calumnus said:

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Strykur said:

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Big C said:

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Strykur said:

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Haleiwabear said:

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Saleh would be really fun but doubt he'd be interested

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You really think a guy who is a highly regarded NFL defensive coordinator and who has prior NFL head jobs (and will have offers) would want to come here, come on dude

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Oh where, oh where could we ever find a guy who was a highly regarded NFL defensive coordinator, who has prior NFL head jobs and actually wants to be at Cal? Hell, we might as well go full fantasy-land and want him to know and love Cal!

Sorry, but no such human being can be found anywhere on Earth.

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I have been a huge jagoff around here lately yet I am really annoyed with the more asinine elements of our fan base, just a mention of any NFL coach as a potential candidate is crap I would expect on SEC message boards but not on here, and Ron so far has been a nothing-burger

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You cannot dismiss Ron as Head Coach because he has been a "nothing burger" so far as "GM."

First, Ron was hired while Knowlton was still AD and after Spring Ball and the Spring Portal, with his GM duties not clearly defined, so he had zero impact on who the staff or players would be, including the extra money we are spending on Rolovich and Gregory as advisors. Ron was not "given the keys" until June (?) after outcry from the fans and key donors like Sebasta with Knowlton's departure announced shortly thereafter. Some might say Ron helped push Knowlton out, but since we paid out Knowlton's contract that was something Lyons could have done a year earlier. Ron's main role so far as GM has been as a fundraiser, advisor and "evaluator." A waste of his talent and fame IMO.

I don't know how good Ron would be as head coach, no one does. However, given our financial situation (we don't have the media revenues other P4 schools have to spend $20 million of our media money on NIL under House and we will be still paying Wilcox for the next two years of his contract) and the need to stay competitive in NIL with donor dollars, we really need to go moneyball on our coaching staff, at least for the next two years.

I only see two options:

1) Ron hires an up and coming HC from G6 or even FCS or a top OC who will accept a low initial contract with incentives and escalators if he is retained beyond 2027. Then Ron mentors him as GM.

2) Ron takes on the role of HC, but with a low initial contract and goes out and hires a top OC who he would mentor as his eventual successor at HC.

I would be happy with either (depending on who we get under scenario 1). The reason I have a relative preference for #2 (assuming Ron is open to it of course, so everyone hold your objections on that point) is I think Ron's personality is great as a head coach: coaches and players respect him and his credentials. He has gravitas. I also think he would be a great recruiter. He loves Cal and can sell Cal. He was an All American at Cal. He played in the NFL and coached in the NFL, knows all the coaches and GMs and can very credibly tell recruits he will help them get to the NFL. He is the best guy we have to be the face of Cal football over the next few years. I also think we are wasting that potential with him as GM and think he is not well suited for the GM role (his demand that fans support the program is a perfect example of that: head coaches make demands from their assistants and the players, GMs figure out how to attract fans to the games).

Now, I could definitely prefer #1 (dynamic, charismatic young new offensive minded coach) over #2 (Ron) but that is entirely dependent on who we get. However, Ron as HC should not be dismissed as on option unless Ron dismisses it.

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Option #3. Same as option # 1 except Rivera doesn't do an Al Davis impression and "mentor the coach" but butts out and let's the coach he selected do his job and supports him by doing the things a GM does.

01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

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I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

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The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

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Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

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I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

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Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

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The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

Bobodeluxe said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

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The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

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I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

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Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

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There will be a third option, me thinks.

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You honestly think Cal will fire Wilsux after this year? I've lost hope of that happening. We're stuck with him as Cal's HC throughout the duration of his contract.

01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

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The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

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I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

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Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

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Wilcox will not be here next year. 99%

It will be up to the new coach to convince Sagapolutele to accept Cal's NIL offer and stay.

sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

Big C said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

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This is the way I see it too.

I did not get the sense that Mendoza's dad liked Cal, but maybe it was just he did not respect Wilcox as a coach having played high school football as a teammate of Mario Cristobal and hated watching Wilcox squander games by getting conservative with leads his son's passing had created instead of just letting his son continue passing downfield and blowing teams out. Miami game could have been the clincher.

calumnus said:

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Big C said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

---

This is the way I see it too.

I did not get the sense that Mendoza's dad liked Cal, but maybe it was just he did not respect Wilcox as a coach having played high school football as a teammate of Mario Cristobal and hated watching Wilcox squander games by getting conservative with leads his son's passing had created instead of just letting his son continue passing downfield and blowing teams out. Miami game could have been the clincher.

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Yeah, plus the Mendoza family had reasons to want everyone at Indiana. I doubt JKS wants to move further east (too far from Hawaii), but there could be other programs out west that can pull him away.

calumnus said:

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Big C said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

---

This is the way I see it too.

I did not get the sense that Mendoza's dad liked Cal, but maybe it was just he did not respect Wilcox as a coach having played high school football as a teammate of Mario Cristobal and hated watching Wilcox squander games by getting conservative with leads his son's passing had created instead of just letting his son continue passing downfield and blowing teams out. Miami game could have been the clincher.

