Cal Football

The Five Big Questions facing Cal Football in 2025

Finding answers for these will be the key to the Bears unlocking the teams potential in the midst of what appears to be a very manageable schedule
By Bear Insider
August 8, 2025
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Photo by Al Sermeno - KLC Fotos

There’s never been a season more difficult to project during the Justin Wilcox era than this year.  On paper, a cakewalk of a schedule, a huge amount of staff and roster turnover with Cal’s best four offensive players leaving via the portal and four defensive stalwarts leaving for the NFL. One can easily see the staff being improved and a slew of solid, experienced if not hugely talented reinforcements joining the team leading the team to relative success. Regardless of how bullish or bearish one feels, there are five crucial questions that must be answered for the team to win 8+ regular season games.

The Questions:

1.). Justin Wilcox:   Is Cal going to get the very best Justin Wilcox, a coach who now has his most accomplished staff, with a new boss who understands football and wants him to succeed, and an opportunity to do what he does best as the de facto DC of the team?   He looked awfully relaxed this Spring, and a relaxed Coach Wilcox could well be a much better head coach.   

Or is he the Justin Wilcox we’ve seen for eight seasons?  A smart, high character teacher and leader who always seems to find a reason not to do all that is truly required to create a winning program.  Bad staff hires, not replacing coaches who are not succeeding in a timely manner, not pushing hard enough on the administration to get the support he needs, and in game coaching that too often seems to be about trying not to lose and never seeming to provide his team with enough passion and fire.   

The single biggest correlation of success in College Football is the head coach.  Justin’s resume suggests this team will finish between 5 and 7 wins despite the schedule. Has he grown and has the support around him, set him up for success? That’s the biggest question facing the 2025 Bears.

2.). Will Cal get solid Quarterback play?   You have to have it to win in college football and the Bears had good enough QB play in 2024 to do so yet it’s less clear heading into 2025. Devin Brown’s time in Ohio State suggests he’s not elite, but whether he’s solid is TBD.  His first Spring in Berkeley did not provide a clear answer.

True Freshman don’t often help teams win 9+ games, but it can happen and those that do often have resumes similar to JKS.  5 star recruiting accolades, a big arm, a poised demeanor and otherworld accuracy are often the traits needed for an 18 year old to make it happen in their first year in college.  And those are certainly part of Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele‍’s toolbox.  On the other hand, he played in a highly simplified high school offense and his fundamentals are awfully raw.

OC Bryan Harsin and Special Assistant Nick Rolovich have often been cited as QB whisperers and they will need to prove that’s true to get one or both of the above players to avoid bad mistakes, make the easy throws and when required make big plays.

3.) Will the offensive line make a big jump?   It’s not in the least a stretch to say that had Cal had simply average OL play in 2024, the team would have won 9 or more regular season games. The group was consistently bad, offering very few running lanes and giving up pressure, sacks and TFLs like they were a charitable organization for the betterment of opposing defenses.   

In 2025, the group has a dynamic young coach in Famika Anae who is coming off a tremendous year in New Mexico and a host of new players, almost all of whom were starters in the previous stops with a solid level of success.  There are some promising returners as well and this Spring, the unit looked improved, albeit with plenty of room still to grow.   

Given the offensive skill talent is not obviously in the top half of the ACC, the success of the offense is likely to come down to how well the OL plays. That’s particularly true given Bryan Harsin’s power running and vertical passing game background.

4.).  Is there enough top tier talent in the two deeps?  Over the past eight years, no one is going to mistake Cal’s roster for Ohio State’s or Alabama’s. That said, the transfer portal has been good for the Bears and a handful of home grown HS recruits have flourished.   Last year saw four Cal defensive players drafted and 2025 looked to be the season where something similar would happen on Offense as Mendoza, Endries and Ott were consensus projected 2026 draft selections.  Alas, those three along with three other talented offensive players (Thomas, Hunter and Martin) decided to take their talents elsewhere. The replenishments in this years portal are down a notch in terms of rankings and there’s a real question as to just how talented the 2025 version of the Bears will be.

Cal has plenty of players with impressive HS recruiting resumes on the roster and quite a few transfers with solid if not better production at the Group of 5 and FCS level.  Depth would appear to be a strength, yet the question remains whether there is enough top tier talent left for the Bears to take advantage of their schedule.

5.).  Can the Bears Special Teams stop being so “special”?

The last few seasons, no unit on the team has better embodied the notion of finding a way to lose more than Cal’s Special Teams group. While there have been aspects that have been solid including punting and last year, the Kickoff team, for the most part, this group has failed to do the easy and expected.

Placekicking has been particularly atrocious, and arguably cost Cal three games in 2024. That unit has clearly had talent and often pedigree, yet has not been able to find its confidence and consistency.   In 2025, Cal will have to break in a new longsnapper, punter, placekicker and KO specialist.   There are new sheriffs in town to lead the group including a new PK coach and that may well be the tonic the Bears need.

Given the caliber of opponent Cal will face and Wilcox’s propensity to play close games, the fate of the 2025 team could well come down to the effectiveness of its Special Teams play.

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The Five Big Questions facing Cal Football in 2025

12,794 Views | 54 Replies | Last: 19 days ago by calumnus
calumnus
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In reply to BearSD • 2:54p, 8/14/25
BearSD said:
6956bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
GivemTheAxe said:
JeffMcd said:
Hope is not a strategy. Why has it taken nine seasons for Wilcox to get a competent Offensive coaching staff? (With the exception of the one Spavital season). Thankfully we now have a Chancellor who abhors incompetence and will make sure ADs demand results. There's no excuse for the past 16 years of losing conference records. Lyons will do all he can to create a successful football program. He actually likes the sport.


