Big Sky Offensive Players of the Year wide receiver Keelan Doss (2017) and quarterback Jake Maier (2018) with both on the Walter Payton Award Watch List in 2018 to mark the first time in school history multiple Aggies were on the list with Doss a finalist in 2017 and Maier in 2018
– Offense produced more total yards (16884) than any other team in FBS or FCS during three-year period from 2017-19
– Mentored Doss in his final two campaigns of a four-year career in which he finished with 321 receptions for 4069 yards and 28 touchdowns
– Coached Maier during all three of his campaigns in which he completed 992-of-1495 passes for 11163 yards (No. 8 in Big Sky history) with 88 touchdowns throws to become the school’s career record holder for completions, passing attempts and passing yards, while ranking second in touchdown passes
– Became the youngest offensive coordinator in the nation (FBS and FCS) at the time at the age of 25 in 2010
– Received a 35 Under 35 award from the American Football Coaches Association in 2019
– Team did not play in the fall of 2020 due to COVID
Northern Arizona – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2015-16); Wide Receivers (2013-14)
– A finalist for AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year honors when the Lumberjacks finished among the top 10 nationally in the FCS in fewest sacks allowed (0.73, No. 5), passing offense (318.8, No. 7) and total offense (475.5, No. 9)
– Promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015 and directed an offense for a 7-4 squad that led the FCS in passing efficiency (180.18) while ranking among national FCS leaders in scoring offense (39.3, No. 7) and passing offense (303.2, No. 8)
– Coached a pair of 2015 FCS All-Americans and first-team All-Big Sky selections in quarterback Case Cookus and wide receiver Emmanuel Butler with Cookus adding STATS FCS Freshman of the Year honors with both (Cookus, 2015, Butler, 2016) also finalists for the Walter Payton Award and Cookus ending his career ranked fourth all-time in the Big Sky in passing yards (12082)
– Other first-team All-Big Sky players coached included running back Casey Jahn (2015), fullback Nick Butler (2014), tight end RJ Rickert (2013) and running back Zach Bauman (2013)
– Team posted a 28-17 record during his four-year tenure including a 9-3 mark in 2013
PLAYING CAREER
UC Davis, Quarterback (2003-07)
– Took over the team’s starting quarterback role as a 2007 senior and was a four-year letterwinner after redshirting as a true freshman in 2003
– On team for historic 2005 upset at Stanford
Ramona High School, Ramona, CA, Quarterback (2000-03)
– Two-sport standout who earned All-Valley League honors in both his senior 2002 football and 2003 baseball campaigns who also earned second-team All-San Diego State distinction in football and first-team All-State honors in baseball as a senior
– Earned second-team All-San Diego Section distinction in football as a 2002 senior while setting school career records for completions (312) and passing yards (5005)
– Elected into the Hall of Fame for the San Diego Chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2003 for his distinguished high school football and academic career
OTHER
– Wife, Christine, is a Bay Area native
– Wife’s brother, Scott; grandfather, Dan; and great grandfather, Rollin, are all Cal graduates
YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING POSITIONS
Season: Team – Position (Postseason, Notes)
2023: California – Tight Ends
2022: Boise State – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2021: Boise State – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2020: UC Davis – Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (No Fall 2020 Season Due To COVID)
2019: UC Davis – Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2018: UC Davis – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (FCS Quarterfinals)
2017: UC Davis – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2016: Northern Arizona – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2015: Northern Arizona – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2014: Northern Arizona – Wide Receivers
2013: Northern Arizona – Wide Receivers (FCS Playoffs First Round)
2012: UC Davis – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2011: UC Davis – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2010: UC Davis – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2009: UC Davis – Quarterbacks
2008: UC Davis – Student Assistant
FILE
Pronunciation: PLOW
Birthdate: June 24, 1985
Hometown: San Diego, CA
High School: Ramona HS
College: UC Davis, 2008, Bachelor’s, History; Ohio, 2012, Master’s, Coaching Education
Family: Wife – Christine; Sons – Jackson, Camden, Bodie
Andrew Browning
Defensive Line
Andrew Browning is in his fourth season as the defensive line coach at Cal in 2022 and his fifth campaign with the program having also served in a quality control role on the defensive side of the ball in his first season with the Golden Bears in 2018.
