ducktilldeath said:

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Cal88 said:

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sycasey said:

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BearoutEast67 said:

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Tosh was a terrible DL coach for the Jaguars (3-14) in 2021. Their DL was like a sieve, letting Trevor Lawrence get beat up each game. He has been a one-year hire in multiple sites, which smells like trouble.

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As has been noted, the reason he was a one-year guy as an NFL position coach so often was because the head coach who hired him got fired every time. Maybe some of that is his fault, but more likely it's just the normal staff turnover that happens in that situation. I doubt the DL coach has that much impact on the whole team's record.

There are plenty of reasonable arguments for not hiring Tosh, but "his DL couldn't protect the QB" is not a good one.

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You would think he could have been retained at least once out of the three times the HC was replaced, it's not uncommon for a HC to retain the better elements in a previous staff.

After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

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What kind of logic is this? He got hired by another NFL team the first two times and then was off to Oregon.

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The incoming head coach gets first dibs at the previous staff. It is very common for new coaches to retain some of the better assistants.

Cal88 said:

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ducktilldeath said:

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Cal88 said:

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sycasey said:

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BearoutEast67 said:

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Tosh was a terrible DL coach for the Jaguars (3-14) in 2021. Their DL was like a sieve, letting Trevor Lawrence get beat up each game. He has been a one-year hire in multiple sites, which smells like trouble.

---

As has been noted, the reason he was a one-year guy as an NFL position coach so often was because the head coach who hired him got fired every time. Maybe some of that is his fault, but more likely it's just the normal staff turnover that happens in that situation. I doubt the DL coach has that much impact on the whole team's record.

There are plenty of reasonable arguments for not hiring Tosh, but "his DL couldn't protect the QB" is not a good one.

---

You would think he could have been retained at least once out of the three times the HC was replaced, it's not uncommon for a HC to retain the better elements in a previous staff.

After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

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What kind of logic is this? He got hired by another NFL team the first two times and then was off to Oregon.

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The incoming head coach gets first dibs at the previous staff. It is very common for new coaches to retain some of the better assistants.

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When Pete Carroll took over at SC the only assistant he kept from the previous regime was Ed Orgeron, for obvious reasons

DoubtfulBear said:

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Cal88 said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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Cal88 said:

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BearSD said:

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Cal88 said:

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After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

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Not sure why you think this is an argument against him. Cal football desperately needs vastly better recruiting, if it is ever going to break out of the 5-to-7 wins a year rut. If it's not Tosh, it dam well better be someone else whose staff will recruit as well as Tosh has.

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Better recruiting is good to have, but not the main skill I would look for in a HC. The problem with Tosh and the last 10+ years coaching college football is that he has been in very, very successful programs where his main contribution was in recruiting. I'm sure we would have been very successful with Tosh if he has people like Saban, Lanning or Will Stein handling every other part of the program.

The one time Tosh was in charge of running the defense at Alabama, they got outcoached and destroyed by Clemson and handed Saban his worst loss to date. That's why Saban let him go.

Typically, you hire a head coach based on his fundamental coaching skills, and if he's not a great recruiter, expect him to add some coordinators and assistants who are good recruiters to cover the slack.

Tosh doesn't strike me as a very bright guy, or someone who has the broader skill set of a good CEO, he is a top salesman.

He reminds me of Ed Orgeron, another former DL/position coach who is a top recruiter with average coaching skills, 33-38 record as a head coach in the SEC.

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I would rather have a CEO head coach that hires strong coordinators than one who needs to micromanage the play calling

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You're not hiring a CEO with Tosh, you're hiring a salesman.

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the best CEOs are also salesmen. What evidence do you have that he doesn't have the ability to hire quality staff?

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Lupoi has never been a head coach at the college level.
He's never run an entire program, built a staff from scratch, overseen recruiting strategy at scale, or managed long-term roster development.

Elite recruiters often struggle when they move into HC roles because:
1. they go from relationships & talent acquisition to CEO of a 120-person football organization
2. they must master clock management, game planning, metrics, donor/NIL politics, retention
3. mistakes at HC are amplified, public, and extremely expensive

Oh, no.

Lanning continued:

"He has a reputation of being a recruiter but that's not all he is, he's an unbelievable coach. He can coach every position on defense, when he gets his opportunity, he will kill it. I think it has to make unbelievable sense for him for it to happen."

— Thomas Dunn (@Thomasdunn24) November 25, 2025

Cal88 said:

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ducktilldeath said:

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Cal88 said:

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sycasey said:

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BearoutEast67 said:

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Tosh was a terrible DL coach for the Jaguars (3-14) in 2021. Their DL was like a sieve, letting Trevor Lawrence get beat up each game. He has been a one-year hire in multiple sites, which smells like trouble.