Lyons has already put himself on the record: 6 and 7 win seasons are NOT ACCEPTABLE anymore

Yeah, except multiple chancellors have come in making big noise that we are striving for championships, something I have very much noted has been dropped from the messaging in recent years. And no actions were taken. No offense, but it is easy to say things. It is not easy to achieve things. Early comments on Christ were that she gets it and was going to turn things around and the program is possibly at its least healthy point in my lifetime.

Hiring Rivera was good. His botched messaging and massive delay in fixing the botched messaging, the protest that ensued, and the national coverage that ensued was like chopping off an arm and watching the person bleed out and putting on the tourniquet at the last possible second.

And if 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable, we have a coach who has failed to meet even that standard 4 times out of 8, and has only passed not acceptable 1 time in eight years, barely, winning 8 games once. Lyons had the opportunity to end that unacceptable situation and he didn't. And I know some of you are going to say he wasn't here long enough, he had other things to do, he didn't want Knowlton hiring the next guy or a bunch of other excuses for not taking decisive action, but the bottom line is he chose not to take decisive action, but instead chose to buy a truckload of lipstick to slap on the same old pig. If 6 and 7 win seasons were truly not acceptable Wilcox would be gone. Or is this like the tv show Barry where we are going to stop murdering the football program now...okay, now...okay, now...okay, now.

In any case, genuine good intentions or not, words and effort stopped meaning anything a long time ago. We'll know 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable when they actually stop.

Yes Christ did talk a big game.
But Lyons has not just talked a big game, he has provided Wilcox with the resources to make his talk a reality. That is the reason why Lyons says that 6 and 7 win seasons are no longer acceptable.

If Wilcox continues with his typical 5-7 win seasons, this will be his FINAL year as Cal's HC.


I think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8.

We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

Who is "Cal"? Not disagreeing with you necessarily. But are you saying Rivera/Lyons or just "the consensus"? That big donors would be satisfied and not be willing to put up money that Lyons would want put up before Wilcox gets fired? Or that big donors might push for yet another contract extension so that Wilcox doesn't go into year 10 with only 1 year left on his contract?

Also, is "8 wins" 7-5 (4-4) plus a win in a minor bowl?
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72CalBear
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3:15p, 8/14/25
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.
Bring back bottled beer and cigars at CMS. Should get us back in the Rose Bowl!
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TandemBear
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In reply to BearSD • 3:48p, 8/14/25
BearSDI think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8. said:
We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

And this is where you are wrong. Cal simply cannot cling to stupidity of the past. They HAVE to get past this type of thinking. Cal HAS to think like Alabama and their peers. In fact, Cal's future depends on it, whereas the Alabama's of the world don't. They're swimming in money in the top conferences. Their futures are pretty well set; Cal is hanging on by a thread.

Or if you're right, then Cal's program will soon end.

Existential finality looms.
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Rushinbear
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In reply to 72CalBear • 3:55p, 8/14/25
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.

more kids could get to play. if you're 2nd or 3rd string and they want to see if you might develop, they will play you enough to keep you thinking that they love you.

as to hc personality, it's one thing to think that your hc is motivated and wants to win. It's another when he drones on and on with an occasional " 'kay" sprinkled in there as he was taught to do in communications class.
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HungryCalBear
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In reply to BearSD • 4:09p, 8/14/25
BearSD said:
6956bear said:
I think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8.

We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

Agree. An 8-win season and an after season stability of coaching staff will be considered great progress for a "rebuild" year, with all the new players. Anything less that that JW will be on hot seat.
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Big C
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4:55p, 8/14/25

The number of wins (not including a bowl game) will be the key metric, but almost as important will be Ron Rivera's recommendation, after watching up close and personal for a year.
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BearSD
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In reply to calumnus • 5:51p, 8/14/25
calumnus said:
BearSD said:
6956bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
GivemTheAxe said:
JeffMcd said:
Hope is not a strategy. Why has it taken nine seasons for Wilcox to get a competent Offensive coaching staff? (With the exception of the one Spavital season). Thankfully we now have a Chancellor who abhors incompetence and will make sure ADs demand results. There's no excuse for the past 16 years of losing conference records. Lyons will do all he can to create a successful football program. He actually likes the sport.


Lyons has already put himself on the record: 6 and 7 win seasons are NOT ACCEPTABLE anymore

Yeah, except multiple chancellors have come in making big noise that we are striving for championships, something I have very much noted has been dropped from the messaging in recent years. And no actions were taken. No offense, but it is easy to say things. It is not easy to achieve things. Early comments on Christ were that she gets it and was going to turn things around and the program is possibly at its least healthy point in my lifetime.

Hiring Rivera was good. His botched messaging and massive delay in fixing the botched messaging, the protest that ensued, and the national coverage that ensued was like chopping off an arm and watching the person bleed out and putting on the tourniquet at the last possible second.

And if 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable, we have a coach who has failed to meet even that standard 4 times out of 8, and has only passed not acceptable 1 time in eight years, barely, winning 8 games once. Lyons had the opportunity to end that unacceptable situation and he didn't. And I know some of you are going to say he wasn't here long enough, he had other things to do, he didn't want Knowlton hiring the next guy or a bunch of other excuses for not taking decisive action, but the bottom line is he chose not to take decisive action, but instead chose to buy a truckload of lipstick to slap on the same old pig. If 6 and 7 win seasons were truly not acceptable Wilcox would be gone. Or is this like the tv show Barry where we are going to stop murdering the football program now...okay, now...okay, now...okay, now.

In any case, genuine good intentions or not, words and effort stopped meaning anything a long time ago. We'll know 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable when they actually stop.

Yes Christ did talk a big game.
But Lyons has not just talked a big game, he has provided Wilcox with the resources to make his talk a reality. That is the reason why Lyons says that 6 and 7 win seasons are no longer acceptable.

If Wilcox continues with his typical 5-7 win seasons, this will be his FINAL year as Cal's HC.


I think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8.

