Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

It means he'll coach SMU and the bowl game and be fired along with the rest. Once we get a new coach of course. It's certainly won't be any of the current stuff because they're all garbage.

SouthKBear said:

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It means he'll coach SMU and the ball game and be fired along with the rest. Once we need a new coach. It's certainly won't be any of the current stuff because they're all garbage.

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Harsh.

Bobodeluxe said:

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SouthKBear said:

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It means he'll coach SMU and the ball game and be fired along with the rest. Once we need a new coach. It's certainly won't be any of the current stuff because they're all garbage.

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Harsh.

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But most likely true.

I guess there's an outside chance that if the team suddenly looks amazing under Rolovich that he might have a shot at staying on. Not likely though.

I hope that's not the plan. Staying tuned.

The level of venom and hate on this site by people that probably haven't coached above little league is puzzling.
We all bleed blue, but these coaches want to win more than any of us. They and the players deserve some respect.

cal83dls79 said:

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I hope that's not the plan. Staying tuned.

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I doubt it is.

It will be impossible to evaluate Rolovich fairly; with the exception of JWS, the lack of talent on offense is shocking and embarrassing. The abject disaster that was the portal talent drain last Spring could not be overcome. I love what DeJesus brought to us this year, but if we're honest, he was brought in to be a return specialist with an occasional tunnel screen or jet sweep thrown in. He wasn't brought in to be the main receiver and most effective runner. The rest of the receivers and running backs are not D1 level - or at least not P5 level.

grrah76: "The level of venom and hate on this site by people that probably haven't coached above little league is puzzling. We all bleed blue, but these coaches want to win more than any of us. They and the players deserve some respect."

Well said! how dare anyone question another's heart or desire? Ability yes, but keep it humane...the Cal I love promotes critical thinking not the nonsense grrrh 76 rightly points out.

I am glad we are moving on from Wilcox. As for a new coach, I would be very happy with an offensive HC Or OC. Tired of watching us bring in OC every year it seems. This year, even Wilcox could not get us a defensive line. If we hire a HC, hopefully he can bring his line with him. I would like a HC who is offensive minded. Maybe Lupoi can be our DC. I entered Cal in 1962 with Craig Morton and Marv Levy. This year I saw two of the worst games in my years of watching. That includes the Levy years.

I agree to an extent, but they want to win so they can win ("earn") more money elsewhere. There is no loyalty anymore. Just the next offer

3146gabby said:

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grrah76: "The level of venom and hate on this site by people that probably haven't coached above little league is puzzling. We all bleed blue, but these coaches want to win more than any of us. They and the players deserve some respect."

Well said! how dare anyone question another's heart or desire? Ability yes, but keep it humane...the Cal I love promotes critical thinking not the nonsense grrrh 76 rightly points out.

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There were a lot of Wilcox moves that were just not trying hard, like in your second year making your three highest paid guys all be on defense, like keeping Baldwin and Musgrave three years each with terrible offenses every year, promoting Bloesch to permanent OC after he ran off Spavital, then keeping it permanent even after almost zero offense in the Independence Bowl. then not even backfilling for OL coach…dooming what could have been a great first year in the ACC with a future Heisman QB and huge Gameday publicity, then hiring his buddy Harsin who ran off all the talent at Auburn only to let him do the same at Cal, keeping Browning at DL coach for 8 years with horrible recruiting…. But I do agree he is a generally nice guy who will have been paid $40-50 million from Cal and I honestly do wish him well going forward. Maybe he settles down at his home in Idaho and has kids he can take fishing and pass on to them the generational wealth we have given him?

Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

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My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

calumnus said:

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3146gabby said:

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grrah76: "The level of venom and hate on this site by people that probably haven't coached above little league is puzzling. We all bleed blue, but these coaches want to win more than any of us. They and the players deserve some respect."

Well said! how dare anyone question another's heart or desire? Ability yes, but keep it humane...the Cal I love promotes critical thinking not the nonsense grrrh 76 rightly points out.

