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Cal Football

Wilcox Signs Contract Extension

January 20, 2022
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Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Cal program through the 2027 season and increases the salary pool for assistant coaches, the school announced Thursday .

"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," Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "He 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."

Wilcox has compiled a long list of accomplishments and recorded several signature wins in his first five campaigns at Cal, including leading the program to back-to-back winning seasons and bowl games in 2018 and 2019 for the first time in a decade. Cal finished the 2019 campaign with an 8-5 record that included a victory in the Big Game at Stanford and a Redbox Bowl win over Illinois to close the year. The Bears captured the Axe again in 2021 with a 41-11 victory at Stanford in November and completed the season with a 24-14 win over USC as part of a 4-2 record in the second half of the campaign.

"I appreciate the opportunity to be the head football coach at Cal and am excited about the future of our program," Wilcox said. "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 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."

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the 2020 campaign to four games, the Bears increased their numbers of wins over each of Wilcox's first three seasons, including a perfect 9-0 record in regular-season non-conference games, with four of the victories against Power 5 schools. During those three years, Cal defeated a Top-15 team each season and won games at USC, Washington, UCLA and Stanford.

The Bears earned a spot in the Cheez-It Bowl in 2018 and followed that with a 35-20 victory over Illinois in the 2019 Redbox Bowl.

"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."

Under Wilcox's leadership, the Cal football program has achieved notable levels of success not only on the field, but also in the classroom and the community.

In the classroom, the program announced its highest Graduation Success Rate ever at 84 percent, according to data released by the NCAA in December. During Wilcox's tenure, Cal has also recorded its top score in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate and highest team grade-point average. In addition, 29 Golden Bears were named to the 2020 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll last fall, the highest number for a season in program history.

Fan support for the Bears has also increased since Wilcox took over his leading role. Student attendance nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018, and student ticket purchases were higher in 2021 than they had been in the past 10 years. In addition, Cal fans had a 95% season-ticket renewal rate for 2020 as compared to the 2019 campaign.

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Discussion from...

Wilcox Signs Contract Extension

29,382 Views | 181 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by calumnus
DiabloWags
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Big C said:

Golden One said:



What we have going is a very mediocre football program. Stability in a losing program is worth nothing.

Oh, I agree 100%. At some point, the sooner the better, we need to win. We used to be at a point where the 7-5 plateau was no longer going to be acceptable. The last two seasons and with this extension, we have lowered the bar/ moved the goalposts, pick your metaphor. What I mean is, we still aspire to more than seven wins, but with this new contract, I guarantee you that a 7-5 in 2022, in and of itself, wouldn't get Wilcox fired. He has bought himself even more time.

This had better work.

The bar is indeed quite low.

It's something that I have never found acceptable in the private sector, yet in the public/govt sector it seems to be a big part of the culture. Almost like breathing.
DiabloWags
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SurvivorOf1and10fkaLEA said:


I hate what has happened to college /amateur athletics in recent decades. I find know need for a great bastion of enlightenment like the University of California to try to keep up with clown colleges like LSU, Alabama, or Oregon that have little to offer the world beyond athletic entertainment. I have professional sports teams I can root for to provide that form of entertainment.

I suggest some of you find your sense of self-worth in something less futile than how an academic institution competes in the sinister world of for-profit sports.

We have Championship intercollegiate teams in Rugby, Swimming, and Water Polo.
They consistently compete for titles.
Why?

Because they have coaches that know how to recruit and compete.
Sadly, I think that you're selling CAL short as just an academic institution and am accepting of the "bar" being low.
Competing on the playing field and in the classroom are not mutually exclusive.

71Bear
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SurvivorOf1and10fkaLEA said:

You're better than resorting to false dichotomies to make a point. I'm not saying I don't want Cal to win at football. There is entertainment value in rooting for a winning football program as an alum. I'm just saying that the overall objectives, standards, and values of the glorious University of California Golden Bears has to be different and better than that of the Washington State University Cougars or South Carolina Gamecocks or a professional sports franchise.
Where your arguments totally misses the mark:

You can field a superior football program AND maintain lofty academic standards. They are NOT mutually exclusive concepts.

There are a number of universities across the country doing just that - winning on the gridiron and in the classroom.