We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

Who is "Cal"? Not disagreeing with you necessarily. But are you saying Rivera/Lyons or just "the consensus"? That big donors would be satisfied and not be willing to put up money that Lyons would want put up before Wilcox gets fired? Or that big donors might push for yet another contract extension so that Wilcox doesn't go into year 10 with only 1 year left on his contract?

Also, is "8 wins" 7-5 (4-4) plus a win in a minor bowl?

It's donors. Alabama football donors would buy out an 8-4 coach; for that matter no one would be too surprised if it happened this year provided the Tide wins 8 or fewer games. Cal does not have athletic donors who will write those giant checks to get rid of an 8-4 coach, nor has there ever been a Cal administration, including the current one, that would pressure donors to put up the money to fire an 8-4 coach. And with funding for the entire university under attack from the bad guys back east, we can't even entertain a fantasy of university funds being used for that purpose.

And no, I am not saying that donors or anyone else would extend Wilcox after this season. Maybe if he reaches the final season on his contract with no extension on the table, he might follow Chip Kelly's path and leave for a coordinator job elsewhere instead of coaching one last season as a lame duck head coach.

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calumnus
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In reply to 72CalBear • 6:59p, 8/14/25
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.

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BearSD
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In reply to calumnus • 8:26p, 8/14/25
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

Two of the top three CU transfers that year were Deion's sons. The third, who is the best of all of them, is basically Deion's surrogate son. And those three were also there for Deion's second year to help recruit the next class. So that situation is not replicable unless you can identify another coach with blue-chip sons who will move with him. (That has happened several times in college basketball, not so much in football.)
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calumnus
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In reply to BearSD • 10:18p, 8/14/25
BearSD said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

Two of the top three CU transfers that year were Deion's sons. The third, who is the best of all of them, is basically Deion's surrogate son. And those three were also there for Deion's second year to help recruit the next class. So that situation is not replicable unless you can identify another coach with blue-chip sons who will move with him. (That has happened several times in college basketball, not so much in football.)

Yes, 3 transfers from his own Jackson State program, which does not account for all 34 of the 4 and 5 star players Deion has brought to Colorado. In those same same three years Cal has brought in 12. It is not all "his own kids" or NIL. It is Deion.

And you are ignoring my other example: the success Brennan Marion is already having at FCS Sac State including beating out the entire SEC and most of the B1G for an elite WR out of Mississippi, with the player citing his personality and their connection as the prime factor.

It is not JUST NIL that drives these decisions. Some places, coaches and systems have to pay MORE to overcome those places, coaches and systems. Some places, coaches and systems (or brand recognition) are so attractive they don't have to pay as much NIL. Add in factors like playing time, media market…. The bottom line is the coaches' personality matters. You cannot have a Mark Fox who drives off players in the Portal era. Just like many here have likely quit or changed jobs if your boss is a jerk. Similarly many have likely turned down better offers if they are loyal to the people they work for and with. If anything, the Portal era makes the coach's personality more important, not less. Before, they only had to be charming while recruiting you.
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BearlyCareAnymore
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In reply to calumnus • 12:29a, 8/15/25
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.
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6956bear
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In reply to BearlyCareAnymore • 9:08a, 8/15/25
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.

Lots of good stuff has happened to Colorado football due to Deion. Yes that first season underwhelmed but the previous season they won but 1 game. Of course that 1 win came against our Bears. So they go 4-8 in year 1 then last season 9-4 and 7-2 in the Big 12. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and Shadeur Sanders was a very prolific college QB.

Many do not like how Colorado turned their program around. But they did do that. They are now a threat on the recruiting trail, and still a top draw on TV and they now fill their stadium and donations are up. Heck Deion does not even leave Boulder to recruit.

Cal should be so lucky. Cal has had a very high number of transfers these past 3 seasons. And they are still mediocre overall and a lower division team in the ACC. They are picked near the bottom this season, have an over/under win total of 5.5 and are a underdog to a team they beat 44-7 last season.

I do believe the best use of the portal is to supplement your roster to fill holes. But Cal has been a transfer portal user these past 3 cycles and the roster is still below average. And their HS recruiting is among the very worst in all the P4.

I am not advocating for how Deion did it, but the results are up. Colorado was way down. Some considered them the worst P4 program in the country when Deion took over. The game has become a professional endeavor. The players are paid. They can transfer every season without penalty. The players have agents. Realignment hovers over nearly every program in the Big 12 and ACC.

Cal if they want to stay P4 needs to navigate this new world much better than they have. Ron Rivera is here because what this program and athletic department was doing was not working. The transfer portal is a tool. But you still need dynamic personalities and coaches that attract talent. Justin Wilcox is the polar opposite of that. That is fine if you are winning. But when you lose and recruit as poorly as this program has you need to look at any and all options to improve the product.

And the collective is likely the only thing that has kept this program from completely bottoming out. The rankings for the portal are flawed. Colorado did not even have a competitive G5 roster in 2022. Cal still did not beat them. They improved in 2023 and last season they won 9 games. When was the last time Cal won 9 games? Deion rebuilt Colorado. Can they stay there? TBD but his method worked. Their trendline is up. Where is Cals trendline?

I hate the portal. But it is here and not going away. Same with NIL or Revenue share or whatever they call it. And realignment looms. It could be that every P4 team gets a seat. But few believe that is likely. So Cal better find a coach that can win games. And utilize all the tools available to produce a winning product, or get the F*** out of college football.
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In reply to 6956bear • 10:18a, 8/15/25
I mean ideally we would just be supplementing through the portal but it's not the only path to success. Look at Miami last year who had a quick turnaround to a great season. Or SMU who made the CFP on the back of a great portal class. For all their faults, the strength of Wilcox's teams has been early identification of great talent. Look at all the walk-ons, 2*, and low 3* talent that became contributors and stars (e.g. Uluave, Endries, Mendoza among others) as well as 4*+ talent that were identified early like JKS.