Browning has a promising and deep defensive line group in 2022 with an intriguing mix of veterans and new talent the lauded recruiter has brought to Berkeley. Brett Johnson is expected to return to action after missing the 2021 season due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident in April of 2021. Johnson, who can play both inside and outside on the defensive line, has earned second-team preseason All-Pac-12 honors from Phil Steele and third-team recognition from Athlon prior to the 2022 campaign after being a third-team Freshman All-American and third-team All-Pac-12 pick of Pro Football Focus during his last full season as a collegiate rookie in 2019. Defensive end Ethan Saunders and nose guard Ricky Correia both return after intriguing campaigns in 2021 and promising springs in 2022, while Jaedon Roberts is another returner who expects to be a factor. Utah transfer Xavier Carlton should also be in the mix.
In 2021, the defensive line played a key role for a Cal defense that held four of its final six opponents to 14 points or less while the Bears also won four of their final six games. Cal finished the 2021 campaign second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (22.2 ppg), fourth in total defense (366.7 ypg) and fourth in rushing defense (137.2 ypg). Saunders, who played in all 12 games in 2021, put up the biggest numbers among the returning defensive linemen a year ago with 4.5 sacks (-19 yards) and 3.5 tackles for loss (-18 yards) among his 20 tackles, as well as two forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry. Correia contributed 11 stops and two quarterback hurries in 10 games, while both played off the bench behind 2021 starters Luc Bequette (40 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 PBU) and J.H. Tevis (37 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBU, 2 QBH).
Browning's second Golden Bear defensive line in 2020 thrived despite being a thin group that featured a trio of players – Brett Johnson, Tevis and Zeandae Johnson – that combined to make all but one start and take the majority of snaps. Brett Johnson led the way among the trio with his 20 tackles to rank third overall on the team while Tevis added 18 and Zeandae Johnson eight before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings after the season. Tevis led the defensive linemen with 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, while Brett Johnson had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, and Zeandae Johnson 0.5 tackles for loss in a season abbreviated to four games by COVID-19.
Browning's first campaign as the defensive line coach at Cal in 2019 was highlighted by the performance of a unit that helped contribute to a significant uptick in sacks as the Bears were second in the Pac-12 and 21st nationally with an average of 2.77 per game to help Cal reach a bowl game and post a winning season for the second straight campaign to mark the first time the Bears had done both since 2008 and 2009. Browning got strong production from starters Bequette, Brett Johnson and Zeandae Johnson, with the trio making a combined 34 starts. Bequette earned the team's Brick Muller Award as its Most Valuable Lineman and put up a career-high 52 tackles while adding 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. Zeandae Johnson finished with career highs of 29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks to earn honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors while also winning the team's Bob Tessier Award as its Most Improved Lineman in his first season as a starter. Zeandae Johnson also captured Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors in the Redbox Bowl, while in additon to being a Pro Football Focus third-team Freshman All-American and third-team All-Pac-12 selection, Brett Johnson earned Cal's Bob Simmons Award as the team's Most Valuable Freshman.
Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Browning was the defensive line coach at UTEP for five seasons (2013-17), where he tutored future NFL players James Davidson, Horace Miller and Roy Robertson-Harris.
Browning started his coaching career with three campaigns on the staff at his alma mater Boise State (2010-12), working in quality control (2010) and as a graduate assistant (2011-12) on the defensive side of the ball. During his three seasons with the Broncos, Boise State combined for a 35-4 record while winning a share of Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference crowns in 2010 and 2011, picking up victories at the 2010 and 2011 MAACO Bowl, and 2012 Las Vegas Bowl; and ranking in the final AP Top 25 all three seasons including a high of No. 8 in 2011.
Boise State held national top-15 rankings in scoring defense in 2010 (2nd, 12.8 ppg), 2011 (12th, 18.7 ppg) and 2012 (8th, 15.8 ppg), while its' total defense numbers each of the three seasons were in the top 20 – 2010 (2nd, 254.7 ypg), 2011 (16th, 320.9 ypg) and 2012 (13th, 315.6 ypg). The Broncos' defense produced 12 all-conference selections during the three-year span.