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There were a lot of Wilcox moves that were just not trying hard, like in your second year making your three highest paid guys all be on defense, like keeping Baldwin and Musgrave three years each with terrible offenses every year, promoting Bloesch to permanent OC after he ran off Spavital, then keeping it permanent even after almost zero offense in the Independence Bowl. then not even backfilling for OL coach…dooming what could have been a great first year in the ACC with a future Heisman QB and huge Gameday publicity, then hiring his buddy Harsin who ran off all the talent at Auburn only to let him do the same at Cal, keeping Browning at DL coach for 8 years with horrible recruiting…. But I do agree he is a generally nice guy who will have been paid over $50 million from Cal and I honestly do wish him well going forward. Maybe he settles down at his home in Idaho and has kids he can take fishing and pass on to them the generational wealth we have given him?

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If I'm not mistaken, he gets next year's pay as a parting gift. A reminder that I picked the wrong profession.

SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

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My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

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I don't think any other coaches are being let go until a new head coach is hired. That's pretty common.

Saw a comment elsewhere: is this the first interim head coach for Cal?

Grrrrah76 said:

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The level of venom and hate on this site by people that probably haven't coached above little league is puzzling.
We all bleed blue, but these coaches want to win more than any of us. They and the players deserve some respect.

---

There is a fine line between "venom and hate" and "intense passion." I like to think that our comments, as mean-spirited as they may come off, are driven by the latter, not the former.

I've never coached. I've never put a roof on a house either. When I need roofing done, I look for recommendations and make a hiring decision. I imagine selecting a coach is similar. Now, if I pay a roofer $30,000, and s/he hires a crew and strips off the old roof, replaces rotten wood, puts on underlayment, and then applies my shingles/shakes/metal panels, etc. there is not a lot of argument that the roofers worked hard. But if, after all that, my roof is leaking 3 weeks later in the next big rainstorm, I don't care about how nice they were or how hard they worked, but that I spent a fair amount of money and didn't get what I paid for - which is a dry home interior during rain. I grant that it is an imperfect comparison, but the fact remains that Cal spent a lot of money and didn't get the results that we wanted.

We all bleed Blue and Gold. We (mostly) also went to Cal. I personally thank God they don't print the GPA on the diploma, but I did take away something that had nothing to do with my major. Cal professors had very high expectations, and just learning to even barely meet those expectations served me well in all of my future endeavors. I would expect nothing less from our Athletic Department.

To be clear, we aren't Penn State. They fired a coach who had taken that team very far, but had an abysmal start in conference play this year. The jury is still out on whether that was a wise decision. Franklin coached from 2014 to 2025. Throwing out 2020, Penn State was in a bowl game every year of his tenure, and went to the CFP last year. Honestly, I might have given him a Mulligan for one bad year. Justin Wilcox' Cal teams have never been above .500 in conference play. Throwing out 2020, we went to three "Bowl Week" games in six seasons - Cheeze-It, Redbox, Independence. Last year we went to the LA Bowl, and might (maybe) return this year - who knows? The point is that there wasn't progress. Treading water for 10 years wasn't what Justin Wilcox was paid to do. He was paid to improve the program - the way Bruce Snyder or Jeff Tedford improved the program. He did not meet that expectation.

SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

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you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

Rushinbear said:

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SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

---

you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

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Jim Mora won 8, 10, 10, and 9 games at UCLA but flamed out in 2016 when UCLA was one of 8 Pac-12 teams that were ranked during the season but was not one of the 5 that finished ranked. He had a 6-7 season in 2017 and UCLA fired him to replace him with Chip Kelly.
People forget how good the Pac-12 was during that time period, when even Stanford was a national power.

Jim Mora would be a great hire, but then why not Ron Rivera? Did Lyons effectively eliminate Ron from contention by making him GM?