The problem is that it only works when you have the stability to back it up. We've been cycling through coaching staff due to repeated failures and so guys leave, we rebuild to an extent or even improve, and then we go back to square one. If we had a HC who was better or could keep his house in order then the portal additions would come without the expense of losing major contributors every year.

It's not my preferred method but I truly believe that if we could do the same in the portal while keeping our important continuity on the roster by having a steady and reliable coaching staff that we could at least put ourselves in position to show that we deserve to remain in the upper echelon of CFB
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In reply to 6956bear • 11:55a, 8/15/25
6956bear said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.

Lots of good stuff has happened to Colorado football due to Deion. Yes that first season underwhelmed but the previous season they won but 1 game. Of course that 1 win came against our Bears. So they go 4-8 in year 1 then last season 9-4 and 7-2 in the Big 12. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and Shadeur Sanders was a very prolific college QB.

Many do not like how Colorado turned their program around. But they did do that. They are now a threat on the recruiting trail, and still a top draw on TV and they now fill their stadium and donations are up. Heck Deion does not even leave Boulder to recruit.

Cal should be so lucky. Cal has had a very high number of transfers these past 3 seasons. And they are still mediocre overall and a lower division team in the ACC. They are picked near the bottom this season, have an over/under win total of 5.5 and are a underdog to a team they beat 44-7 last season.

I do believe the best use of the portal is to supplement your roster to fill holes. But Cal has been a transfer portal user these past 3 cycles and the roster is still below average. And their HS recruiting is among the very worst in all the P4.

I am not advocating for how Deion did it, but the results are up. Colorado was way down. Some considered them the worst P4 program in the country when Deion took over. The game has become a professional endeavor. The players are paid. They can transfer every season without penalty. The players have agents. Realignment hovers over nearly every program in the Big 12 and ACC.

Cal if they want to stay P4 needs to navigate this new world much better than they have. Ron Rivera is here because what this program and athletic department was doing was not working. The transfer portal is a tool. But you still need dynamic personalities and coaches that attract talent. Justin Wilcox is the polar opposite of that. That is fine if you are winning. But when you lose and recruit as poorly as this program has you need to look at any and all options to improve the product.

And the collective is likely the only thing that has kept this program from completely bottoming out. The rankings for the portal are flawed. Colorado did not even have a competitive G5 roster in 2022. Cal still did not beat them. They improved in 2023 and last season they won 9 games. When was the last time Cal won 9 games? Deion rebuilt Colorado. Can they stay there? TBD but his method worked. Their trendline is up. Where is Cals trendline?

I hate the portal. But it is here and not going away. Same with NIL or Revenue share or whatever they call it. And realignment looms. It could be that every P4 team gets a seat. But few believe that is likely. So Cal better find a coach that can win games. And utilize all the tools available to produce a winning product, or get the F*** out of college football.

I'm not arguing against the portal or saying anything about what Colorado has done under Deion. I'm merely talking about the transfer portal team rankings that keep getting cited. Colorado did not have the best transfer portal class that year by a long shot. They ranked that high in the ON3 ranking because they had 50 players and because it also factored in impact, in other words how much Colorado's existing roster sucked. Their average individual ranking was terrible. Deion probably would have traded his class wholesale with 30 other teams. They went 4-8 but they finished 1-8 in the Pac-12, same record as the year before and in last place. If that portal class was the best in the country, they would have finished higher.

Cal, and any team, has to recruit successfully in all facets, very much including the portal. I don't care if we get our players from high school or the portal. I am in no way saying we shouldn't use the portal. I'm saying the rankings are bogus and we have to stop citing them to say things they don't say.
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In reply to BearlyCareAnymore • 3:12p, 8/15/25
BearlyCareAnymore said:
6956bear said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.

Lots of good stuff has happened to Colorado football due to Deion. Yes that first season underwhelmed but the previous season they won but 1 game. Of course that 1 win came against our Bears. So they go 4-8 in year 1 then last season 9-4 and 7-2 in the Big 12. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and Shadeur Sanders was a very prolific college QB.

Many do not like how Colorado turned their program around. But they did do that. They are now a threat on the recruiting trail, and still a top draw on TV and they now fill their stadium and donations are up. Heck Deion does not even leave Boulder to recruit.

Cal should be so lucky. Cal has had a very high number of transfers these past 3 seasons. And they are still mediocre overall and a lower division team in the ACC. They are picked near the bottom this season, have an over/under win total of 5.5 and are a underdog to a team they beat 44-7 last season.

I do believe the best use of the portal is to supplement your roster to fill holes. But Cal has been a transfer portal user these past 3 cycles and the roster is still below average. And their HS recruiting is among the very worst in all the P4.

I am not advocating for how Deion did it, but the results are up. Colorado was way down. Some considered them the worst P4 program in the country when Deion took over. The game has become a professional endeavor. The players are paid. They can transfer every season without penalty. The players have agents. Realignment hovers over nearly every program in the Big 12 and ACC.

Cal if they want to stay P4 needs to navigate this new world much better than they have. Ron Rivera is here because what this program and athletic department was doing was not working. The transfer portal is a tool. But you still need dynamic personalities and coaches that attract talent. Justin Wilcox is the polar opposite of that. That is fine if you are winning. But when you lose and recruit as poorly as this program has you need to look at any and all options to improve the product.

And the collective is likely the only thing that has kept this program from completely bottoming out. The rankings for the portal are flawed. Colorado did not even have a competitive G5 roster in 2022. Cal still did not beat them. They improved in 2023 and last season they won 9 games. When was the last time Cal won 9 games? Deion rebuilt Colorado. Can they stay there? TBD but his method worked. Their trendline is up. Where is Cals trendline?

I hate the portal. But it is here and not going away. Same with NIL or Revenue share or whatever they call it. And realignment looms. It could be that every P4 team gets a seat. But few believe that is likely. So Cal better find a coach that can win games. And utilize all the tools available to produce a winning product, or get the F*** out of college football.