As a collegiate player, Browning earned first-team All-WAC and second-team Academic All-American honors from ESPN The Magazine as a 2006 senior at Boise State when he established career highs of 46 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks for the Broncos' 13-0 Fiesta Bowl championship team that ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25. He was a second-team All-WAC selection as a 2005 junior and earned honorable mention recognition during his 2004 sophomore season. Browning finished his four-year Boise State playing career that started as a 2003 walk-on freshman with 143 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks for teams that combined for a 46-6 record while playing in bowl games and winning at least a share of a conference title in each of his four campaigns and ranking in the final AP Top 25 on three occasions.
Browning also pursued a professional football playing career and spent the 2008 season on the roster of the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League before moving into coaching.
Andrew Browning File
Birthdate: January 29, 1984
Hometown: Lake Oswego, OR
High School: Lake Oswego HS
College: Boise State, 2007, Bachelor's in Communications
Family: Wife, Leah
Andrew Browning Coaching History
Season: Team – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2010: Boise State – Quality Control, Defense (WAC Co-Champions, Maaco Bowl)
2011: Boise State – Graduate Assistant, Defense (Maaco Bowl)
2012: Boise State – Graduate Assistant, Defense (MWC Co-Champions, Maaco Bowl)
2013: UTEP – Defensive Line
2014: UTEP – Defensive Line (New Mexico Bowl)
2015: UTEP – Defensive Line
2016: UTEP – Defensive Line
2017: UTEP – Defensive Line
2018: California – Quality Control, Defense (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California – Defensive Line (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California – Defensive Line
2021: California – Defensive Line
2022: California – Defensive Line
Vic So'oto
Outside Linebackers
So'oto in his first season as the outside linebackers coach at Cal in 2022 after being hired in the role by Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox on March 1, 2022. The former NFL and collegiate player spent the previous two seasons in 2020 and 2021 on the USC coaching staff after a prior four-year stint at Virginia (2016-19). So’oto was on coaching staffs that won division titles in back-to-back seasons with the Cavaliers in 2019 (ACC Coastal) and Trojans in 2020 (Pac-12 South), while reaching bowls in each of his last three campaigns at Virginia (2017 Military Bowl, 2018 Belk Bowl, 2019 Orange Bowl).
So’oto began his coaching career in 2015 as an intern at his alma mater BYU, where he spent six seasons as a student-athlete from 2005-10. He was also on NFL rosters for four years in Green Bay (2011-12), Oakland (2012), Washington (2012), Arizona (2013), New Orleans (2013) and Pittsburgh (2014).
“Vic is one of the nation’s top rising young coaches and recruiters,” Wilcox said upon So'oto's hiring. “He has a versatile coaching skill set having developed both defensive linemen and outside linebackers, which will help him in our defense. Vic also establishes strong and genuine relationships with players and recruits, and having recently played at the highest level, he has a strong understanding of what it takes to be successful. Vic is well-respected, dedicated to coaching and teaching others, and will be a great addition to our staff.”
“I’m looking forward to joining the Cal football program, making contributions to the tremendous staff coach Wilcox has put together and learning from some of the best minds in football,” So’oto said after he was hired. “It’s been a goal of mine to coach outside linebackers and broaden my impact on the defense. I can’t wait to get started.”