---

As has been noted, the reason he was a one-year guy as an NFL position coach so often was because the head coach who hired him got fired every time. Maybe some of that is his fault, but more likely it's just the normal staff turnover that happens in that situation. I doubt the DL coach has that much impact on the whole team's record.

There are plenty of reasonable arguments for not hiring Tosh, but "his DL couldn't protect the QB" is not a good one.

---

You would think he could have been retained at least once out of the three times the HC was replaced, it's not uncommon for a HC to retain the better elements in a previous staff.

After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

---

What kind of logic is this? He got hired by another NFL team the first two times and then was off to Oregon.

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The incoming head coach gets first dibs at the previous staff. It is very common for new coaches to retain some of the better assistants.

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Knocking him for not being retained when 2 of the 3 times he was picked up by another NFL team is asinine.

Golden One said:

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okaydo said:

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Oh, no.

Lanning continued:

"He has a reputation of being a recruiter but that's not all he is, he's an unbelievable coach. He can coach every position on defense, when he gets his opportunity, he will kill it. I think it has to make unbelievable sense for him for it to happen."

— Thomas Dunn (@Thomasdunn24) November 25, 2025

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Maybe Lanning just wants him to leave.

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It does seem a bit over the top except maybe the "I learned from him when I was a GA at Alabama" part, that is a bit backhanded.

MinotStateBeav said:

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TedfordTheGreat said:

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Cal88 said:

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Alkiadt said:

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Cal88 said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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Cal88 said:

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BearSD said:

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Cal88 said:

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After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

---

Not sure why you think this is an argument against him. Cal football desperately needs vastly better recruiting, if it is ever going to break out of the 5-to-7 wins a year rut. If it's not Tosh, it dam well better be someone else whose staff will recruit as well as Tosh has.

---

Better recruiting is good to have, but not the main skill I would look for in a HC. The problem with Tosh and the last 10+ years coaching college football is that he has been in very, very successful programs where his main contribution was in recruiting. I'm sure we would have been very successful with Tosh if he has people like Saban, Lanning or Will Stein handling every other part of the program.

The one time Tosh was in charge of running the defense at Alabama, they got outcoached and destroyed by Clemson and handed Saban his worst loss to date. That's why Saban let him go.

Typically, you hire a head coach based on his fundamental coaching skills, and if he's not a great recruiter, expect him to add some coordinators and assistants who are good recruiters to cover the slack.

Tosh doesn't strike me as a very bright guy, or someone who has the broader skill set of a good CEO, he is a top salesman.

He reminds me of Ed Orgeron, another former DL/position coach who is a top recruiter with average coaching skills, 33-38 record as a head coach in the SEC.

---

I would rather have a CEO head coach that hires strong coordinators than one who needs to micromanage the play calling

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You're not hiring a CEO with Tosh, you're hiring a salesman.

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I see Dan Lanning, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, James Franklin and even Curt Cignetti as very much salesmen of their programs.

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Kiffin and Franklin do fit the bill.

Cignetti not so much, and he is the complete package in terms of coaching fundamentals and skills, his product on the field is what sells his program, a program he had built from the ground up. He didn't land Mendoza through his salesmanship, the results of his program spoke for themselves.

Lanning knows his football, and was very good at identifying and hiring one of the top football young minds in college football, Will Stein, who at the time was a 32yo with only 3 years of college coaching experience in a second rate conference.

---

this is funny

You give credit to Lanning because he knows football
You give credit to Will Stein because he is an up and coming top football mind

But Lanning also hired Tosh, and then retained him 3 years running

So does Lanning know football or not? If he does, then Tosh must be good

Thanks for selling us!

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There's a reason people want Tosh for recruiting but not to be their DC. This has been his reputation in almost every stop he's been at.

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Isn't his Oregon stint the counterpoint to that?

calumnus said:

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Golden One said:

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okaydo said:

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Oh, no.

Lanning continued:

"He has a reputation of being a recruiter but that's not all he is, he's an unbelievable coach. He can coach every position on defense, when he gets his opportunity, he will kill it. I think it has to make unbelievable sense for him for it to happen."

— Thomas Dunn (@Thomasdunn24) November 25, 2025

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Maybe Lanning just wants him to leave.

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It does seem a bit over the top except maybe the "I learned from him when I was a GA at Alabama" part, that is a bit backhanded.