---

Miami was the clincher for alot of things. No way does JKS stay. No way. Academics and family are non factors. Zero. We thought FM would stay. He didn't. We thought Jaydn would stay. He left and has barely played for OU. JKS is going to want to go to a winner to quickly develop and compete. With us, if Wilcox is kept - he knows what he's getting. If Wilcox is let go - he might get a rebuilt OL. A revamped receivers corp possibly. But that all takes time. And no college player has it anymore.

Bobodeluxe said:

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philly1121 said:

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calumnus said:

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Big C said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

---

This is the way I see it too.

I did not get the sense that Mendoza's dad liked Cal, but maybe it was just he did not respect Wilcox as a coach having played high school football as a teammate of Mario Cristobal and hated watching Wilcox squander games by getting conservative with leads his son's passing had created instead of just letting his son continue passing downfield and blowing teams out. Miami game could have been the clincher.

---

Miami was the clincher for alot of things. No way does JKS stay. No way. Academics and family are non factors. Zero. We thought FM would stay. He didn't. We thought Jaydn would stay. He left and has barely played for OU. JKS is going to want to go to a winner to quickly develop and compete. With us, if Wilcox is kept - he knows what he's getting. If Wilcox is let go - he might get a rebuilt OL. A revamped receivers corp possibly. But that all takes time. And no college player has it anymore.

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Believe or not, some programs have made contact. I know, I am also shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you.

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I'm stunned. The audacity.

01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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Big C said:

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calumnus said:

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Big C said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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sycasey said:

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01Bear said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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I don't want to lose JKS but keeping him at the cost of a being a middling football program doesn't seem like a wise move if Cal wishes it's future endeavors lead to playing conference members closer to the Bay Area. (Well unless the goal is the current Pac-12.)

By the way, I think the current OC has been a good influence on JKS' development but its difficult to really make a judgement with only 1 short off season to go off of.

---

I'm expecting Jaron to portal out after this year. He has NFL aspirations; the current coaching staff will not get him there, neither will a receiving corps that suffers from the dropsies. I fully expect the blueblood schools to make hard runs at him to sign with them and to not only hand him the keys to their starting QB position, but also to a house, car, and safe deposit box filled with cash.

Jaron has very little reason to stay at Cal beyond this year. The best anyone has been able to argue why he would stay is that (1) his parents want him here and (2) he loves Cal. Jaron's parents can probably be persuaded that another school is a better fir for their son if (1) that school gives him a bagful of money (with or without a boat) and (2) Jaron's love of Cal could be negated by going to a school that has coaches that can help him get drafted into the NFL as a #1 pick.*

If I were advising Jaron, I'd tell him to go somewhere where the coaches can make him NFL-ready and put a team around him that will help him shine. Wilsux isn't it. As much as I love Cal and want to see Cal do well, I also understand that Cal would be holding back Jaron's development, especially if Wilsux is still at the helm next year.


*There's absolutely no legitimate argument that can be made that Wilsux and company can do this.

---

The argument has also been advanced that at Cal he is pretty much guaranteed to get playing time and at a blue blood program he would not have that guarantee. I think there is validity to that. Add in that it's a great academic school and his parents are happy with him here, and I can see a good argument for staying one more year.

---

Are you unaware of the Heismendoza mania? If I'm a blueblood I see what Cal did with Nando and then look at his success at IU one year later; I then take a look at what Cal's done with Jaron and can come up with a good idea of what kind of QB the latter would be with a competent coaching staff. That all but guarantees that Jaron would pretty much start for any team next year. Just based on the wye test, Jaron is about where Nando was last year (or maybe even a little ahead of Nando). The primary reason his completion rate is so low is that his receivers keep dropping catches that they should be making. As for his freshman mistakes, those can be coached out by giving him competent coaches.

As for the great academic program and his parents lOve Cal arguments, all that pales when one considers that having a NFL career doesn't require going to a school with solid academics. Moreover, blue blood programs can throw enough life-changing (generational wealth) money at Jaron immediately such that he wouldn't have to worry about money in his post-NFL life. I'd highly doubt his parents are blind to that and would insist that Jaron remain at Cal when he can make a fortune elsewhere, get better coaching, and end up better prepared for a career in the NFL.

Also, lest we forget, there are other schools with good academics among the bluebloods, including Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame. While I tend to think Cal is better academically than all three of those schools, a degree from any of them wouldn't be something to sneeze at.

---

I don't think there's any argument that will convince you other than JKS showing up in a Cal uniform next season, so I will let it be. Just saying that I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. He could go or he could stay.

---

Take off your Cal fandom glasses and what would you honestly advise him to do? Portal to a better team or stay at Cal with Wilsux?