Coaching Career
USC – Defensive Line (2020); Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers (2020-21)
– Helped the Trojans to a Pac-12 South Division title and a 5-1 overall record in his first season in 2020 with his defensive linemen racking up awards (Marlon Tuipulotu, first-team All-Pac-12; Drake Jackson, second-team All-Pac-12; Nick Figueroa, honorable mention All-Pac-12; Tuli Tuipulotu, second-team Freshman All-American, honorable mention Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year)
– Tuli Tuipulotu became So'oto's second first-team All-Pac-12 selection in as many seasons as a 2021 sophomore when he had team-highs of 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks while Jackson was a second-team All-Pac-12 pick and Kana'i Mauga was an honorable mention choice
– Recruited and signed Korey Foreman, a five-star recruit who was the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports, while Rivals tabbed him No. 3 and ESPN No. 4, with 247Sports also listing him as the nation’s top defensive lineman and Rivals as the best strongside defensive end in the class
– Coached four players now on NFL rosters in Drake Jackson (San Francisco), Mauga (Denver), Jay Tufele (Jacksonville) and Marlon Tuipulotu (Philadelphia) with Jackson being taken in the 2022 NFL Draft in the second round by the 49ers and Tuipulotu in the sixth round by the Eagles, while Tufele was taken in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by Jacksonville and Mauga signed as a free agent in 2022
Virginia – Graduate Assistant, Defense (2016); Defensive Line (2017-19)
– Coached on staffs that reached bowls in each of his three seasons as the defensive line coach (2017 Military Bowl, 2018 Belk Bowl, 2019 Orange Bowl)
– Coached a defensive unit that put up numbers among the nation’s best in each campaign of his full-time tenure including his final season in 2019 when the Cavaliers ranked ninth nationally in sacks (3.3) and 22nd in tackles for loss (7.1) on a squad that won the ACC Coastal title and finished 9-4 overall; while his 2018 squad was 12th in passing efficiency (107.6), 16th in passing yards allowed (183.0 ypg), 20th in total defense (330.5 ypg) and 21st in scoring defense (20.1 ppg) on its way to a 28-0 Belk Bowl win over South Carolina; and his 2017 team was seventh in passing yards allowed (165.8 ypg) and ninth in red zone defense (72.7%)
– Began his coaching career in 2016 as a graduate assistant on defense just two years removed from the end of his NFL playing career
– Coached current NFL player Andrew Brown, a fifth-round NFL Draft pick of Cincinnati in 2018 who also played for Houston and is now a member of the Los Angles Chargers
Brigham Young – Intern (2015)
– Served as an intern for a team that finished 9-4 overall and played Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl
NFL Playing Career – Green Bay (2011-12); Oakland (2012); Washington (2012); Arizona (2013); New Orleans (2013); Pittsburgh (2014)
– Saw action with four different teams and was on rosters of six squads during his four-year NFL playing career, getting into games with Green Bay (2011-12), Oakland (2012), Washington (2012) and Arizona (2013), while he was also on the rosters of New Orleans (2013) and Pittsburgh (2014) but did not see any game action
– Totaled 14 games played, one start, eight tackles and one quarterback hit
Collegiate Playing Career – BYU (2005-10)
– Four-year letterwinner (2005, ’07, ’09-10) who started his career as a tight end before moving to defense as a linebacker and defensive end for his final three seasons of six campaigns that also included two redshirt years
– Teams combined for a 56-21 (.727) record during his playing career, finished the season ranked in the top 25 four times (2006, ’07, ’08, ‘09), won two Mountain West Conference titles (2016, ’17) and reached bowl games each year, winning three of five appearances at the Las Vegas Bowl in 2006, ’07 and ’09, and in their lone trip to the New Mexico Bowl in 2010
– First-Team All-Mountain West selection on a defense as a sixth-year senior in 2010 when he recorded 45 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 quarterback sacks and one interception
Other
– Selected by the American Football Coaches Association to its 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2020
– Second cousin of the late Pro Football Hall of Famer Junior Seau
Vic So’oto Coaching History
Season: Team – Coaching Position (Postseason, Champions)
2015: Brigham Young – Intern (Las Vegas Bowl)
2016: Virginia – Graduate Assistant, Defense
2017: Virginia – Defensive Line (Military Bowl)
2018: Virginia – Defensive Line (Belk Bowl)
2019: Virginia – Defensive Line (Orange Bowl, ACC Coastal Champion)
2020: USC – Defensive Line (Pac-12 South Champion)
2021: USC – Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers
2022: California – Outside Linebackers
Vic So’oto File
Pronunciation: so-oh-toe
Hometown: Oceanside, CA
High School: Carlsbad HS
College: BYU, 2010, BS, Geography
Family: Wife – Ashley; Daughters – Fia, Ave; Sons – Tre, Samson, Mack
Terrance Brown
Defensive Backs
Terrence Brown is in his first season as a defensive backs coach at Cal in 2022. Brown, who joined the team’s coaching staff when he was hired on December 23, 2021, shares duties with Tre Watson coaching the Golden Bears’ defensive backs. Brown has strong Pac-12 ties having spent nine seasons in the league including five campaigns over two stints on the coaching staff at Washington (2015-17, ’20-21). He also played collegiately for four seasons at Stanford (2009-12). Brown also coached at Vanderbilt (2018-19) in between his stints at Washington (2015-17, 2020-21) and was among a group of 30 coaches on 247Sports’ 30Under30 list in both 2019 and 2020.