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You're just the worst. It's pure honesty. He's not grandstanding or promoting an agenda.

sycasey said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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TedfordTheGreat said:

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Cal88 said:

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Alkiadt said:

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Cal88 said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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Cal88 said:

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BearSD said:

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Cal88 said:

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After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

---

Not sure why you think this is an argument against him. Cal football desperately needs vastly better recruiting, if it is ever going to break out of the 5-to-7 wins a year rut. If it's not Tosh, it dam well better be someone else whose staff will recruit as well as Tosh has.

---

Better recruiting is good to have, but not the main skill I would look for in a HC. The problem with Tosh and the last 10+ years coaching college football is that he has been in very, very successful programs where his main contribution was in recruiting. I'm sure we would have been very successful with Tosh if he has people like Saban, Lanning or Will Stein handling every other part of the program.

The one time Tosh was in charge of running the defense at Alabama, they got outcoached and destroyed by Clemson and handed Saban his worst loss to date. That's why Saban let him go.

Typically, you hire a head coach based on his fundamental coaching skills, and if he's not a great recruiter, expect him to add some coordinators and assistants who are good recruiters to cover the slack.

Tosh doesn't strike me as a very bright guy, or someone who has the broader skill set of a good CEO, he is a top salesman.

He reminds me of Ed Orgeron, another former DL/position coach who is a top recruiter with average coaching skills, 33-38 record as a head coach in the SEC.

---

I would rather have a CEO head coach that hires strong coordinators than one who needs to micromanage the play calling

---

You're not hiring a CEO with Tosh, you're hiring a salesman.

---

I see Dan Lanning, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, James Franklin and even Curt Cignetti as very much salesmen of their programs.

---

Kiffin and Franklin do fit the bill.

Cignetti not so much, and he is the complete package in terms of coaching fundamentals and skills, his product on the field is what sells his program, a program he had built from the ground up. He didn't land Mendoza through his salesmanship, the results of his program spoke for themselves.

Lanning knows his football, and was very good at identifying and hiring one of the top football young minds in college football, Will Stein, who at the time was a 32yo with only 3 years of college coaching experience in a second rate conference.

---

this is funny

You give credit to Lanning because he knows football
You give credit to Will Stein because he is an up and coming top football mind

But Lanning also hired Tosh, and then retained him 3 years running

So does Lanning know football or not? If he does, then Tosh must be good

Thanks for selling us!

---

There's a reason people want Tosh for recruiting but not to be their DC. This has been his reputation in almost every stop he's been at.

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Isn't his Oregon stint the counterpoint to that?

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no, because lanning is the DC there, Tosh is wearing the title like a skinsuit.

Alkiadt said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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sycasey said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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TedfordTheGreat said:

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Cal88 said:

---

Alkiadt said:

---

Cal88 said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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Cal88 said:

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BearSD said:

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Cal88 said:

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After 3 years of jumping around in the NFL, Tosh realized that his main football skill, recruiting, is confined to college ball.

---

Not sure why you think this is an argument against him. Cal football desperately needs vastly better recruiting, if it is ever going to break out of the 5-to-7 wins a year rut. If it's not Tosh, it dam well better be someone else whose staff will recruit as well as Tosh has.

---

Better recruiting is good to have, but not the main skill I would look for in a HC. The problem with Tosh and the last 10+ years coaching college football is that he has been in very, very successful programs where his main contribution was in recruiting. I'm sure we would have been very successful with Tosh if he has people like Saban, Lanning or Will Stein handling every other part of the program.

The one time Tosh was in charge of running the defense at Alabama, they got outcoached and destroyed by Clemson and handed Saban his worst loss to date. That's why Saban let him go.

Typically, you hire a head coach based on his fundamental coaching skills, and if he's not a great recruiter, expect him to add some coordinators and assistants who are good recruiters to cover the slack.

Tosh doesn't strike me as a very bright guy, or someone who has the broader skill set of a good CEO, he is a top salesman.

He reminds me of Ed Orgeron, another former DL/position coach who is a top recruiter with average coaching skills, 33-38 record as a head coach in the SEC.

---

I would rather have a CEO head coach that hires strong coordinators than one who needs to micromanage the play calling

---

You're not hiring a CEO with Tosh, you're hiring a salesman.

---

I see Dan Lanning, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, James Franklin and even Curt Cignetti as very much salesmen of their programs.

---

Kiffin and Franklin do fit the bill.

Cignetti not so much, and he is the complete package in terms of coaching fundamentals and skills, his product on the field is what sells his program, a program he had built from the ground up. He didn't land Mendoza through his salesmanship, the results of his program spoke for themselves.

Lanning knows his football, and was very good at identifying and hiring one of the top football young minds in college football, Will Stein, who at the time was a 32yo with only 3 years of college coaching experience in a second rate conference.