---

The argument is to stay for another year at a school that is guaranteed to play you and give you plenty of rope to develop, and then possibly transfer out the following year when you are actually eligible to go pro, if the situation at Cal still doesn't look good. You can't go pro as a sophomore. Stick around and keep your family happy in the meantime.

---

IMO the deciding factor in whether JKS stays or not will be if he thinks we will be surrounding him with a better supporting cast on offense. Some dynamic receivers who can catch the ball first and foremost...and improved O-line and running backs.

Otherwise, he and his family seem to like Cal and we should be able to offer him NIL that is at least competitive with most other offers.

---

This is the way I see it too.

I did not get the sense that Mendoza's dad liked Cal, but maybe it was just he did not respect Wilcox as a coach having played high school football as a teammate of Mario Cristobal and hated watching Wilcox squander games by getting conservative with leads his son's passing had created instead of just letting his son continue passing downfield and blowing teams out. Miami game could have been the clincher.

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The timing is going to be tricky, convincing him that we are highly likely to improve his supporting class from the same portal that he would be entering (if he chose to leave). I suppose this is an argument to get a new staff in place ASAP.

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Yet, Lyons and RR continue to sit on their hands, wasting time that Cal doesn't have. Of course, those who went to school with Lyons and RR are making excuses for them, which just puts Cal further behind the 8 ball. But hey, that's just the Cal way, now. Accept administrative mediocrity and blame it in the fans for not supporting the team enough when the latter demand substantive change.

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I went to school with Lyons and Rivera, lived in Unit 2 with Rivera, played softball with him at Underhill and was in Economics but two years behind Lyons at Cal then attended grad school in Economics at Columbia when Lyons was a young professor in the Business School at Columbia right after getting his PhD in Economics from MIT. I never took a class from him but I had lots of friends who did. I am pretty sure I remember him from the Big Game watch parties at Columbia.

So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

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You're one of the few more reasonable ones. The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed. Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause. RR allowed Wilsux to remain as HC after the SDSU massacre and even after Wilsux last Saturday when Wilsux proved he couldn't put together a defense that could stop the same QB run play 20 times in a row.

Even if Wilsux hasn't lost the team (which is arguable), he has lost the fans. Rebuilding the football program without fans in the age of NIL will prove to be a much more difficult task. Yet, RR has gone about alienating the fans not only by enabling and excusing Wilsux's poor performance but also by insulting the fans and demanding that they either support the program or get lost. Nuts to that!

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RR has made it very clear that retaining JKS is the top priority. He's said it in public, on TV, and everywhere else. I'm sure he's been in touch with JKS's reps and is working on a deal as we speak. The key will be upgrading the offense all around. I wouldn't guarantee that he or anybody else stays put given the NIL landscape, but hope he stays. He's an amazing talent, but isn't perfect and still needs to learn. I have to admit that his lack of foot speed is probably my biggest knock.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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I honestly don't think it matters if he is fired now that the season is mostly done. But with 2 experienced head coaches on staff that could step right in, Wilcox should have been fired after SDSU. I honestly think we still had a chance at a very successful season at that point. And even if the players still like Wilcox, well that is a lesson kiddos. You play like that, you get your boss fired.

And I have to say with Harsin, this does not look like any offense he has run. Whether it was Harsin or Rolovich as new HC with the other stepping in as OC, I have to think the lid would have been taken off the offense. The conservatism is neither of their styles.

---

The "conservatism" is a reflection of the personnel. You can't really scheme up exotic plays with slow skill position groups and poor o-line play.

I really, really don't want to come across as a "blame the players" guy and I am aware of the coaching staff's role in getting good players, but there isn't a lot to work with

bearsandgiants said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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I honestly don't think it matters if he is fired now that the season is mostly done. But with 2 experienced head coaches on staff that could step right in, Wilcox should have been fired after SDSU. I honestly think we still had a chance at a very successful season at that point. And even if the players still like Wilcox, well that is a lesson kiddos. You play like that, you get your boss fired.

And I have to say with Harsin, this does not look like any offense he has run. Whether it was Harsin or Rolovich as new HC with the other stepping in as OC, I have to think the lid would have been taken off the offense. The conservatism is neither of their styles.

---

These are things I completely agree with and I hope the powers that be both see, and consider. The second part also has questions I'd love answered. I thought both of these guys ran really interesting, Boise State style offenses. There's been almost none of that, except for the occasional very slow and obvious trick play that goes nowhere and isn't even that tricky. Maybe it's just that our talent is so bad that it's just not possible to do anything interesting, but I find it hard to believe.

In any event, I completely agree that SDSU would have been the perfect time to let JW go, but in the eyes of our donors, that would be akin to paying an extra $5 million to kick a good friend in the face. And this mentality is why we are where we are. It needs to change. And we need a few donors who are sick and tired of the nonsense and are willing to pony up. Could be that we didn't/and still don't have that, either. And that needs to change, too.