I'm not arguing against the portal or saying anything about what Colorado has done under Deion. I'm merely talking about the transfer portal team rankings that keep getting cited. Colorado did not have the best transfer portal class that year by a long shot. They ranked that high in the ON3 ranking because they had 50 players and because it also factored in impact, in other words how much Colorado's existing roster sucked. Their average individual ranking was terrible. Deion probably would have traded his class wholesale with 30 other teams. They went 4-8 but they finished 1-8 in the Pac-12, same record as the year before and in last place. If that portal class was the best in the country, they would have finished higher.

Cal, and any team, has to recruit successfully in all facets, very much including the portal. I don't care if we get our players from high school or the portal. I am in no way saying we shouldn't use the portal. I'm saying the rankings are bogus and we have to stop citing them to say things they don't say.


Yes, the ranking methodology is flawed, that is why I often just go with the number of 4 and 5 star players. And yes, it isn't just the transfer portal, HS recruiting too. Look at all the 4 and 5 star players Colorado has brought in. It is not just the three family members from Jackson State. And yes, Colorado has woefully underperformed given the talent level, but that is a different issue.

My point was only to refute one poster's assertion that the coach's personality, whether positive or negative, doesn't matter anymore, that all that matters is NIL and X's and O's.

While I am a HUGE proponent of smart coaches with innovative, flexible strategies, personality matters, especially at a place like Cal. In college you still need a coach that can attract and retain great players above and beyond your NIL budget and inspire them to believe in the coaches, the system and themselves for their own success and the success of the team. Right now we have that at DB. Maybe LB. Nowhere else, though OL is looking promising.

I think Marion is a good example because he is smart, flexible, innovative, AND has a great personality. Again, getting Rashada to Sac State and then landing an elite 4 star WR out of the Deep South with offers from all of the SEC and much of the top teams in the B1G is insane no matter how you rank his class. I am not sure that I love the "Go Go" offense, but I love that he has created his own offense and he is able to get god players to come play for him.
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In reply to calumnus • 3:44p, 8/15/25
calumnus said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
6956bear said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.

Lots of good stuff has happened to Colorado football due to Deion. Yes that first season underwhelmed but the previous season they won but 1 game. Of course that 1 win came against our Bears. So they go 4-8 in year 1 then last season 9-4 and 7-2 in the Big 12. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and Shadeur Sanders was a very prolific college QB.

Many do not like how Colorado turned their program around. But they did do that. They are now a threat on the recruiting trail, and still a top draw on TV and they now fill their stadium and donations are up. Heck Deion does not even leave Boulder to recruit.

Cal should be so lucky. Cal has had a very high number of transfers these past 3 seasons. And they are still mediocre overall and a lower division team in the ACC. They are picked near the bottom this season, have an over/under win total of 5.5 and are a underdog to a team they beat 44-7 last season.

I do believe the best use of the portal is to supplement your roster to fill holes. But Cal has been a transfer portal user these past 3 cycles and the roster is still below average. And their HS recruiting is among the very worst in all the P4.

I am not advocating for how Deion did it, but the results are up. Colorado was way down. Some considered them the worst P4 program in the country when Deion took over. The game has become a professional endeavor. The players are paid. They can transfer every season without penalty. The players have agents. Realignment hovers over nearly every program in the Big 12 and ACC.

Cal if they want to stay P4 needs to navigate this new world much better than they have. Ron Rivera is here because what this program and athletic department was doing was not working. The transfer portal is a tool. But you still need dynamic personalities and coaches that attract talent. Justin Wilcox is the polar opposite of that. That is fine if you are winning. But when you lose and recruit as poorly as this program has you need to look at any and all options to improve the product.

And the collective is likely the only thing that has kept this program from completely bottoming out. The rankings for the portal are flawed. Colorado did not even have a competitive G5 roster in 2022. Cal still did not beat them. They improved in 2023 and last season they won 9 games. When was the last time Cal won 9 games? Deion rebuilt Colorado. Can they stay there? TBD but his method worked. Their trendline is up. Where is Cals trendline?

I hate the portal. But it is here and not going away. Same with NIL or Revenue share or whatever they call it. And realignment looms. It could be that every P4 team gets a seat. But few believe that is likely. So Cal better find a coach that can win games. And utilize all the tools available to produce a winning product, or get the F*** out of college football.

I'm not arguing against the portal or saying anything about what Colorado has done under Deion. I'm merely talking about the transfer portal team rankings that keep getting cited. Colorado did not have the best transfer portal class that year by a long shot. They ranked that high in the ON3 ranking because they had 50 players and because it also factored in impact, in other words how much Colorado's existing roster sucked. Their average individual ranking was terrible. Deion probably would have traded his class wholesale with 30 other teams. They went 4-8 but they finished 1-8 in the Pac-12, same record as the year before and in last place. If that portal class was the best in the country, they would have finished higher.

Cal, and any team, has to recruit successfully in all facets, very much including the portal. I don't care if we get our players from high school or the portal. I am in no way saying we shouldn't use the portal. I'm saying the rankings are bogus and we have to stop citing them to say things they don't say.


Yes, the ranking methodology is flawed, that is why I often just go with the number of 4 and 5 star players. And yes, it isn't just the transfer portal, HS recruiting too. Look at all the 4 and 5 star players Colorado has brought in. It is not just the three family members from Jackson State. And yes, Colorado has woefully underperformed given the talent level, but that is a different issue.

My point was only to refute one poster's assertion that the coach's personality, whether positive or negative, doesn't matter anymore, that all that matters is NIL and X's and O's.

While I am a HUGE proponent of smart coaches with innovative, flexible strategies, personality matters, especially at a place like Cal. In college you still need a coach that can attract and retain great players above and beyond your NIL budget and inspire them to believe in the coaches, the system and themselves for their own success and the success of the team. Right now we have that at DB. Maybe LB. Nowhere else, though OL is looking promising.