---

this is funny

You give credit to Lanning because he knows football
You give credit to Will Stein because he is an up and coming top football mind

But Lanning also hired Tosh, and then retained him 3 years running

So does Lanning know football or not? If he does, then Tosh must be good

Thanks for selling us!

---

There's a reason people want Tosh for recruiting but not to be their DC. This has been his reputation in almost every stop he's been at.

---

Isn't his Oregon stint the counterpoint to that?

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no, because lanning is the DC there, Tosh is wearing the title like a skinsuit.

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Complete BS.

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Lanning is a defensive-minded head coach, and Chris Hampton is co-defensive coordinator, so it's hard to say where the defensive coaching responsibilities start and stop within that organisation. I would also guess that Lupoi is one of the main recruiters on their staff.

Quote:

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this is funny

You give credit to Lanning because he knows football
You give credit to Will Stein because he is an up and coming top football mind

But Lanning also hired Tosh, and then retained him 3 years running

So does Lanning know football or not? If he does, then Tosh must be good

Thanks for selling us!

---

See above.

BearoutEast67 said:

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Tosh was a terrible DL coach for the Jaguars (3-14) in 2021. Their DL was like a sieve, letting Trevor Lawrence get beat up each game. He has been a one-year hire in multiple sites, which smells like trouble.

At best, let's hire Tosh as a recruiter, but for Pete's sake, don't let him coach!

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Is this some sort of joke? A sieve-like defensive line got the quarterback beat up?

MTbear22 said:

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BearoutEast67 said:

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Tosh was a terrible DL coach for the Jaguars (3-14) in 2021. Their DL was like a sieve, letting Trevor Lawrence get beat up each game. He has been a one-year hire in multiple sites, which smells like trouble.

At best, let's hire Tosh as a recruiter, but for Pete's sake, don't let him coach!

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Is this some sort of joke? A sieve-like defensive line got the quarterback beat up?

---

Show some love. The cult of Square Jaw is in mourning.

Real question to anyone who believes Tosh is a good coach worth a shot at the HC job but don't want him because they can't forgive the betrayal/Shaq Thompson situation:

If he came and (in addition to the transfer portal or any other recruiting benefits) flipped Tommy Tofi back from nikeU to come with him would you consider that the pound of flesh has been paid and get on board with it?

Bearly Clad said:

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Real question to anyone who believes Tosh is a good coach worth a shot at the HC job but don't want him because they can't forgive the betrayal/Shaq Thompson situation:

If he came and (in addition to the transfer portal or any other recruiting benefits) flipped Tommy Tofi back from nikeU to come with him would you consider that the pound of flesh has been paid and get on board with it?

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No, because it's only a matter of time before we will be on probation.

Bearly Clad said:

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Real question to anyone who believes Tosh is a good coach worth a shot at the HC job but don't want him because they can't forgive the betrayal/Shaq Thompson situation:

If he came and (in addition to the transfer portal or any other recruiting benefits) flipped Tommy Tofi back from nikeU to come with him would you consider that the pound of flesh has been paid and get on board with it?

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If we do hire Tosh and the first recruiting class is not at the very least in the top third or quarter of the ACC, it would not bode well for his tenure, because that is his biggest asset as a coach.

The other short term key indicator would be the quality of the staff he would bring in.

Personally, if he is hired, I would overlook his past transgressions if he does manage to do well as a coach, but I would fully expect him to leverage any success in his Cal tenure towards a bigger contract elsewhere, this would be his primary outlook on the job as a Cal HC. Coaching is a business, but for many types of people money is not the end all be all, particularly if you are already building up a seven figure nest egg as a Cal coach, or if you have strong feelings about building a local foundation and about being associated with Cal (see JT turning down UW at the peak of his career). Pretty sure that is not the case for Tosh, but then again other leading candidates might also fit this profile.

GivemTheAxe said:

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BearoutEast67 said:

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H@lls no! Character matters. End stop

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Go ahead and bring Tosh back. He is the whole package. He will come with a ready made group of supporters and haters. This way both groups can hit the ground running. There will be no need for his haters to wait to begin the "Fire Tosh" posts. They can start even before he coaches his first game.

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Great point. This site would certainly liven up.

I don't have time to check the posts, but I think some of the anti-Tosh people are also the people who want to give the football coach a low base salary with incentives. They're living in a dream land. If Tosh comes, wins and then leaves for greener pastures, we'll still be better off, because maybe we'll have secured a place in the new order when the next realignment occurs. Unless people really know of large donors who won't give money if Tosh is the coach, which I doubt, I still think he's the best choice. Whomever we choose, there's some risk, because we don't have the credibility to hire an established P4 coach.