The LSU stuff, the Penn State Stuff, I get it. We're not going to eat tens of millions of dollars. But if we're not willing cut our losses here, or have someone willing to pay to do that, we're not going anywhere soon, and that means we're going down. Also, It's not like all 5mm is due at the end of the season. We've already paid a huge chunk of this year's 5mm right?

Ron said 8 or 9 wins would be a measure of success. He never said he'd can Wilcox if he got to 7 (which makes me nervous). But regardless of that, when you don't even have your team prepared to play San Diego State, you don't deserve to come home with the team. He should have given his paycheck back that week, or donated it to local sports programs. If he did that, I'd feel better about not letting him go after that game.

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Just to be clear, because there has been confusion on this, we do not pay any extra to Wilcox if we fire him before December 1. At this point, we owe him $15M. We owe that to him if he coaches. We owe that to him if we fire him early. That is $5M for this season and $10M for the remainder (give or take). He is getting the same money if we fire him on November 30 or September 27 as he does if we fire him on December 1. It is not that we pay him this year's salary AND if we fire him before December 1, we pay him an additional $15M. It isn't really a buyout. He is guaranteed his salary.

The only extra expense to firing him early is if that requires us to pay the interim coach more than they are getting paid now.

Fred Bear said:

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Quote:

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Quote:

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So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

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You're one of the few more reasonable ones.

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Nobody who builds their whole online identity around Ron Rivera coaching Cal football at a wage far below what normal college football coaches make is anywhere in the vicinity of reasonable. At least now we know the backstory about why he stans for him so hard.

Quote:

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The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed.

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There's another person that deserves to be on that blind faith list who hasn't done anything to change the Cal football trajectory, but you can't speak that truth out loud on this board.

Quote:

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Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause

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Knowlton didn't retire. He was fired. People that retire during a contract don't continue getting paid the rest of their contract after the fact. They allowed Knowlton to pretend that he was leaving of his own accord.

I would have done my best Eddie DeBartolo imitation at the press conference and yelled "He's Gone!"

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LOL, you joined this forum on August 13, 2025 and have 61 posts.

I have been on this forum since 2008 (and it's earlier predecessors) and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, am approaching 35,000 posts. Saying my "entire online identity" (all 34,000+ posts!) is that Ron Rivera would take the job below market is so insanely ridiculous I can only laugh, while at the same time misstates what I have actually said about Rivera.

I have never said Rivera would do anything, How can you or I know? We are not him.

I did say when Rivera was fired by the Commanders two years ago that there was a CHANCE he would come back to Cal and work for far less than he could make in the NFL, which many said would "never" happen, but did in fact eventually happen, though as GM instead of HC.

Again, the issue we are trying to address is the cost of moving on from Wilcox, which many thought was insurmountable because they thought it was $16 million (last year) or $10 million (this year) more than we are already spending. However, as I have been saying all along, the cost of firing Wilcox is not Wilcox's contract, which we will actually save money on if he is fired, it is the cost of his replacement and that there are potentially low cost options (which we will need because we need to fund NIL from the same pool of donor money).

As one potential option, I have said that there is a CHANCE Rivera would agree to work as HC with a backloaded contract: ie, below market in 2026 and 2027 (but at least $1million more than he makes now) while we continue to pay Wilcox, then market rates beyond once we are clear of Wilcox and as our ACC media share increases. Again, we don't know until he is asked.

If Ron doesn't want or accept that, and we don't know if he would until he is asked, a second option, which some prefer anyway, is for Ron to hire a young up and coming offensive minded HC or OC who would accept a contract similar to what I laid out for Rivera, below market payments in 2026 and 2027 with market payments beyond when we have more money and if he is successful.

A third remote possibility, which would be great but is like planning on winning the lottery, is Rivera finds a whale donor or group of donors, who will fully fund NIL ($20 million per year) and put up the money to pay an established coach the market rate (something Cal has never done).

I hope that makes my opinion clearer.

Fred Bear said:

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ac_green33 said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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I honestly don't think it matters if he is fired now that the season is mostly done. But with 2 experienced head coaches on staff that could step right in, Wilcox should have been fired after SDSU. I honestly think we still had a chance at a very successful season at that point. And even if the players still like Wilcox, well that is a lesson kiddos. You play like that, you get your boss fired.

And I have to say with Harsin, this does not look like any offense he has run. Whether it was Harsin or Rolovich as new HC with the other stepping in as OC, I have to think the lid would have been taken off the offense. The conservatism is neither of their styles.

---

The "conservatism" is a reflection of the personnel. You can't really scheme up exotic plays with slow skill position groups and poor o-line play.

I really, really don't want to come across as a "blame the players" guy and I am aware of the coaching staff's role in getting good players, but there isn't a lot to work with

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This flies in the face of the whole reason smaller schools started running Air Raid offenses because they couldn't recruit the same talent at the bigger schools. The conservatism is a reflection of the head coach, plain and simple.