Your excuse for mediocrity is shared by many and that is why 7-5 is the ceiling at Berkeley.
59bear
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calBlitz said:

I like Wilcox, but given the results so far, can any insider (or anyone) explain the logic behind this.
I think it confirms the comfort level of the Cal administration with mediocrity. I'm not sure what else you can conclude when his record produces this sort of treatment. I have been a Wilcox supporter and I can reconcile ignoring the 2020 results but this past season was clearly a shortfall. O top of that recruiting continues to be a nagging concern. I think extensions are often cosmetic and perhaps this one is tempered with a bargain buyout clause.
GivemTheAxe
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BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
DiabloWags
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59bear said:

calBlitz said:

I like Wilcox, but given the results so far, can any insider (or anyone) explain the logic behind this.
I think it confirms the comfort level of the Cal administration with mediocrity. I'm not sure what else you can conclude when his record produces this sort of treatment. I have been a Wilcox supporter and I can reconcile ignoring the 2020 results but this past season was clearly a shortfall. O top of that recruiting continues to be a nagging concern. I think extensions are often cosmetic and perhaps this one is tempered with a bargain buyout clause.

Bingo.
CaliforniaEternal
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Oski87 said:

CaliforniaEternal said:

This extension adds 2 years to the previous contract. Maybe in another 5 years Wilcox will have more Cheezit Bowl and Redbox Bowl appearances under his belt.

By the way, his bonus if the team hits a 1000 APR is higher than winning a P12 championship or making the CFP playoff. That tells you where Cal's priorities are.
On education?
Let's be honest with ourselves. Football can provide benefits to the Cal community but only if the team is competitive. Why even bother with a football program if you're going to spend so much on football coaches and program expenses but have such low expectations? Why not drop it altogether?

Maintaining eligibility should be a given for any student at Cal, including athletes. But we know that most athletes receive preferential admission. There are plenty of more academically qualified students denied admission who would gladly take those spots given to athletes and pay tuition out of their own pocket.

When football ticket sales are diving, interest in the program waning, why double down on the same leadership?
71Bear
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GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.
Dgoldnbaer
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This is all pretty sad. Our program now is in the same state that it was during the Levy/Willsey years. With no light at the end of the tunnel.
calumnus
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71Bear said:

GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.


Besides, while COVID protocols likely lead to a loss to Arizona, they also likely lead to a win over USC. We were 5-7.
Big C
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71Bear said:

GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.

I have high hopes for the Webb Telescope! Imagine if we are able to look back to around the time just after the Big Bang, when what we now believe to be the irrefutable laws of physics were different. What if we learn that 5-7 actually used to be 10-2! Then it becomes a simple matter of doing some time shifting.
Blueblood
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"Oh nooooooooo!"
Trumpanzee
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After 5 years of poor recruiting, how is JW going to turn it around in the next 5......
StarsDoMatter
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Just cancel football
Cal Strong!
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GivemTheAxe said:


I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

Tedford was said to have turned down the Chicago Bears early in his tenure at Cal.

Wilcox is said to have turned down Oregon.

I don't really believe either of these claims.

But just as Sonny got an extension after flirting with a half dozen other programs, there is no better way to get an extension than to convince people that another school wants you -- even if it isn't true.
Go!Bears
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Oski87 said:

CaliforniaEternal said:

This extension adds 2 years to the previous contract. Maybe in another 5 years Wilcox will have more Cheezit Bowl and Redbox Bowl appearances under his belt.

By the way, his bonus if the team hits a 1000 APR is higher than winning a P12 championship or making the CFP playoff. That tells you where Cal's priorities are.
On education?
That's just crazy...
JimSox
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I like stability. Of course I also like wins. So I'm hoping we get both. Been hoping a long time.
CalGrad95
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Boot said:

Looks like the usual Bear Insider football brain trust.
You guys would be screaming if he'd gone to Duck land.
Yeah, I would be screaming "GET GERALD ALEXANDER RIGHT NOW!"
GivemTheAxe
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Big C said:

71Bear said:

GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.

I have high hopes for the Webb Telescope! Imagine if we are able to look back to around the time just after the Big Bang, when what we now believe to be the irrefutable laws of physics were different. What if we learn that 5-7 actually used to be 10-2! Then it becomes a simple matter of doing some time shifting.

OK you have had fun with my "what if". But no one other than Cal Strong had addressed my comments that UO made two offers to JW to be head coach

The UO AD has a better track record of selecting excellent HC material than Cal or any one on this board.