BearGreg said:

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calumnus said:

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Rushinbear said:

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SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

---

you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

---

Jim Mora won 8, 10, 10, and 9 games at UCLA but flamed out in 2016 when UCLA was one of 8 Pac-12 teams that were ranked during the season but was not one of the 5 that finished ranked. He had a 6-7 season in 2017 and UCLA fired him to replace him with Chip Kelly.
People forget how good the Pac-12 was during that time period, when even Stanford was a national power.

Jim Mora would be a great hire, but then why not Ron Rivera? Did Lyons effectively eliminate Ron from contention by making him GM?

---

Mora won 9, 10, 10, 8, then 4 then 5 at UCLA. When he had Rick Neuheisel's players, he was good, when he restocked the roster, not so much

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Mora won 6 in 2017 before getting fired according to:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ucla/index.html

calumnus said:

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BearGreg said:

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calumnus said:

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Rushinbear said:

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SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

---

you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

---

Jim Mora won 8, 10, 10, and 9 games at UCLA but flamed out in 2016 when UCLA was one of 8 Pac-12 teams that were ranked during the season but was not one of the 5 that finished ranked. He had a 6-7 season in 2017 and UCLA fired him to replace him with Chip Kelly.
People forget how good the Pac-12 was during that time period, when even Stanford was a national power.

Jim Mora would be a great hire, but then why not Ron Rivera? Did Lyons effectively eliminate Ron from contention by making him GM?

---

Mora won 9, 10, 10, 8, then 4 then 5 at UCLA. When he had Rick Neuheisel's players, he was good, when he restocked the roster, not so much

---

Mora won 6 in 2017 before getting fired according to:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ucla/index.html

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He was fired before their final regular season game.

ducktilldeath said:

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calumnus said:

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BearGreg said:

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calumnus said:

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Rushinbear said:

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SoFlaBear said:

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Grrrrah76 said:

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Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

---

you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

---

Jim Mora won 8, 10, 10, and 9 games at UCLA but flamed out in 2016 when UCLA was one of 8 Pac-12 teams that were ranked during the season but was not one of the 5 that finished ranked. He had a 6-7 season in 2017 and UCLA fired him to replace him with Chip Kelly.
People forget how good the Pac-12 was during that time period, when even Stanford was a national power.

Jim Mora would be a great hire, but then why not Ron Rivera? Did Lyons effectively eliminate Ron from contention by making him GM?

---

Mora won 9, 10, 10, 8, then 4 then 5 at UCLA. When he had Rick Neuheisel's players, he was good, when he restocked the roster, not so much

---

Mora won 6 in 2017 before getting fired according to:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ucla/index.html

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He was fired before their final regular season game.

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Thanks. So Mora was 5-6 that year and the interim got the win over Wilcox and Cal in the final game and then the loss in the bowl game.

Cal interim head coach Nick Rolovich made several comments Tuesday about his focus being on getting the team ready to face SMU.

Asked if the coaching change could motivate the Bears this week: "I think that's exactly what it should do for the love they have for Coach Wilcox." pic.twitter.com/eixFWFB4kd

— Golden Bear Report (On3 | Rivals) (@CalBearsOn3) November 25, 2025

Rushinbear said:

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SoFlaBear said:

---

Grrrrah76 said:

---

Rolovich, former WSU coach and standout qb at Hawaii has been named interim head coach. Does this mean anything moving forward?

---

My question is adjacent to yours. Since Senior Nick Rolovich will lead the team in the interim, does that mean that Harsin was let go along with Wilcox? I saw nothing reported to that effect, but maybe someone else has.

---

you will not get a top hc when you put conditions on staff (re)hires. And, at this point, we need a new broom to sweep clean so that the new guy can start a program that is his. He's gonna be judged on his record, so he will want to max his chances with his own choices in staff. Every coach understands that - it's the nature of the business.

In addition, it would be insanity to weight the choice by Cal guy/not Cal guy. We should want THE BEST guy we can get, of all candidates. Some of the names I see mentioned are not that.

