BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Justin Wilcox had California in position for a third straight bowl game and had mostly made the Golden Bears competitive in his nine-year tenure as head coach.
But Wilcox had never been able to put together a breakthrough season at Cal and then saw any hopes of ending this year on a positive note squandered with a blowout loss in a rivalry game to Stanford.
Those factors led to the decision by first-year general manager Ron Rivera
to fire Wilcox with one game left in the season and start a search for a coach that can make Cal a contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“We got to a certain level. Losing the Big Game really got me thinking more so than I really had anticipated,” Rivera said Tuesday. “I was very optimistic about our opportunity to win that game and what it would mean for us going forward as a program. Unfortunately, the loss occurred and the wheels started to turn.”
Rivera had talked before the season about the goal of winning at least eight games and the Golden Bears did show some progress in strong play from freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and with a 29-26 overtime win at No. 14 Louisville two weeks ago for Cal’s first win against a ranked team since 2020.
Rivera said a win against Stanford likely would have given Wilcox at least another year on the job, but he went another direction after watching the team lose two fumbles that were returned for touchdowns and commit 13 penalties in a 31-10 loss that was the most lopsided for the Bears against Stanford since 2014.
“To me it’s about making a clear decision and making a bold move forward,” Rivera said. “We’re looking to build on this to take it another step. We’re at a certain point which we feel good about, but we also want to be able to take another step. So that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Wilcox had a 48-55 record with a 26-47 record in conference games in the Pac-12 and ACC. The loss to Stanford assured that Cal (6-5, 3-4 ACC) never had a winning record in conference play under Wilcox.
The Bears will finish the regular season with a home game against No. 25 SMU on Saturday under interim coach Nick Rolovich and then plan to play in a bowl game while searching for a full-time coach.
Rivera said he will not use a search firm to find a new coach, relying instead on his contacts in the industry and a committee that will include former players, other alums, faculty members, athletic department staff and current players.
He said he has an initial list of 14 candidates — including Rolovich and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin — and eventually will cut that down to about 10 to submit to the search committee.
Rivera said he will consider candidates with no head coaching experience and had no timeline for long it will take, indicating that some candidates could be involved in the College Football Playoff.
The main thing he wants to hear from any candidate is why they believe Cal is the right fit for them.
“That would be one of the questions that will have to be answered,” he said. “I got to make sure they understand what this university is about and what it takes to be here. That’s the one thing I think it’s going to be really, really important.”
Rivera, who took over as general manager of the program earlier this year, said he doesn't see himself as a candidate despite a 13-year head coaching career in the NFL that included two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards and one Super Bowl appearance.
“What I’m doing right now is trying to create the opportunity to make this as attractive a job as possible,” he said. “I’m trying to be as supportive as I can to bring as many resources as we can to this situation."
Rivera said he's not concerned about getting the search down before the early signing period starts next week. One immediate task for Rivera and the new coach when he's hired will be working to retain Sagapolutele.
Sagapolutele became the first freshman in FBS history to throw for at least 200 yards in his first 11 games and provides reason for optimism at Cal as long as he doesn't transfer.
Sagapolutele has said he would like to stay in Berkeley and Rivera remains confident that the program can raise enough money to retain its star player, as well as find the right coach to develop him.
“This is still very, very important, making sure he understands that we are looking in his best interest as well, not just the university's or the football program's,” Rivera said.
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