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We have one WR who can reliably catch the ball and an offensive line that forces Jaron to immediately bail over half of his dropbacks. We can't run the air raid.

ac_green33 said:

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Fred Bear said:

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ac_green33 said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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I honestly don't think it matters if he is fired now that the season is mostly done. But with 2 experienced head coaches on staff that could step right in, Wilcox should have been fired after SDSU. I honestly think we still had a chance at a very successful season at that point. And even if the players still like Wilcox, well that is a lesson kiddos. You play like that, you get your boss fired.

And I have to say with Harsin, this does not look like any offense he has run. Whether it was Harsin or Rolovich as new HC with the other stepping in as OC, I have to think the lid would have been taken off the offense. The conservatism is neither of their styles.

---

The "conservatism" is a reflection of the personnel. You can't really scheme up exotic plays with slow skill position groups and poor o-line play.

I really, really don't want to come across as a "blame the players" guy and I am aware of the coaching staff's role in getting good players, but there isn't a lot to work with

---

This flies in the face of the whole reason smaller schools started running Air Raid offenses because they couldn't recruit the same talent at the bigger schools. The conservatism is a reflection of the head coach, plain and simple.

---

We have one WR who can reliably catch the ball and an offensive line that forces Jaron to immediately bail over half of his dropbacks. We can't run the air raid.

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Yeah, Air Raid needs lots of WRs and WR is our weakest position group (though some would argue OL or DL).

calumnus said:

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ac_green33 said:

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Fred Bear said:

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ac_green33 said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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I honestly don't think it matters if he is fired now that the season is mostly done. But with 2 experienced head coaches on staff that could step right in, Wilcox should have been fired after SDSU. I honestly think we still had a chance at a very successful season at that point. And even if the players still like Wilcox, well that is a lesson kiddos. You play like that, you get your boss fired.

And I have to say with Harsin, this does not look like any offense he has run. Whether it was Harsin or Rolovich as new HC with the other stepping in as OC, I have to think the lid would have been taken off the offense. The conservatism is neither of their styles.

---

The "conservatism" is a reflection of the personnel. You can't really scheme up exotic plays with slow skill position groups and poor o-line play.

I really, really don't want to come across as a "blame the players" guy and I am aware of the coaching staff's role in getting good players, but there isn't a lot to work with

---

This flies in the face of the whole reason smaller schools started running Air Raid offenses because they couldn't recruit the same talent at the bigger schools. The conservatism is a reflection of the head coach, plain and simple.

---

We have one WR who can reliably catch the ball and an offensive line that forces Jaron to immediately bail over half of his dropbacks. We can't run the air raid.

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Yeah, Air Raid needs lots of WRs and WR is our weakest position group (though some would argue OL or DL).

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Think of it this way, our most consistent wideout is 5'6"

calumnus said:

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Fred Bear said:

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Quote:

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So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

---

You're one of the few more reasonable ones.

---

Nobody who builds their whole online identity around Ron Rivera coaching Cal football at a wage far below what normal college football coaches make is anywhere in the vicinity of reasonable. At least now we know the backstory about why he stans for him so hard.

Quote:

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The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed.

---

There's another person that deserves to be on that blind faith list who hasn't done anything to change the Cal football trajectory, but you can't speak that truth out loud on this board.

Quote:

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Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause

---

Knowlton didn't retire. He was fired. People that retire during a contract don't continue getting paid the rest of their contract after the fact. They allowed Knowlton to pretend that he was leaving of his own accord.

I would have done my best Eddie DeBartolo imitation at the press conference and yelled "He's Gone!"

---

LOL, you joined this forum on August 13, 2025 and have 61 posts.

I have been on this forum since 2008 (and it's earlier predecessors) and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, am approaching 35,000 posts. Saying my "entire online identity" (all 34,000+ posts!) is that Ron Rivera would take the job below market is so insanely ridiculous I can only laugh, while at the same time misstates what I have actually said about Rivera.

I have never said Rivera would do anything, How can you or I know? We are not him.

I did say when Rivera was fired by the Commanders two years ago that there was a CHANCE he would come back to Cal and work for far less than he could make in the NFL, which many said would "never" happen, but did in fact eventually happen, though as GM instead of HC.

Again, the issue we are trying to address is the cost of moving on from Wilcox, which many thought was insurmountable because they thought it was $16 million (last year) or $10 million (this year) more than we are already spending. However, as I have been saying all along, the cost of firing Wilcox is not Wilcox's contract, which we will actually save money on if he is fired, it is the cost of his replacement and that there are potentially low cost options (which we will need because we need to fund NIL from the same pool of donor money).

As one potential option, I have said that there is a CHANCE Rivera would agree to work as HC with a backloaded contract: ie, below market in 2026 and 2027 (but at least $1million more than he makes now) while we continue to pay Wilcox, then market rates beyond once we are clear of Wilcox and as our ACC media share increases. Again, we don't know until he is asked.