Jeff82 said:

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Whomever we choose, there's some risk, because we don't have the credibility to hire an established P4 coach.

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We don't have the time either to be choosy, whoever comes in here has to get us in playoff contention in a very small window and an established coach will not want our situation

Jeff82 said:

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I don't have time to check the posts, but I think some of the anti-Tosh people are also the people who want to give the football coach a low base salary with incentives. They're living in a dream land. If Tosh comes, wins and then leaves for greener pastures, we'll still be better off, because maybe we'll have secured a place in the new order when the next realignment occurs. Unless people really know of large donors who won't give money if Tosh is the coach, which I doubt, I still think he's the best choice. Whomever we choose, there's some risk, because we don't have the credibility to hire an established P4 coach.

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Yeah, I'm not at all worried about the "Tosh wins big and bolts" scenario since we will be in a much better position to hire the next coach. Maybe Desen then?

I'm not even too worried about taking a risk with an up and coming coach like Tosh or Desean that we think has a high ceiling and missing as long as we have a contract that lets us move on quickly and try again.

However, the worst thing for Cal is hiring bad, uninspiring, coaches like Holmoe and Wilcox who lose twice as many conference games as they win but convincing ourselves that is good enough, or that they "could" become good coaches, or their next OC will be the one, so we extend them and don't want to fire them from a job we pay $5 million a year because we don't want to hurt their feelings.

For me, the question with Tosh is that I would really want to know who his staff would be, especially his OC and what offense we are going to run, and if the guy is successful, what is our plan to keep him? That is less of a question with guys who are already HCs or are at least from the offensive side of the ball.

If we hire Tosh, I think we need to have a big budget for his OC (and NIL) and we can't afford to be locked into another $25 million guaranteed 5 year contract if he isn't performing early on. So if you are saying that he won't come for a lower initial salary with incentives or a contract with a buyout that is favorable to Cal, then I think he is too risky,

concordtom said:

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1.. your first post in this thread has 54 stars! I've never seen that big a number before!

2. I listened to Rivera's presser and there was a tell in an answer to an early question. He said one of the criteria for candidates was "why Cal? Why do you want to come back to Cal?" and then he immediately added "to Cal?"

Back to Cal can only mean one thing.
It's Tosh!

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Funny, that was practically the only thing I heard too lol. "Blah Blah coach speak coach speak Why Cal? Why do you want to comeback to Cal?"

I thought, hmmm, that narrows the field quickly

HairOfTheBear said:

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concordtom said:

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1.. your first post in this thread has 54 stars! I've never seen that big a number before!

2. I listened to Rivera's presser and there was a tell in an answer to an early question. He said one of the criteria for candidates was "why Cal? Why do you want to come back to Cal?" and then he immediately added "to Cal?"

Back to Cal can only mean one thing.
It's Tosh!

---

Funny, that was practically the only thing I heard too lol. "Blah Blah coach speak coach speak Why Cal? Why do you want to comeback to Cal?"

I thought, hmmm, that narrows the field quickly

---

Yes. You picked up on that, too!
A couple other minor things.

Q. Would you be looking for a candidate that already has head coaching experience?
A. Not necessarily.
….it was the pace/tone in his response as compared to answers of other questions, such as the one about retaining someone already on staff, which I read as, "yeah, no".

And then on the timing of a hire: decide who by high school commit day, Dec 3? He said no because teams in bowl games, but then circled back to add, "team in the playoffs ".
Well, that narrows it!

So, tea leaves here:

1. Back to Cal (Tosh)
2. No head coaching experience (Tosh)
3. In the playoffs (Tosh, Oregon has a great shot at a berth should they beat UW Saturday)

In my emotional opinion - it would be EXTREMELY ruinous to Cal and Tosh's reputation here (which is already very damaged) should he win the job and do decently-well and then leap to a higher profile/paying job elsewhere.

I caution here because his resume is littered with a bunch of short term stays AND more importantly he ratpunked us once already - we'd look awful stupid if he left us in a lurch again.

Tosh better be committed to a LONG term residency here. Otherwise, GTFO, we don't need it.

Tedford's gotta be shaking his head in disbelief at the consideration. I'm still looking for that in-depth mea culpa,

"the lasting sin I can't get over and gotta make right".
And a blessing by the offended,

"it's okay, my son - I forgive you".



Just a few political pointers for the pro-Tosh-crowd. How to sell a candidate to the people!

boredom said:

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This is how we end up with Wilcox or Joe Kapp. We can explore options that have not been at Cal before. We don't have to reach for a guy nobody else wants just because he was at Cal when our recruits were in diapers.

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This is how we got Tedford too.