Unlike almost every one on this board the UO AD has a lot at stake if he chooses a loser. It is important for his continued employment to make the right Choice

So again I say I would trust UO's smarts at selecting a HC over any one else's (on this board) smarts at choosing a HC.

As for Cal strong while I support him on other issues, I think Cal Strong is wrong in intimating that JW made up the offers.

It would be easy for UO to deny that it made JW an offer and it would be in UO's interest to deny it if JW were lying. It is very much of a put down of UO for JW to reject its offer in order to remain at Cal

As yet I have not heard any such denial coming from UO. We
Big C
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GivemTheAxe said:

Big C said:

71Bear said:

GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.

I have high hopes for the Webb Telescope! Imagine if we are able to look back to around the time just after the Big Bang, when what we now believe to be the irrefutable laws of physics were different. What if we learn that 5-7 actually used to be 10-2! Then it becomes a simple matter of doing some time shifting.

OK you have had fun with my "what if". But no one other than Cal Strong had addressed my comments that UO made two offers to JW to be head coach

The UO AD has a better track record of selecting excellent HC material than Cal or any one on this board.

Unlike almost every one on this board the UO AD has a lot at stake if he chooses a loser. It is important for his continued employment to make the right Choice

So again I say I would trust UO's smarts at selecting a HC over any one else's (on this board) smarts at choosing a HC.

As for Cal strong while I support him on other issues, I think Cal Strong is wrong in intimating that JW made up the offers.

It would be easy for UO to deny that it made JW an offer and it would be in UO's interest to deny it if JW were lying. It is very much of a put down of UO for JW to reject its offer in order to remain at Cal

As yet I have not heard any such denial coming from UO. We

Personally, I was not having fun with your "what if", but rather riffing on 71Bear's Webb Telescope reference and his oft-repeated mantra "you are what your record says you are".

As to your "what if", it's great, but I am not about to relitigate the alleged JW-Oregon thing. It's water under the bridge. The bottom line is we have Wilcox signed long-term and I hope he succeeds! He had better, or he and the "extenders" are going to look really bad (not to mention us Cal fans, who would continue to suffer).
philbert
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GivemTheAxe said:



OK you have had fun with my "what if". But no one other than Cal Strong had addressed my comments that UO made two offers to JW to be head coach

The UO AD has a better track record of selecting excellent HC material than Cal or any one on this board.

Unlike almost every one on this board the UO AD has a lot at stake if he chooses a loser. It is important for his continued employment to make the right Choice

So again I say I would trust UO's smarts at selecting a HC over any one else's (on this board) smarts at choosing a HC.

As for Cal strong while I support him on other issues, I think Cal Strong is wrong in intimating that JW made up the offers.

It would be easy for UO to deny that it made JW an offer and it would be in UO's interest to deny it if JW were lying. It is very much of a put down of UO for JW to reject its offer in order to remain at Cal

As yet I have not heard any such denial coming from UO. We
you must not remember the thread on this when it happened. no amount of logic or reason was successful. those who thought it was made up will hold on to their alternate facts.
Cal Strong!
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GivemTheAxe said:

Big C said:

71Bear said:

GivemTheAxe said:

BearSD said:

calumnus said:

2027 season will be his 11th year, which would tie Jeff Tedford for the longest tenure as a Cal coach.

Kind of crazy to cite the Redbox Bowl win over 6-7 #73 ranked Illinois as the 5 year highlight justifying 6 more years. I'm not sure why Knowlton thought this was necessary or in Cal's interest. It is pretty much unprecedented. Wilcox is the second longest tenured coach in the conference and now he has the longest contract.

I just hope all the Wilcox fans are proved to be right.
I don't claim to have inside information on the administration's thinking, but...

(1) Seems likely that working out an extension and providing more money for staff was offered to Wilcox when he was offered the Oregon job.

(2) I am realistic. Wilcox is not Nick Saban or even Kyle Whittingham. But if "Let's Make A Deal" says that we can either keep Wilcox or take whomever Knowlton and his search agency put behind Door #2, I've seen the basketball evidence, so I'm taking Wilcox over Knowlton's Door #2.


I agree that JW would NOT have passed up the TWO offers from UO unless he had some behind-the-scenes assurances that a long contact extension was in the works and would soon be forthcoming

I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

With all due consideration for those posters who discount JW's accomplishments I put more stock in UO's HC selection smarts than in Knowlton's selection smarts. Or those of some naysayers on this board.