If Ron doesn't want or accept that, and we don't know if he would until he is asked, a second option, which some prefer anyway, is for Ron to hire a young up and coming offensive minded HC or OC who would accept a contract similar to what I laid out for Rivera, below market payments in 2026 and 2027 with market payments beyond when we have more money and if he is successful.

A third remote possibility, which would be great but is like planning on winning the lottery, is Rivera finds a whale donor or group of donors, who will fully fund NIL ($20 million per year) and put up the money to pay an established coach the market rate (something Cal has never done).

I hope that makes my opinion clearer.

---

Brilliant job of showing how your online identity totally isn't built around Ron Rivera by reposting the same garbage you've been posting about Ron Rivera for years.

But then, who bumps a 2010 thread six years later because his online identity isn't completely wrapped around being Ron Rivera's #1 advocate.

https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/37181/replies/1274195

Fred Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Fred Bear said:

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Quote:

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Quote:

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So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

---

You're one of the few more reasonable ones.

---

Nobody who builds their whole online identity around Ron Rivera coaching Cal football at a wage far below what normal college football coaches make is anywhere in the vicinity of reasonable. At least now we know the backstory about why he stans for him so hard.

Quote:

---

The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed.

---

There's another person that deserves to be on that blind faith list who hasn't done anything to change the Cal football trajectory, but you can't speak that truth out loud on this board.

Quote:

---

Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause

---

Knowlton didn't retire. He was fired. People that retire during a contract don't continue getting paid the rest of their contract after the fact. They allowed Knowlton to pretend that he was leaving of his own accord.

I would have done my best Eddie DeBartolo imitation at the press conference and yelled "He's Gone!"

---

LOL, you joined this forum on August 13, 2025 and have 61 posts.

I have been on this forum since 2008 (and it's earlier predecessors) and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, am approaching 35,000 posts. Saying my "entire online identity" (all 34,000+ posts!) is that Ron Rivera would take the job below market is so insanely ridiculous I can only laugh, while at the same time misstates what I have actually said about Rivera.

I have never said Rivera would do anything, How can you or I know? We are not him.

I did say when Rivera was fired by the Commanders two years ago that there was a CHANCE he would come back to Cal and work for far less than he could make in the NFL, which many said would "never" happen, but did in fact eventually happen, though as GM instead of HC.

Again, the issue we are trying to address is the cost of moving on from Wilcox, which many thought was insurmountable because they thought it was $16 million (last year) or $10 million (this year) more than we are already spending. However, as I have been saying all along, the cost of firing Wilcox is not Wilcox's contract, which we will actually save money on if he is fired, it is the cost of his replacement and that there are potentially low cost options (which we will need because we need to fund NIL from the same pool of donor money).

As one potential option, I have said that there is a CHANCE Rivera would agree to work as HC with a backloaded contract: ie, below market in 2026 and 2027 (but at least $1million more than he makes now) while we continue to pay Wilcox, then market rates beyond once we are clear of Wilcox and as our ACC media share increases. Again, we don't know until he is asked.

If Ron doesn't want or accept that, and we don't know if he would until he is asked, a second option, which some prefer anyway, is for Ron to hire a young up and coming offensive minded HC or OC who would accept a contract similar to what I laid out for Rivera, below market payments in 2026 and 2027 with market payments beyond when we have more money and if he is successful.

A third remote possibility, which would be great but is like planning on winning the lottery, is Rivera finds a whale donor or group of donors, who will fully fund NIL ($20 million per year) and put up the money to pay an established coach the market rate (something Cal has never done).

I hope that makes my opinion clearer.

---

Brilliant job of showing how your online identity totally isn't built around Ron Rivera by reposting the same garbage you've been posting about Ron Rivera for years.

But then, who bumps a 2010 thread six years later because his online identity isn't completely wrapped around being Ron Rivera's #1 advocate.

https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/37181/replies/1274195

---

So instead of adding anything constructive your whole purpose here is to go after me personally? Even digging up a 9 year old 2016 thread?

And what does it show? That in 2010, I was one of several posters that suggested Ron Rivera, then a Linebackers Coach for the San Diego Chargers, would be a good Head Coaching candidate for the Cal Bears if we ever moved on from Tedford. Many questioned whether he was Head Coaching material, I said that he had the qualities you look for in a head coach and lo and behold 6 years later he took a team to the Super Bowl as Head Coach. I am humiliated.

If you really wanted to make me look bad you could point out that I also suggested Herm Edwards as a potential Head Coach in that thread. Or is it just Ron Rivera that you really have an issue with?

calumnus said:

---

Fred Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

Fred Bear said:

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

---

You're one of the few more reasonable ones.

---

Nobody who builds their whole online identity around Ron Rivera coaching Cal football at a wage far below what normal college football coaches make is anywhere in the vicinity of reasonable. At least now we know the backstory about why he stans for him so hard.

Quote:

---

The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed.

---

There's another person that deserves to be on that blind faith list who hasn't done anything to change the Cal football trajectory, but you can't speak that truth out loud on this board.