"We are excited to add Terrence Brown to our coaching staff," Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said upon Brown's hiring. "He is an exuberant young coach who is also quite familiar with the Pac-12. I have been impressed with Terrence in our conversations about the position and have also received tremendous feedback from several members of our staff who have either worked with Terrence, or know him well through mutual coaching acquaintances."
"I'm extremely humbled and honored to have the opportunity to learn from and coach alongside coach Wilcox, as well as all of the other great coaches on the staff," Brown said when he was hired. "Becoming a part of and having a chance to contribute to Cal's rich tradition in football and academic excellence is truly an honor. I'm also beyond excited to have the chance to work with and get to know the elite student-athletes at Cal. My wife, son and I are looking forward to joining the Cal community. Go Bears!"
Coaching Career
Washington – Assistant Defensive Backs (2020-21)
– Returned to Washington for a two-season run in the second of two coaching stints with the Huskies in 2020
– Coached a 2021 defensive backs group that helped the Huskies lead the nation by a whopping margin of 25.0 yards per contest over No. 2 Cincinnati with the fewest passing yards allowed per game (143.3 ypg), pace the Pac-12 and rank third nationally in team passing efficiency defense (106.71), and be the least penalized team in the league while ranking in the top 15 nationally in all penalty categories
– Coached a pair of 2021 first-team All-Pac-12 defensive backs in Kyler Gordon and Trent McDuffie, while Elijah Molden was a first-teamer in 2020 when McDuffie earned second-team honors
– Helped the 2020 squad capture the Pac-12 North title and post a 3-1 overall record during a season shortened to four games by COVID-19
– Played a significant role in the Huskies leading the Pac-12 in 2020 in passing yards allowed (185.0 ypg, No. 13 NCAA) and total defense (346.2 ypg), while the scoring defense was second in the conference (25.0 ppg)
– Coached five players currently on NFL rosters in Gordon (Chicago), McDuffie (Kansas City), Molden (Tennessee), Brendan Radley-Hiles (Cincinnati) and Keith Taylor Jr. (Carolina), with McDuffie a first-round pick and No. 22 overall selection of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft while Gordon was taken in the second round (No. 39 overall) by Chicago and Molden a third-round pick (No. 100 overall) of the Titans in 2021
Vanderbilt – Cornerbacks (2018-19)
– Spent two seasons at Vanderbilt with the Commodores reaching the Texas Bowl and equaling their best record in the past eight years during his first campaign in 2018
– Coached second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection Joejuan Williams in 2018 when Williams led all SEC cornerbacks in interceptions (4), while leading all of the league's players in pass breakups (14) and passes defended (18) before he was selected by New England in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft
– Coached a pair of players currently on NFL rosters in Williams (New England) and Allan George (Cincinnati)
Washington – Defensive Graduate Assistant (2015-17)
– Spent three seasons in his first of two coaching stints with the Huskies, winning the Pac-12 title and reaching the College Football Playoff in 2016, while the Huskies compiled a 29-11 (.725) overall record and a 19-8 (.704) Pac-12 mark during the stretch, and played in bowls each season (2015 Heart of Dallas Bowl, 2016 Peach Bowl, 2017 Fiesta Bowl)
– Coached for a Washington squad that led the Pac-12 in total defense and scoring defense for three consecutive seasons from 2015-17