I think Marion is a good example because he is smart, flexible, innovative, AND has a great personality. Again, getting Rashada to Sac State and then landing an elite 4 star WR out of the Deep South with offers from all of the SEC and much of the top teams in the B1G is insane no matter how you rank his class. I am not sure that I love the "Go Go" offense, but I love that he has created his own offense and he is able to get god players to come play for him.

I don't disagree with your primary points. I just have to say that maybe Colorado didn't woefully underperform the talent level. Maybe Cal didn't woefully underperform the talent level. Maybe the view of the talent level is skewed by the fact that they are relying on transfer portal rankings that are flawed.

But definitely if Marion can bring god players, sign him up. I want god players.
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In reply to BearlyCareAnymore • 4:17p, 8/15/25
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
6956bear said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
calumnus said:
72CalBear said:
Say what you like, but the NIL and portal make it extremely difficult (not just for Cal!) to build in anything close to continuity and development with the players. As such, players don't need that "personality coach" that many of you rave about. They don't care about locker room HC speak. What we should concern ourself with all the newcomers is locker room and team chemistry. Everyone is looking out for themselves these days. Transferring is on every players mind. Second string or back up? See you later! My concern (also in high school where I am involved) is the revolving door and how teams/coaches/admin address the tentative nature of a team now. A Bear this year and a ______? next year. It's down in the high schools now and here in Long Beach, players have jumped around freely and the privates are pouncing. Loyalty? Commitment to team and school? Bear staff have new challenges besides Xs and O's.


In 2023 Deion Sanders became Colorado's head coach and they pulled in the #1 Transfer Portal class in the country.

The year before Colorado had the #79 Portal class, well behind #55 Jackson State, where Deion was then HC. Utah was #56, Purdue #63, Vanderbilt #65, Ohio State #73, Notre Dame #75.

Colorado alums are not the wealthiest in the country, and did not suddenly get richer going from #79 to #1 in a single year. Jackson State does not have a ton of NIL but they landed a better portal class than Ohio State or Notre Dame? Cmon, you have to admit the difference was Deion.

Last year, In his second year, Colorado pulled in the #8 transfer class.

So it isn't just NIL. Kids still want to play for a coach they want to play for. The best players want a shot at the NFL and a coach that has NFL cred, or a record of winning and sending players to the NFL. There is a reason Cal's best recruiting has been at DB given the same NIL funding source.

It isn't just up to the players to form chemistry. The coaches get paid $millions to be leaders and create that chemistry.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Brennan Marion in his first year at Sac State just pulled in the #64 Portal Class (including Jaden Rashada) by far the highest for any FCS program and ahead of Pitt, BC, Tennessee, Northwestern, Florida, Clemson, BYU… Basically recruiting to an FCS like Deion did at Jackson State. It will be really interesting to see how he does in this his first year and how he uses Rashada. He also just got a commit from 4 Star WR Xavier McDonald out of Mississippi (beating out Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee….) with Sac State's 2026 HS recruiting currently ranked #53. Marion's personality, not Sac State's boosters, was far and away the difference.

Oh, and Marion's salary as Head Coach at Sac State is $350,000. Probably less than we are paying Rolovich as an "offensive assistant." People said we couldn't afford to fire Wilcox after he went 2-6 in the ACC last year, but Wilcox's contract is a sunk cost, like Knowlton's, the true incremental cost is his replacement and we had affordable options like Ron Rivera who came anyway, or an up and coming coach like Marion.

It will be interesting to see how Marion's offense looks this year and how flexible it can be. As OC at UNLV last year he had the #15 scoring offense. Someone to keep an eye on.




I don't know what I have to do to debunk this. Colorado had the supposed #1 portal class Sanders' first year because they brought in 50 players. Their average player rating was very low. The transfer portal ranking that keeps getting cited is hot garbage. As was, by the way the Colorado team that played the season with the #1 transfer portal class. I'm pretty sure the actual top transfer portal class would have managed to finish somewhere in the top 11 of the PAC-12.

Lots of good stuff has happened to Colorado football due to Deion. Yes that first season underwhelmed but the previous season they won but 1 game. Of course that 1 win came against our Bears. So they go 4-8 in year 1 then last season 9-4 and 7-2 in the Big 12. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and Shadeur Sanders was a very prolific college QB.

Many do not like how Colorado turned their program around. But they did do that. They are now a threat on the recruiting trail, and still a top draw on TV and they now fill their stadium and donations are up. Heck Deion does not even leave Boulder to recruit.

Cal should be so lucky. Cal has had a very high number of transfers these past 3 seasons. And they are still mediocre overall and a lower division team in the ACC. They are picked near the bottom this season, have an over/under win total of 5.5 and are a underdog to a team they beat 44-7 last season.

I do believe the best use of the portal is to supplement your roster to fill holes. But Cal has been a transfer portal user these past 3 cycles and the roster is still below average. And their HS recruiting is among the very worst in all the P4.

I am not advocating for how Deion did it, but the results are up. Colorado was way down. Some considered them the worst P4 program in the country when Deion took over. The game has become a professional endeavor. The players are paid. They can transfer every season without penalty. The players have agents. Realignment hovers over nearly every program in the Big 12 and ACC.

Cal if they want to stay P4 needs to navigate this new world much better than they have. Ron Rivera is here because what this program and athletic department was doing was not working. The transfer portal is a tool. But you still need dynamic personalities and coaches that attract talent. Justin Wilcox is the polar opposite of that. That is fine if you are winning. But when you lose and recruit as poorly as this program has you need to look at any and all options to improve the product.

And the collective is likely the only thing that has kept this program from completely bottoming out. The rankings for the portal are flawed. Colorado did not even have a competitive G5 roster in 2022. Cal still did not beat them. They improved in 2023 and last season they won 9 games. When was the last time Cal won 9 games? Deion rebuilt Colorado. Can they stay there? TBD but his method worked. Their trendline is up. Where is Cals trendline?