Quote:

---

Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause

---

Knowlton didn't retire. He was fired. People that retire during a contract don't continue getting paid the rest of their contract after the fact. They allowed Knowlton to pretend that he was leaving of his own accord.

I would have done my best Eddie DeBartolo imitation at the press conference and yelled "He's Gone!"

---

LOL, you joined this forum on August 13, 2025 and have 61 posts.

I have been on this forum since 2008 (and it's earlier predecessors) and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, am approaching 35,000 posts. Saying my "entire online identity" (all 34,000+ posts!) is that Ron Rivera would take the job below market is so insanely ridiculous I can only laugh, while at the same time misstates what I have actually said about Rivera.

I have never said Rivera would do anything, How can you or I know? We are not him.

I did say when Rivera was fired by the Commanders two years ago that there was a CHANCE he would come back to Cal and work for far less than he could make in the NFL, which many said would "never" happen, but did in fact eventually happen, though as GM instead of HC.

Again, the issue we are trying to address is the cost of moving on from Wilcox, which many thought was insurmountable because they thought it was $16 million (last year) or $10 million (this year) more than we are already spending. However, as I have been saying all along, the cost of firing Wilcox is not Wilcox's contract, which we will actually save money on if he is fired, it is the cost of his replacement and that there are potentially low cost options (which we will need because we need to fund NIL from the same pool of donor money).

As one potential option, I have said that there is a CHANCE Rivera would agree to work as HC with a backloaded contract: ie, below market in 2026 and 2027 (but at least $1million more than he makes now) while we continue to pay Wilcox, then market rates beyond once we are clear of Wilcox and as our ACC media share increases. Again, we don't know until he is asked.

If Ron doesn't want or accept that, and we don't know if he would until he is asked, a second option, which some prefer anyway, is for Ron to hire a young up and coming offensive minded HC or OC who would accept a contract similar to what I laid out for Rivera, below market payments in 2026 and 2027 with market payments beyond when we have more money and if he is successful.

A third remote possibility, which would be great but is like planning on winning the lottery, is Rivera finds a whale donor or group of donors, who will fully fund NIL ($20 million per year) and put up the money to pay an established coach the market rate (something Cal has never done).

I hope that makes my opinion clearer.

---

Brilliant job of showing how your online identity totally isn't built around Ron Rivera by reposting the same garbage you've been posting about Ron Rivera for years.

But then, who bumps a 2010 thread six years later because his online identity isn't completely wrapped around being Ron Rivera's #1 advocate.

https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/37181/replies/1274195

---

So instead of adding anything constructive your whole purpose here is to go after me personally? Even digging up a 9 year old 2016 thread?

And what does it show? That in 2010, I was one of several posters that suggested Ron Rivera, then a Linebackers Coach for the San Diego Chargers, would be a good Head Coaching candidate for the Cal Bears if we ever moved on from Tedford. Many questioned whether he was Head Coaching material, I said that he had the qualities you look for in a head coach and lo and behold 6 years later he took a team to the Super Bowl as Head Coach. I am humiliated.

---

For the president of the Ron Rivera fan club, you don't know his coaching history very well. He was only very briefly the LB coach for the Chargers and was already on his second successful stint as an NFL defensive coordinator. Cal has hired head football coaches with far thinner resumes than Ron Rivera. You didn't uncover any nugget there. The problem was that he was already too successful for a school like Cal to be an appealing job for him. He was looking for a pro job, which he eventually got.

https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/commanders/2023/11/25/washington-commanders-ron-riveras-track-record-as-a-defensive-coordinator-jack-del-rio/79647206007/

But congrats for you. You really know how to pick those career .500 NFL coaches, one of whom got a five year show cause penalty before he could coach in college again.

Fred Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

Fred Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

Fred Bear said:

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

So I do feel some connection to both, but I refuse to make excuses for either. Lyons should have fired Knowlton on day 1, gone with an interim then (Shockey promotes AD McGraw, a Cal grad who has been in charge off the football program). Maybe even ask Rivera to come in as Cal's head coach then, ahead of Fall camp, but more realistically at the end of last season. I will say that Rivera hasn't been in the position, "with the keys," long enough to effect substantive change, but I've been very disappointed with his public statements. I don't know that a midseason firing is best, but I think we need to move on from Wilcox after the last game, regardless.

---

You're one of the few more reasonable ones.

---

Nobody who builds their whole online identity around Ron Rivera coaching Cal football at a wage far below what normal college football coaches make is anywhere in the vicinity of reasonable. At least now we know the backstory about why he stans for him so hard.

Quote:

---

The rest are fanatical in their blind faith in RR and Lyons even though neither have done anything to change the Cal football trajectory since each of them was installed.

---

There's another person that deserves to be on that blind faith list who hasn't done anything to change the Cal football trajectory, but you can't speak that truth out loud on this board.