– Coached a pair of All-Americans in Budda Baker and Sidney Jones, while working with a long list of future NFL defensive backs in addition to Baker and Jones including Kevin King, Jordan Miller, Byron Murphy, Taylor Rapp, Taylor and Zeke Turner, with Husky defensive backs earning five first-team All-Pac-12 honors during the period
Cal Poly – Cornerbacks (Spring 2015)
– Served as the cornerbacks coach
Cincinnati Bengals (2013)
– Signed as an undrafted free agent during the offseason but was not on the roster for the regular season
Stanford (2009-12)
– Started all 23 of his collegiate games during his final two seasons of a four-year collegiate playing career in which he compiled 113 tackles including a career-high 65 stops when he started a career-high all 14 contests as a 2013 senior
Terrence Brown Coaching History
Season: Team – Coaching Position (Postseason, Champions)
2015 (Spring): Cal Poly – Cornerbacks
2015: Washington – Defensive Graduate Assistant (Heart Of Dallas Bowl)
2016: Washington – Defensive Graduate Assistant (College Football Playoff, Peach Bowl, Pac-12 Champion, Pac-12 North Champion)
2017: Washington – Defensive Graduate Assistant (Fiesta Bowl, Pac-12 North Co-Champion)
2018: Vanderbilt – Cornerbacks (Texas Bowl)
2019: Vanderbilt – Cornerbacks
2020: Washington – Assistant Defensive Backs (Pac-12 North Champion)
2021: Washington – Assistant Defensive Backs
2022: California – Defensive Backs
Terrence Brown File
Birthdate: March 4, 1991
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
High School: Orange Lutheran HS
College: Stanford, 2013, BA, Science, Technology and Society; Washington, 2017, MA, Education
Family: Wife – Courtney; Son – Ty
Tre Watson
Defensive Backs
Tre Watson is in his second season as the defensive backs coach at Cal in 2022. Watson joined the Golden Bears' coaching staff in 2021 and was part of a defense that improved throughout the 2021 campaign and came on strong at the end of the season by holding four of its last six opponents to 14 points or less before finishing the season second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (22.2 ppg), fourth in total defense (366.7 ypg) and in the top half of the league in nearly every category.
In his debut season at Cal in 2021, Watson coached a third-team All-American in Elijah Hicks and a pair of safeties that earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus in Hicks and Daniel Scott. Hicks was also a first-team All-Pac-12 defensive back of the league's coaches, the winner of the Pop Warner College Football Award, and a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy and Jason Witten College Man of the Year among many honors. Hicks notched 72 tackles while co-leading the Pac-12 with a career-high four forced fumbles and 0.33 fumbles per game (T#11 NCAA). He also had three interceptions to tie for third in the conference. Scott was among Pac-12 leaders in solo tackles (team-high 60, #T2), interceptions (team-high-tying 3, #T3) and total tackles (team-high 82, #10 Pac-12) with all three career bests. Watson was also responsible for the development of true freshman cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III, who finished with team highs of 10 pass breakups and 11 passes deflected, and coached sixth-year senior Josh Drayden to the final 12 games played (all starts) on his way to a school-record 55 career games played.
Watson, who was among a group of 30 coaches listed in 247Sports' "30Under30" in 2020, spent the 2020 campaign as the defensive backs coach at UNLV following two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Oregon in 2018 and 2019.
"I want to thank God for this opportunity," Watson said when he was hired. "I have learned and grown a lot from the places I have been, and I'm very excited to be a part of this family, join a terrific staff and represent a program that is on its way up under great leadership from coach Wilcox. Go Bears!"