I hate the portal. But it is here and not going away. Same with NIL or Revenue share or whatever they call it. And realignment looms. It could be that every P4 team gets a seat. But few believe that is likely. So Cal better find a coach that can win games. And utilize all the tools available to produce a winning product, or get the F*** out of college football.

I'm not arguing against the portal or saying anything about what Colorado has done under Deion. I'm merely talking about the transfer portal team rankings that keep getting cited. Colorado did not have the best transfer portal class that year by a long shot. They ranked that high in the ON3 ranking because they had 50 players and because it also factored in impact, in other words how much Colorado's existing roster sucked. Their average individual ranking was terrible. Deion probably would have traded his class wholesale with 30 other teams. They went 4-8 but they finished 1-8 in the Pac-12, same record as the year before and in last place. If that portal class was the best in the country, they would have finished higher.

Cal, and any team, has to recruit successfully in all facets, very much including the portal. I don't care if we get our players from high school or the portal. I am in no way saying we shouldn't use the portal. I'm saying the rankings are bogus and we have to stop citing them to say things they don't say.


Yes, the ranking methodology is flawed, that is why I often just go with the number of 4 and 5 star players. And yes, it isn't just the transfer portal, HS recruiting too. Look at all the 4 and 5 star players Colorado has brought in. It is not just the three family members from Jackson State. And yes, Colorado has woefully underperformed given the talent level, but that is a different issue.

My point was only to refute one poster's assertion that the coach's personality, whether positive or negative, doesn't matter anymore, that all that matters is NIL and X's and O's.

While I am a HUGE proponent of smart coaches with innovative, flexible strategies, personality matters, especially at a place like Cal. In college you still need a coach that can attract and retain great players above and beyond your NIL budget and inspire them to believe in the coaches, the system and themselves for their own success and the success of the team. Right now we have that at DB. Maybe LB. Nowhere else, though OL is looking promising.

I think Marion is a good example because he is smart, flexible, innovative, AND has a great personality. Again, getting Rashada to Sac State and then landing an elite 4 star WR out of the Deep South with offers from all of the SEC and much of the top teams in the B1G is insane no matter how you rank his class. I am not sure that I love the "Go Go" offense, but I love that he has created his own offense and he is able to get god players to come play for him.

I don't disagree with your primary points. I just have to say that maybe Colorado didn't woefully underperform the talent level. Maybe Cal didn't woefully underperform the talent level. Maybe the view of the talent level is skewed by the fact that they are relying on transfer portal rankings that are flawed.

But definitely if Marion can bring god players, sign him up. I want god players.


Lol, yes god players would be awesome, even just demi-gods. Mercury at RB with Hercules blocking? Or maybe 5 Titans on the OL?
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HKBear97!
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In reply to BearSD • 5:32p, 8/15/25
BearSD said:
calumnus said:
BearSD said:
6956bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
GivemTheAxe said:
JeffMcd said:
Hope is not a strategy. Why has it taken nine seasons for Wilcox to get a competent Offensive coaching staff? (With the exception of the one Spavital season). Thankfully we now have a Chancellor who abhors incompetence and will make sure ADs demand results. There's no excuse for the past 16 years of losing conference records. Lyons will do all he can to create a successful football program. He actually likes the sport.


Lyons has already put himself on the record: 6 and 7 win seasons are NOT ACCEPTABLE anymore

Yeah, except multiple chancellors have come in making big noise that we are striving for championships, something I have very much noted has been dropped from the messaging in recent years. And no actions were taken. No offense, but it is easy to say things. It is not easy to achieve things. Early comments on Christ were that she gets it and was going to turn things around and the program is possibly at its least healthy point in my lifetime.

Hiring Rivera was good. His botched messaging and massive delay in fixing the botched messaging, the protest that ensued, and the national coverage that ensued was like chopping off an arm and watching the person bleed out and putting on the tourniquet at the last possible second.

And if 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable, we have a coach who has failed to meet even that standard 4 times out of 8, and has only passed not acceptable 1 time in eight years, barely, winning 8 games once. Lyons had the opportunity to end that unacceptable situation and he didn't. And I know some of you are going to say he wasn't here long enough, he had other things to do, he didn't want Knowlton hiring the next guy or a bunch of other excuses for not taking decisive action, but the bottom line is he chose not to take decisive action, but instead chose to buy a truckload of lipstick to slap on the same old pig. If 6 and 7 win seasons were truly not acceptable Wilcox would be gone. Or is this like the tv show Barry where we are going to stop murdering the football program now...okay, now...okay, now...okay, now.

In any case, genuine good intentions or not, words and effort stopped meaning anything a long time ago. We'll know 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable when they actually stop.

Yes Christ did talk a big game.
But Lyons has not just talked a big game, he has provided Wilcox with the resources to make his talk a reality. That is the reason why Lyons says that 6 and 7 win seasons are no longer acceptable.

If Wilcox continues with his typical 5-7 win seasons, this will be his FINAL year as Cal's HC.


I think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8.

We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

Who is "Cal"? Not disagreeing with you necessarily. But are you saying Rivera/Lyons or just "the consensus"? That big donors would be satisfied and not be willing to put up money that Lyons would want put up before Wilcox gets fired? Or that big donors might push for yet another contract extension so that Wilcox doesn't go into year 10 with only 1 year left on his contract?

Also, is "8 wins" 7-5 (4-4) plus a win in a minor bowl?

It's donors. Alabama football donors would buy out an 8-4 coach; for that matter no one would be too surprised if it happened this year provided the Tide wins 8 or fewer games. Cal does not have athletic donors who will write those giant checks to get rid of an 8-4 coach, nor has there ever been a Cal administration, including the current one, that would pressure donors to put up the money to fire an 8-4 coach. And with funding for the entire university under attack from the bad guys back east, we can't even entertain a fantasy of university funds being used for that purpose.