Maybe it will turn out to be the wrong decision. But my money is on JW.

BTW if it hadn't been for the COB interference Cal would have finished the season in a 5-1 run to offset its horrible 1-5 run to start the season. I agree that a 6-6 season is nothing to crow about but it does show a strength of character to turn around a team that was in free fall.
You are what your record says you are. Cal was 5-7. There is no maybe, kinda, perhaps, if, etc.

Of course, it is possible that the Webb Telescope will find something that unlocks the mysteries of this universe and that finding will lead us to an alternate universe in which Cal did, in fact, post a win in Tucson. However, until that time, Cal was 5-7 in 2021.

I have high hopes for the Webb Telescope! Imagine if we are able to look back to around the time just after the Big Bang, when what we now believe to be the irrefutable laws of physics were different. What if we learn that 5-7 actually used to be 10-2! Then it becomes a simple matter of doing some time shifting.
As for Cal strong while I support him on other issues, I think Cal Strong is wrong in intimating that JW made up the offers.

It would be easy for UO to deny that it made JW an offer and it would be in UO's interest to deny it if JW were lying. It is very much of a put down of UO for JW to reject its offer in order to remain at Cal
Cal Strong love the support of GivemTheAxe and other strong posters who like to be strong and help others to be strong.

Wilcox never said her had an offer from Oregon. Oregon never said they offered Wilcox. They didn't deny it either. Has GivemTheAxe ever thought that it maybe in Oregon's interest for Cal to have a coach who loses more games than he wins, while also boosting their alumni employment statistics

Cal Strong think Wilcox's agent probably made it up.

But if he didn't, and Wilcox actually received two offers from Oregon, then posters on this board should stop saying Cal doesn't do enough to support football. If the rumors of these offers are true, then Wilcox obviously thought Cal has more support to win than Oregon.
Cal Strong!
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CalGrad95 said:

Boot said:

Looks like the usual Bear Insider football brain trust.
You guys would be screaming if he'd gone to Duck land.
Yeah, I would be screaming "GET GERALD ALEXANDER RIGHT NOW!"
CalGrad95 posting STRONG today!

Cal Strong would also be saying . . . get DeBoer!!! . . . or get Tedford!!!
calumnus
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Cal Strong! said:

GivemTheAxe said:


I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

Tedford was said to have turned down the Chicago Bears early in his tenure at Cal.

Wilcox is said to have turned down Oregon.

I don't really believe either of these claims.

But just as Sonny got an extension after flirting with a half dozen other programs, there is no better way to get an extension than to convince people that another school wants you -- even if it isn't true.


Dykes did not get an extension. When it was rumored he interviewed elsewhere Cal fans were indignant and Williams fired him..
Cal Strong!
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calumnus said:

Cal Strong! said:

GivemTheAxe said:


I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

Tedford was said to have turned down the Chicago Bears early in his tenure at Cal.

Wilcox is said to have turned down Oregon.

I don't really believe either of these claims.

But just as Sonny got an extension after flirting with a half dozen other programs, there is no better way to get an extension than to convince people that another school wants you -- even if it isn't true.


Dykes did not get an extension. When it was rumored he interviewed elsewhere Cal fans were indignant and Williams fired him..
That was after the 2016. He was already interviewing with schools in previous off-seasons and received an extension.
Big C
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calumnus said:

Cal Strong! said:

GivemTheAxe said:


I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

Tedford was said to have turned down the Chicago Bears early in his tenure at Cal.

Wilcox is said to have turned down Oregon.

I don't really believe either of these claims.

But just as Sonny got an extension after flirting with a half dozen other programs, there is no better way to get an extension than to convince people that another school wants you -- even if it isn't true.


Dykes did not get an extension. When it was rumored he interviewed elsewhere Cal fans were indignant and Williams fired him..

I seem to remember Dykes getting some sort of extension after his second or third season.
calumnus
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Big C said:

calumnus said:

Cal Strong! said:

GivemTheAxe said:


I was shocked when I heard the JW turned down a "shot at the Big Time" (PAC-12 wise).
When was the last time something like that happened?

Tedford was said to have turned down the Chicago Bears early in his tenure at Cal.

Wilcox is said to have turned down Oregon.