Tre Watson, Defensive Backs Coach
Oregon won a Pac-12 title in 2019 and a pair of bowl games – Redbox Bowl (2018), Rose Bowl (2019) – and compiled a 21-6 (.778) record during his two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant with the Ducks, going 9-4 in 2018 and 12-2 in 2019
Oregon intercepted 37 passes during his two seasons with the Ducks, ranking No. 2 nationally in 2019 (20) and tied for 11th in 2018 (17)
Cached Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins safeties Ugo Amadi and Jevon Holland, as well as 2019 Freshman All-American Verone McKinley III during his coaching tenure at Oregon
Hired for his first full-time collegiate coaching position as the defensive backs coach at UNLV in 2020 after working on the same staff as first-year UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo in 2018 and 2019 at Oregon
Spent three years in Seattle from 2014-16 training NFL players in the offseason and former college players for the NFL Combine in between his playing and coaching career, working primarily with Seattle Seahawks' and former Washington players including Budda Baker, DeShawn Shead, Shaq Thompson, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright
Finished his collegiate playing career with two seasons at Washington in 2012 and 2013, earning a scholarship prior to his 2012 redshirt junior campaign after originally joining the Huskies as a walk-on transfer from Central Washington
Compiled 74 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (-5 yards), two interceptions that he returned for 118 yards including an 84-yard touchdown, 12 pass breakups, 14 passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while playing in all 26 games possible during his two seasons at Washington
Played in all 11 games (10 starts) as a 2010 sophomore at Central Washington and finished with 28 tackles, two interceptions including one he returned 40 yards, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick to help the Wildcats to an 8-3 overall mark and a 7-1 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Played in 10 games as a 2009 freshman at West Hills College, notching 34 tackles, two interceptions including one he returned for a touchdown, six pass breakups and eight passes defended
An All-State player at Kennedy High School as a 2008 prep senior who helped his squad to a 9-2 record, a Seamount League title and a state quarterfinal berth as a running back who scored 35 touchdowns and finished with 1818 rushing yards
Tre Watson Coaching History
Season: Team (League) – Coaching Position (Postseason)
2018: Oregon (NCAA Division I FBS) – Graduate Assistant, Defense
2019: Oregon (NCAA Division I FBS) – Graduate Assistant, Defense
2020: UNLV (NCAA Division I FBS) – Defensive Backs
Tre Watson File
Birthdate: May 17, 1991
Hometown: Seattle, WA
High School: Kennedy HS
College: Washington, 2013, BA, Communication
Family: Wife – Taryn
Brian Johnson
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Brian Johnson is in his second campaign as the Golden Bears' head football athletic performance coach in 2022 after spending the previous 11 seasons on strength and conditioning staffs at FBS schools and in the NFL. Cal came on strong at the end of his first campaign in 2021 with four victories in its final six contests including arguably its most impressive performance of the season in a 41-11 Big Game win that marked Cal's largest margin of victory against Stanford since 2004. Cal had a dominant ground game in several contests including a 352 rushing yards against the Cardinal that were the most rushing yards in a game by the Bears since 2008.
In his most recent position before joining the Golden Bears in 2021, Johnson spent three campaigns as the director of strength and conditioning at Arizona (2018-20), where he heavily implemented sports science while also working as a liaison between the football program and the university's Center for Innovation in Brain Science.
Johnson started his professional working career as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida State (2010-11) before being hired as the head strength and conditioning coach at Akron at the age of 27. He spent the offseason prior to the 2012 campaign at Akron before his alma mater LSU came calling. For the next three seasons (2012-14), he was assistant an strength and conditioning coordinator with the Tigers (2012-14) then held similar roles with the San Francisco 49ers (2015-16) and at Texas A&M (2017) before moving on to Arizona.
"Brian will be a tremendous asset to our football program," Cal's Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said after Johnson was hired on January 15, 2021. "He has been an integral part of several top football strength and conditioning programs over the past decade at the highest levels of collegiate and professional football, and that experience will allow him to hit the ground running. His ability to develop and motivate our student-athletes through hard work and character building, in addition to his scientific and data-driven approach, align well with the philosophy of our football program."
"I want to enhance the tremendous culture that coach Wilcox and his staff have already built at Cal by echoing the messages they are already giving to our student-athletes," Johnson offered. "I'm looking forward to becoming part of this environment while building relationships and trust with a great group of young men who share the hunger of our coaching staff to win championships. I will do everything the game demands to prepare our student-athletes for practice and competition while always making sure to keep the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes front and center in all of our decision-making and training methods. I will also work closely with university and community health officials on the strict COVID-19 protocols needed to keep our student-athletes as safe as possible."
"Brian joins us with over a decade of collegiate and professional strength and conditioning experience, and he is the perfect choice for the leadership of our football athletic performance program," assistant athletic director for athletic performance Mike Blasquez added. "Brian's coaching style and philosophy optimally integrates the use of scientific principles, character building and objective physiologic performance data to maximize player development, team culture and injury prevention. Brian will have an immediate positive impact on the direction of Cal football."