And no, I am not saying that donors or anyone else would extend Wilcox after this season. Maybe if he reaches the final season on his contract with no extension on the table, he might follow Chip Kelly's path and leave for a coordinator job elsewhere instead of coaching one last season as a lame duck head coach.


This. As I pointed out in another thread, the Wilcox buyout after this season is approximately $10.5 million. By Cal standards, that's significant and likely means he's here for another year regardless.
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calumnus
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In reply to HKBear97! • 10:58p, 8/15/25
HKBear97! said:
BearSD said:
calumnus said:
BearSD said:
6956bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
GivemTheAxe said:
JeffMcd said:
Hope is not a strategy. Why has it taken nine seasons for Wilcox to get a competent Offensive coaching staff? (With the exception of the one Spavital season). Thankfully we now have a Chancellor who abhors incompetence and will make sure ADs demand results. There's no excuse for the past 16 years of losing conference records. Lyons will do all he can to create a successful football program. He actually likes the sport.


Lyons has already put himself on the record: 6 and 7 win seasons are NOT ACCEPTABLE anymore

Yeah, except multiple chancellors have come in making big noise that we are striving for championships, something I have very much noted has been dropped from the messaging in recent years. And no actions were taken. No offense, but it is easy to say things. It is not easy to achieve things. Early comments on Christ were that she gets it and was going to turn things around and the program is possibly at its least healthy point in my lifetime.

Hiring Rivera was good. His botched messaging and massive delay in fixing the botched messaging, the protest that ensued, and the national coverage that ensued was like chopping off an arm and watching the person bleed out and putting on the tourniquet at the last possible second.

And if 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable, we have a coach who has failed to meet even that standard 4 times out of 8, and has only passed not acceptable 1 time in eight years, barely, winning 8 games once. Lyons had the opportunity to end that unacceptable situation and he didn't. And I know some of you are going to say he wasn't here long enough, he had other things to do, he didn't want Knowlton hiring the next guy or a bunch of other excuses for not taking decisive action, but the bottom line is he chose not to take decisive action, but instead chose to buy a truckload of lipstick to slap on the same old pig. If 6 and 7 win seasons were truly not acceptable Wilcox would be gone. Or is this like the tv show Barry where we are going to stop murdering the football program now...okay, now...okay, now...okay, now.

In any case, genuine good intentions or not, words and effort stopped meaning anything a long time ago. We'll know 6 and 7 win seasons are not acceptable when they actually stop.

Yes Christ did talk a big game.
But Lyons has not just talked a big game, he has provided Wilcox with the resources to make his talk a reality. That is the reason why Lyons says that 6 and 7 win seasons are no longer acceptable.

If Wilcox continues with his typical 5-7 win seasons, this will be his FINAL year as Cal's HC.


I think he is likely gone even if he gets to 8.

We don't live in a universe in which Cal will fire a coach after an 8-win season. Alabama might do that. Not Cal.

Who is "Cal"? Not disagreeing with you necessarily. But are you saying Rivera/Lyons or just "the consensus"? That big donors would be satisfied and not be willing to put up money that Lyons would want put up before Wilcox gets fired? Or that big donors might push for yet another contract extension so that Wilcox doesn't go into year 10 with only 1 year left on his contract?

Also, is "8 wins" 7-5 (4-4) plus a win in a minor bowl?

It's donors. Alabama football donors would buy out an 8-4 coach; for that matter no one would be too surprised if it happened this year provided the Tide wins 8 or fewer games. Cal does not have athletic donors who will write those giant checks to get rid of an 8-4 coach, nor has there ever been a Cal administration, including the current one, that would pressure donors to put up the money to fire an 8-4 coach. And with funding for the entire university under attack from the bad guys back east, we can't even entertain a fantasy of university funds being used for that purpose.

And no, I am not saying that donors or anyone else would extend Wilcox after this season. Maybe if he reaches the final season on his contract with no extension on the table, he might follow Chip Kelly's path and leave for a coordinator job elsewhere instead of coaching one last season as a lame duck head coach.


This. As I pointed out in another thread, the Wilcox buyout after this season is approximately $10.5 million. By Cal standards, that's significant and likely means he's here for another year regardless.


Currently we will pay him $10.5 million over 2026 and 2027. If we let him go, he has an obligation to mitigate and we can negotiate the payments down, as we did with Knowlton, except Wilcox might really get a high level DC job. Knowlton's payments were reduced from $1.3 million a year to $1.1 million a year. It does not have to be paid up front as a lump sum. The negotiated reduction in Wilcox's payments will undoubtedly be greater. So almost certainly firing him saves us money on payments to him, it doesn't cost us more money. We likely free up $500,000 per year on his salary by firing him. We save money on the extra OC and DC advisors we are paying to prop him up. However, if we wait until he only has one year left on his contract, we likely have to pay the full amount (as we did with Holmoe).

The additional cost is the cost of the new coach. Rivera is already on staff, if you make him HC and have another well qualified but lesser known person as the GM it likely costs us nothing more than we are already spending. Or hire a young up and coming offensive minded coach with a low starting salary that escalates to the $5 million we pay Wilcox in 2028.

So the hypothetical choice is:

Keep Wilcox in 2026
Payee. 2026 2027 2028
Wilcox. $5.2 million $5.2 million
Special Ass. $0.5 million
New Coach $5.2 million $5.2 million

TOTAL. $5.7 million. $10.4 million $5.2 million

Fire Wilcox
Payee. 2026. 2027. 2008
Wilcox $4.7 million $4.7 million
New Coach. $1 million $1 million. $5.2 million

TOTAL. $5.7 million $5.7 million $5.2 million

So it could even cost us less to fire him sooner depending on who we replace him with and how we structure their payments. That does not even include the HUGE potential lost revenues for not making a change in time to start winning and change our perception before the next realignment.

Obviously if there is a proven FBS coach available that we want we will have to pay more, but the money raised will be to pay for the new coach, which is easier to do and is the correct way to look at it anyway.
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