Quote:

---

Lyons allowed Knownothin to retire instead of firing him for cause

---

Knowlton didn't retire. He was fired. People that retire during a contract don't continue getting paid the rest of their contract after the fact. They allowed Knowlton to pretend that he was leaving of his own accord.

I would have done my best Eddie DeBartolo imitation at the press conference and yelled "He's Gone!"

---

LOL, you joined this forum on August 13, 2025 and have 61 posts.

I have been on this forum since 2008 (and it's earlier predecessors) and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, am approaching 35,000 posts. Saying my "entire online identity" (all 34,000+ posts!) is that Ron Rivera would take the job below market is so insanely ridiculous I can only laugh, while at the same time misstates what I have actually said about Rivera.

I have never said Rivera would do anything, How can you or I know? We are not him.

I did say when Rivera was fired by the Commanders two years ago that there was a CHANCE he would come back to Cal and work for far less than he could make in the NFL, which many said would "never" happen, but did in fact eventually happen, though as GM instead of HC.

Again, the issue we are trying to address is the cost of moving on from Wilcox, which many thought was insurmountable because they thought it was $16 million (last year) or $10 million (this year) more than we are already spending. However, as I have been saying all along, the cost of firing Wilcox is not Wilcox's contract, which we will actually save money on if he is fired, it is the cost of his replacement and that there are potentially low cost options (which we will need because we need to fund NIL from the same pool of donor money).

As one potential option, I have said that there is a CHANCE Rivera would agree to work as HC with a backloaded contract: ie, below market in 2026 and 2027 (but at least $1million more than he makes now) while we continue to pay Wilcox, then market rates beyond once we are clear of Wilcox and as our ACC media share increases. Again, we don't know until he is asked.

If Ron doesn't want or accept that, and we don't know if he would until he is asked, a second option, which some prefer anyway, is for Ron to hire a young up and coming offensive minded HC or OC who would accept a contract similar to what I laid out for Rivera, below market payments in 2026 and 2027 with market payments beyond when we have more money and if he is successful.

A third remote possibility, which would be great but is like planning on winning the lottery, is Rivera finds a whale donor or group of donors, who will fully fund NIL ($20 million per year) and put up the money to pay an established coach the market rate (something Cal has never done).

I hope that makes my opinion clearer.

---

Brilliant job of showing how your online identity totally isn't built around Ron Rivera by reposting the same garbage you've been posting about Ron Rivera for years.

But then, who bumps a 2010 thread six years later because his online identity isn't completely wrapped around being Ron Rivera's #1 advocate.

https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/37181/replies/1274195

---

So instead of adding anything constructive your whole purpose here is to go after me personally? Even digging up a 9 year old 2016 thread?

And what does it show? That in 2010, I was one of several posters that suggested Ron Rivera, then a Linebackers Coach for the San Diego Chargers, would be a good Head Coaching candidate for the Cal Bears if we ever moved on from Tedford. Many questioned whether he was Head Coaching material, I said that he had the qualities you look for in a head coach and lo and behold 6 years later he took a team to the Super Bowl as Head Coach. I am humiliated.

---

For the president of the Ron Rivera fan club, you don't know his coaching history very well. He was only very briefly the LB coach for the Chargers and was already on his second successful stint as an NFL defensive coordinator. Cal has hired head football coaches with far thinner resumes than Ron Rivera. You didn't uncover any nugget there. The problem was that he was already too successful for a school like Cal to be an appealing job for him. He was looking for a pro job, which he eventually got.

https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/commanders/2023/11/25/washington-commanders-ron-riveras-track-record-as-a-defensive-coordinator-jack-del-rio/79647206007/

But congrats for you. You really know how to pick those career .500 NFL coaches, one of whom got a five year show cause penalty before he could coach in college again.

---

Well, you are the one who thinks I am the "president of the Ron Rivera fan club" despite my criticism of his statements as GM and you claiming you know more about him and what he wants. However, at the time of my 2010 post that you dug up, Rivera was a linebacker coach for the San Diego Chargers after getting let go by Chicago where he was DC, but yes, he clearly had head coach ambitions, which, if we were hiring at the time (which we weren't) Cal might very have fulfilled.

And since you seem so obsessed with me, if you do more research into my posts on the subject you would see that I have always advocated for an offensive oriented head coach in general, which Rivera is not, and you would find even more posts suggesting Troy Taylor and even some suggesting Mike Pawlawski. And yes, Herm Edwards, who I clearly knew turned out to be a bad choice for ASU when I pointed it out to you.

Yeah, a bunch of Cal guys. I am a Cal fan. However, I also believe that when hiring an up and coming guy there is an advantage to hiring a Cal alum because they know Cal and are going to be able recruit to Cal best, and also if successful, are more likely to stay long term rather than use Cal as a stepping stone.

But instead of attacking me, why don't you suggest who you think we should hire as head coach and why? Or did you join this board two months ago just to be a troll and defend the current coaching staff by attacking its critics? Did I criticize a coach that is a family member? Are you even a Cal fan?