Brian Johnson, Cal Head Football Athletic Performance Coach
A member of bowl staffs and winning teams in each of his first six collegiate seasons as a coach, starting with two campaigns at Florida State (2010-11) before three at LSU (2012-14) and one at Texas A&M (2017), with three of his first four teams (2010, '11, '13) each winning 10 contests
Helped Florida State to a combined 19-8 record, including victories in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (2010) and Champs Sports Bowl (2011), in his first two seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, with the Seminoles ranked as high as No. 16 in 2010 when they recorded a 10-4 mark and No. 5 in 2011 before finishing 9-4
LSU posted a combined 28-11 record, finished ranked in the AP Top 25 three times (No. 14, 2012 and '13; No. 23, 2014) and reached three bowl games including a victory at the Outback Bowl (2013) during his three campaigns as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater with the Tigers going 10-3 in 2012, 10-3 in 2013 and 8-5 in 2014
Also served as the football program's academic liaison while at LSU
Helped a 7-6 Texas A&M club to a berth in the Belk Bowl in his lone season with the Aggies in 2017
Arizona tenure was highlighted by a 44-15 victory over No. 19 Oregon in his first season in 2018 and a four-game win streak to open the 2019 campaign in which the Wildcats won the final three with fourth-quarter comebacks and outscored their opponents 25-3 in the final period
Has coached 78 players during his 10 collegiate seasons that have been selected in the NFL Draft after Cal's Cameron Goode and Eliah Hicks were added to a long list in 2022 and including a total of 11 first-rounders highlighted by six in 2013 with the complete list including Florida State's Christian Ponder (2011), Eli Manuel (2013), Xavier Rhodes (2013) and Björn Werner (2013), as well as LSU's Barkevious Mingo (2013), Eric Reid (2013), Odell Beckham Jr. (2013), Kelvin Benjamin (2014), Leonard Fournette (2017), Jamal Adams (2017) and Tre'Davious White (2017)
Certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Certified in Functional Range Conditioning
Holds a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coaching Certification and is a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine
Played in 44 games with 28 starts during five seasons as a collegiate offensive lineman at LSU from 2002-06 with his teams combining for a 54-13 overall record, one national championship (2003), one SEC title (2003), two SEC Championship Games (2003, '05), three bowl victories (2003 Sugar Bowl, 2005 Peach Bowl, 2006 Sugar Bowl) and bowl appearances in each of his five campaigns
Earned second-team All-SEC honors as a fifth-year senior in 2006
Signed as an undrafted free agent with Arizona in 2007 but was released after training camp before spending a pair of seasons on practice squads with playoff teams in Tampa Bay (2007) and Baltimore (2008), as well as a second and final campaign on injured reserve with the Ravens in 2009
Brian Johnson Coaching History
Seasons: Team – Position (Postseason)
2010: Florida State – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach (ACC Atlantic Division Champion, ACC Championship Game, Chick-fil-A Bowl)
2011: Florida State – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach (Champs Sports Bowl)
2012 (Offseason): Akron – Head Strength And Conditioning Coach For Football
2012: LSU – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coordinator (Chick-fil-A Bowl)
2013: LSU – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coordinator (Outback Bowl)
2014: LSU – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coordinator (Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl)
2015: San Francisco 49ers – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach
2016: San Francisco 49ers – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach
2017: Texas A&M – Assistant Strength And Conditioning Coach (Belk Bowl)
2018: Arizona – Director Of Strength And Conditioning For Football
2019: Arizona – Director Of Strength And Conditioning For Football
2020: Arizona – Director Of Strength And Conditioning For Football
2021: California – Head Football Athletic Performance Coach
2022: California – Head Football Athletic Performance Coach
Brian Johnson File
Birthdate: March 24, 1984
Hometown: Tallahassee, Fla.
High School: Godby HS
College: LSU, 2006, BA, General Studies; Concordia University Irvine, MA, Coaching and Athletic Administration, 2019
Family: Wife – Angela; Son – Deacon; Daughter – Chandler