I don't really believe either of these claims.

But just as Sonny got an extension after flirting with a half dozen other programs, there is no better way to get an extension than to convince people that another school wants you -- even if it isn't true.


Dykes did not get an extension. When it was rumored he interviewed elsewhere Cal fans were indignant and Williams fired him..

I seem to remember Dykes getting some sort of extension after his second or third season.


Yes, he got a two year extension iafter 2015 when he had two years left on his 5 year contract.
BearSD
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82gradDLSdad said:

kal kommie said:

I would have hated this before he turned down Oregon. Now I'm more ambivalent.

Like everyone else I'm dissatisfied with the results. It's not just the W/L record, it's the persistent failure to field even an average Pac-12 offense that worries me. And this extension puts us in a straight-jacket. Basically no matter what happens on the field in the next few seasons, we can't fire Wilcox while if he does breakthrough here, we have no security -- I don't interpret his turning down Oregon as "he loves us!" or he's a paragon of loyalty.

But his rebuffing Oregon has swayed me because of the confidence in himself and the program that he must have to do it, particularly with the massive losses in highly experienced players we're suffering going into 2022. Wilcox has put down a gigantic bet on himself and his success with our program. It's hard not to be persuaded by the confidence it takes to turn down this kind of money.

Still, like Big C said...this had better work.

Turning down Oregon may have very little to do with his confidence level. I take it to mean, "I don't want to deal with that win at any cost mentality and I'm much more comfortable with coaching for a program that appreciates competitive teams and scholar athletes". There is a lot of 'good' in this line of thinking but I don't think that 'good' translates into anything but a .500 football team unless Wilcox has the pulse of the high school football player community and sees a rise in great players that want to come play at a great academic school for a normal, standup guy.
IMO that assessment is unduly negative toward Wilcox.

Seems to me that there is a split among Oregon supporters, with one group believing that Oregon football "used to" do things the right way, and the other group believing Oregon football needs to have the same amoral win-at-all-costs approach that the SEC powers have.

Wilcox is a former Oregon player who seems to be in the first group. It's likely that his coordinators, his father, and his uncle, who are also former Oregon football players, feel the same way. Reportedly the biggest thing that made this group disenchanted with the current Ducks trend was firing Mark Helfrich after his first losing season. Perhaps another was when Mike Bellotti, who was the Ducks head coach for 14 seasons and OC for 6 seasons before that, was kicked upstairs to the AD position and then pushed out of that position after little more than a year.

So, maybe Wilcox perceived that he had only lukewarm support from the second group and was offered the HC job to placate the first group, and maybe he concluded that he would want the job only if he knew he had very strong support across the board, including major boosters like Knight and Kilkenny.
Blueblood
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BearSD said:

82gradDLSdad said:

kal kommie said:

I would have hated this before he turned down Oregon. Now I'm more ambivalent.

Like everyone else I'm dissatisfied with the results. It's not just the W/L record, it's the persistent failure to field even an average Pac-12 offense that worries me. And this extension puts us in a straight-jacket. Basically no matter what happens on the field in the next few seasons, we can't fire Wilcox while if he does breakthrough here, we have no security -- I don't interpret his turning down Oregon as "he loves us!" or he's a paragon of loyalty.

But his rebuffing Oregon has swayed me because of the confidence in himself and the program that he must have to do it, particularly with the massive losses in highly experienced players we're suffering going into 2022. Wilcox has put down a gigantic bet on himself and his success with our program. It's hard not to be persuaded by the confidence it takes to turn down this kind of money.

Still, like Big C said...this had better work.

Turning down Oregon may have very little to do with his confidence level. I take it to mean, "I don't want to deal with that win at any cost mentality and I'm much more comfortable with coaching for a program that appreciates competitive teams and scholar athletes". There is a lot of 'good' in this line of thinking but I don't think that 'good' translates into anything but a .500 football team unless Wilcox has the pulse of the high school football player community and sees a rise in great players that want to come play at a great academic school for a normal, standup guy.
IMO that assessment is unduly negative toward Wilcox.

Seems to me that there is a split among Oregon supporters, with one group believing that Oregon football "used to" do things the right way, and the other group believing Oregon football needs to have the same amoral win-at-all-costs approach that the SEC powers have.