BTW, Jim Mora has done wonders at UCONN. And, he seems to have done it the old fashioned way, by building up. Imagine recruits wondering how they're gonna get recognition when you're up against national championship teams in both men's and women's bball? Mora obviously knows the west coast and the only question to me is what happened at UCLA? Word has it that he might be happy sitting tight in Storrs and enjoying the fruits of his labor there.

---

Mora is going to Colorado State

MathTeacherMike said:

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It will be impossible to evaluate Rolovich fairly; with the exception of JWS, the lack of talent on offense is shocking and embarrassing. The abject disaster that was the portal talent drain last Spring could not be overcome. I love what DeJesus brought to us this year, but if we're honest, he was brought in to be a return specialist with an occasional tunnel screen or jet sweep thrown in. He wasn't brought in to be the main receiver and most effective runner. The rest of the receivers and running backs are not D1 level - or at least not P5 level.

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Let's say there's a 1% chance that Rolo is our next (permanent) Head Coach: What happens over the next four days would definitely be part of that, but the main reason would be that Rivera did a deep dive into his background and also has been observing him closely throughout the year... and really likes what he sees.

Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

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I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

Bearbassics said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

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I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

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Unless he gets a better offer….

Alkiadt said:

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Bearbassics said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

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I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

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Unless he gets a better offer….

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You think he'd leave OC at cal to be an FCS HC? There's no other West Coast G6 jobs open, unless Lewis gets another gig and SDSU opens up…

Bearbassics said:

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Alkiadt said:

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Bearbassics said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

---

I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

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Unless he gets a better offer….

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You think he'd leave OC at cal to be an FCS HC? There's no other West Coast G6 jobs open, unless Lewis gets another gig and SDSU opens up…

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I hope not. But he may have the desire if a job is available.
Not sure how he aligns with Lupoi's offensive philosophy (that will be interesting…. The Ducks have had mobility at qb. JKS is not mobile).
Tosh and Rolo are already familiar with each other. Both obviously have recruited and are familiar with the Polynesian culture. I'm sure Lupoi has an idea of who he wants on staff, and that will be his decision. All of the current staff are lining up and scrambling for options. That's part of their career decision. I really like Rolovich, but time will tell if he's a fit for what Lupoi wants. Having a former Head Coach on staff in addition to Rivera as GM seems like something that would benefit Lupoi.

Rolo has shown he doesn't have to be the head guy, that he can be a team player.

Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo has shown he doesn't have to be the head guy, that he can be a team player.

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Hopefully it works out if he stays but I'll never be surprised by anything when it comes to coaching moves.

Bearbassics said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

---

I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

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Whenever there is a head coaching change, the new head coach almost always completely cleans house. I'd be much more surprised if Rolo is here next season.

Alkiadt said:

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Bearbassics said:

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Alkiadt said:

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Bearbassics said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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Rolo is an awesome coach. I want him back at Hawaii (I like Chang too). Enjoy letting him get away for what you perceive as an upgrade. He brings fun to a program. He's a NorCal guy.

---

I don't think we'll "let him get away". IMO especially if we hire a guy like Tosh whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, Rolo will almost certainly stick around as OC or QB coach or "senior offensive assistant". He's worth it for the relationship with JKS alone

---

Unless he gets a better offer….

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You think he'd leave OC at cal to be an FCS HC? There's no other West Coast G6 jobs open, unless Lewis gets another gig and SDSU opens up…

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I hope not. But he may have the desire if a job is available.
Not sure how he aligns with Lupoi's offensive philosophy (that will be interesting…. The Ducks have had mobility at qb. JKS is not mobile).
Tosh and Rolo are already familiar with each other. Both obviously have recruited and are familiar with the Polynesian culture. I'm sure Lupoi has an idea of who he wants on staff, and that will be his decision. All of the current staff are lining up and scrambling for options. That's part of their career decision. I really like Rolovich, but time will tell if he's a fit for what Lupoi wants. Having a former Head Coach on staff in addition to Rivera as GM seems like something that would benefit Lupoi.

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Have much hope saffell sticks around?