Wilcox is a former Oregon player who seems to be in the first group. It's likely that his coordinators, his father, and his uncle, who are also former Oregon football players, feel the same way. Reportedly the biggest thing that made this group disenchanted with the current Ducks trend was firing Mark Helfrich after his first losing season. Perhaps another was when Mike Bellotti, who was the Ducks head coach for 14 seasons and OC for 6 seasons before that, was kicked upstairs to the AD position and then pushed out of that position after little more than a year.

So, maybe Wilcox perceived that he had only lukewarm support from the second group and was offered the HC job to placate the first group, and maybe he concluded that he would want the job only if he knew he had very strong support across the board, including major boosters like Knight and Kilkenny.

Well set forth post, but for the following, if he was and is so worried about having "very strong support across the board (?)" , how do explain this staunchly held principle with respect to his coming to, or may be more to the point, him staying and agreeing to contract extensions?
calumnus
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BearSD said:

82gradDLSdad said:

kal kommie said:

I would have hated this before he turned down Oregon. Now I'm more ambivalent.

Like everyone else I'm dissatisfied with the results. It's not just the W/L record, it's the persistent failure to field even an average Pac-12 offense that worries me. And this extension puts us in a straight-jacket. Basically no matter what happens on the field in the next few seasons, we can't fire Wilcox while if he does breakthrough here, we have no security -- I don't interpret his turning down Oregon as "he loves us!" or he's a paragon of loyalty.

But his rebuffing Oregon has swayed me because of the confidence in himself and the program that he must have to do it, particularly with the massive losses in highly experienced players we're suffering going into 2022. Wilcox has put down a gigantic bet on himself and his success with our program. It's hard not to be persuaded by the confidence it takes to turn down this kind of money.

Still, like Big C said...this had better work.

Turning down Oregon may have very little to do with his confidence level. I take it to mean, "I don't want to deal with that win at any cost mentality and I'm much more comfortable with coaching for a program that appreciates competitive teams and scholar athletes". There is a lot of 'good' in this line of thinking but I don't think that 'good' translates into anything but a .500 football team unless Wilcox has the pulse of the high school football player community and sees a rise in great players that want to come play at a great academic school for a normal, standup guy.
IMO that assessment is unduly negative toward Wilcox.

Seems to me that there is a split among Oregon supporters, with one group believing that Oregon football "used to" do things the right way, and the other group believing Oregon football needs to have the same amoral win-at-all-costs approach that the SEC powers have.

Wilcox is a former Oregon player who seems to be in the first group. It's likely that his coordinators, his father, and his uncle, who are also former Oregon football players, feel the same way. Reportedly the biggest thing that made this group disenchanted with the current Ducks trend was firing Mark Helfrich after his first losing season. Perhaps another was when Mike Bellotti, who was the Ducks head coach for 14 seasons and OC for 6 seasons before that, was kicked upstairs to the AD position and then pushed out of that position after little more than a year.

So, maybe Wilcox perceived that he had only lukewarm support from the second group and was offered the HC job to placate the first group, and maybe he concluded that he would want the job only if he knew he had very strong support across the board, including major boosters like Knight and Kilkenny.



Many Hawaii fans are clamoring for June Jones to return. The AD is known to not be a big fan. The AD announced that he offered Jones and he turned him down. Jones goes on Twitter and says he was only offered a two-year contract with the AD getting to help choose some assistants, presumably to be groomed as successors. The AD just wanted June Jones fans to think he tried so he could move on. Jones blew that cover. In our case we have no idea what Oregon's "offer" was because it is not in the interest of either side to talk about it. When asked about it the Oregon AD says he got the guy he wanted. When Wilcox was asked about it he said "there are a lot of good jobs in the PAC-12" and he is "happy at Cal."
jy1988
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+1 what SD said. I believe that JW eventually wants to end up at UO, but only after having proven himself by completing his mission at Cal: to get us to a RB and top tier competiveness in the Pac. If he can do that, imagine the clout he'd wield upon returning to Eugene. If he can't do that, then I believe he feels that the issue has taken care of itself. Why I support him fully while he's here.
calumnus
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jy1988 said:

+1 what SD said. I believe that JW eventually wants to end up at UO, but only after having proven himself by completing his mission at Cal: to get us to a RB and top tier competiveness in the Pac. If he can do that, imagine the clout he'd wield upon returning to Eugene. If he can't do that, then I believe he feels that the issue has taken care of itself. Why I support him fully while he's here.


So he has been here 5 seasons and is now under contract for 6 more seasons, if he is relatively successful at some point (better than the losing record he has now) he jumps to Oregon with more clout than he has now? If he is not successful he will just continue to make $millions at Cal getting extensions with a losing record?

I don't see that as a great deal for Cal. Either we paid him to learn on the job for Oregon's benefit or we wasted a decade waiting for him to get better. I think we have to hope that if he is ever successful at Cal he stays.

However, I agree we are far better off if he is successful and leaves than if he is unsuccessful and stays.
Bobodeluxe
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Fiat Lux.
Translation for the twenty first century:
"[W]e are far better off if he is successful and leaves than if he is unsuccessful and stays.
GivemTheAxe
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Blueblood said:

BearSD said:

82gradDLSdad said:

kal kommie said:

I would have hated this before he turned down Oregon. Now I'm more ambivalent.

Like everyone else I'm dissatisfied with the results. It's not just the W/L record, it's the persistent failure to field even an average Pac-12 offense that worries me. And this extension puts us in a straight-jacket. Basically no matter what happens on the field in the next few seasons, we can't fire Wilcox while if he does breakthrough here, we have no security -- I don't interpret his turning down Oregon as "he loves us!" or he's a paragon of loyalty.

But his rebuffing Oregon has swayed me because of the confidence in himself and the program that he must have to do it, particularly with the massive losses in highly experienced players we're suffering going into 2022. Wilcox has put down a gigantic bet on himself and his success with our program. It's hard not to be persuaded by the confidence it takes to turn down this kind of money.

Still, like Big C said...this had better work.

Turning down Oregon may have very little to do with his confidence level. I take it to mean, "I don't want to deal with that win at any cost mentality and I'm much more comfortable with coaching for a program that appreciates competitive teams and scholar athletes". There is a lot of 'good' in this line of thinking but I don't think that 'good' translates into anything but a .500 football team unless Wilcox has the pulse of the high school football player community and sees a rise in great players that want to come play at a great academic school for a normal, standup guy.
IMO that assessment is unduly negative toward Wilcox.

Seems to me that there is a split among Oregon supporters, with one group believing that Oregon football "used to" do things the right way, and the other group believing Oregon football needs to have the same amoral win-at-all-costs approach that the SEC powers have.

Wilcox is a former Oregon player who seems to be in the first group. It's likely that his coordinators, his father, and his uncle, who are also former Oregon football players, feel the same way. Reportedly the biggest thing that made this group disenchanted with the current Ducks trend was firing Mark Helfrich after his first losing season. Perhaps another was when Mike Bellotti, who was the Ducks head coach for 14 seasons and OC for 6 seasons before that, was kicked upstairs to the AD position and then pushed out of that position after little more than a year.

So, maybe Wilcox perceived that he had only lukewarm support from the second group and was offered the HC job to placate the first group, and maybe he concluded that he would want the job only if he knew he had very strong support across the board, including major boosters like Knight and Kilkenny.

Well set forth post, but for the following, if he was and is so worried about having "very strong support across the board (?)" , how do explain this staunch principle with respect to his coming to, or may be more to the point, him staying and agreeing to contract extensions?

I can't believe it. I actually agree with Blueblood on something. (I am just kidding I have agreed with Blueblood on many topics I just haven't posted my agreement)
If JW wanted across the board support he would not have stayed at Cal. He must know that many fans are disappointed in the results of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
But personally I don't think any person who is coaching at the level that JW is coaching cares much about having across the board support
IMO a HC at this level needs to keep the AD happy (and at Cal he needs to keep the chancellor happy).

He keeps the AD happy with wins. He keeps the Chancellor happy by developing successful STUDENT-athletes. He needs to keep the fans coming to the games but that happens as a result of increasing the wins.

JW must have concluded that his chances of increasing the wins are fairly good here at Cal. Otherwise he would have moved on to UO. UO has much greater financial resources and much better football physical infrastructure and a much better reputation for recruiting.
If he is looking for a move upward I would guess that move would be to the NFL where HC''s can make the kind of money in a few years that you can plan a very comfortable retirement and would enable you to play at the highest levels.
SurvivorOf1and10fkaLEA
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How much does Alabama pay its water polo coach?

Poor argument. Try again. You are comparing apples and oranges.
 
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