Tosh Lupoi’s contract at Cal was finally finalized on Oct. 1.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 23, 2026
His salary starts at $4 million and goes up. Buyout to fire him is 80% of remaining money (with offset), so it starts at $14.8 million.
Buyout for him to leave starts at $5 million. pic.twitter.com/ieYcXL4OI4
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Tosh's contract was finalized
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Last: 5 days ago by 01Bear
That's just more bad news. Can we ever receive some good about Cal football?
That's the premium you have to pay for coaching talent that bleeds blue and gold like the boosters, right?
BREAKING: The Daily Cal has obtained Cal football HC Tosh Lupoi’s contract through a public records request. It was signed Oct. 1.
— The Daily Californian (@dailycal) October 24, 2026
The deal includes:
- $22.6M guaranteed pay over 5 years
- Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join
- Cal has…
$50M and losing or spending $17M and winning
From NYT:
"Through 95 games between Power 4 schools (plus Notre Dame) where there was at least a $5 million budget difference, the team that spent more money is 65-30 (.684) against the team that spent less. Not too surprising, right?
Digging into those numbers, we find that a difference of $5 million to $10 million between two schools is not particularly significant. In those matchups, the higher-paid team is a modest 23-19 against the lower-paid teams. But when the gap exceeds $10 million, the results become more predictable. The higher-paid teams are 42-11 when the rosters are at least $11-15 million apart, including 15-5 with a gap of $20 million or more."
Click on the link for the meat of the story, and be prepared to shower IMMEDIATELY.
From NYT:
"Through 95 games between Power 4 schools (plus Notre Dame) where there was at least a $5 million budget difference, the team that spent more money is 65-30 (.684) against the team that spent less. Not too surprising, right?
Digging into those numbers, we find that a difference of $5 million to $10 million between two schools is not particularly significant. In those matchups, the higher-paid team is a modest 23-19 against the lower-paid teams. But when the gap exceeds $10 million, the results become more predictable. The higher-paid teams are 42-11 when the rosters are at least $11-15 million apart, including 15-5 with a gap of $20 million or more."
Click on the link for the meat of the story, and be prepared to shower IMMEDIATELY.
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
“Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside”
—Jim Morrison
“I love Cal deeply, by the way, what are the directions to The Portal from Sproul Plaza?”
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside”
—Jim Morrison
“I love Cal deeply, by the way, what are the directions to The Portal from Sproul Plaza?”
bearister said:
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
He needs to be working on developing players, learning Xs and Os, and hiring competent coordinators. He has no business even thinking about joining a country club until Cal has a winning record at the end of a season.
01Bear said:bearister said:
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
He needs to be working on developing players, learning Xs and Os, and hiring competent coordinators. He has no business even thinking about joining a country club until Cal has a winning record at the end of a season.
Free country club membership? What a goof.
Bobodeluxe said:01Bear said:bearister said:
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
He needs to be working on developing players, learning Xs and Os, and hiring competent coordinators. He has no business even thinking about joining a country club until Cal has a winning record at the end of a season.
Free country club membership? What a goof.
Obviously it's for the family…swim lessons, tennis lessons and bridge cost a fortune these days.
Unbelievable! We have the opportunity to get out from under a DISASTER, and we sign on the dotted line?
Total and complete incompetence at Cal. Just fold this ****show up now. It's obvious this school has NO CLUE how to create a successful program.
Total and complete incompetence at Cal. Just fold this ****show up now. It's obvious this school has NO CLUE how to create a successful program.
TandemBear said:
Unbelievable! We have the opportunity to get out from under a DISASTER, and we sign on the dotted line?
Total and complete incompetence at Cal. Just fold this ****show up now. It's obvious this school has NO CLUE how to create a successful program.
The term sheet was binding and enforceable so Cal was going to have to pay the buyout in the unlikely scenario that Rivera moved on from his handpicked coaching hire. And if you chose to not pay, remember that Tosh is represented by Jimmy Sexton and CAA Sports which means you're dead trying to hire a coach in the future.
“My tastes are simple; I am easily satisfied with the best.” - Winston Churchill
If the objective was to hire a head coach who was clearly and unambiguously unqualified for the position, I fit that description too and would have accepted much more modest terms and fewer perks (no country club membership, boat etc).
01Bear said:bearister said:
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
He needs to be working on developing players, learning Xs and Os, and hiring competent coordinators. He has no business even thinking about joining a country club until Cal has a winning record at the end of a season.
Wilcox didn't learn X's and O's for 9 seasons. That's the problem with most defensive coaches. They often just don't have that skill set. The Cal money powers that be need to understand it is a big mistake hiring a d-line coach to head the team. The odds are stacked against them. Once hired, I was hoping Tosh might be the exception and tried to support the program with enthusiasm. But it's obvious, Tosh is an unmitigated disaster. The sooner we realize that the better. Let's not pretend he will get better with time. He's been around the game long enough with lots of experience to have picked up enough knowledge to have a plan for success. What you see is what you get. His enthusiasm and work ethic don't make up for his lack of football smarts. Next time we need to hire someone with an offensive mindset to lead the team. And please don't throw Sonny Dykes at me. Overall the odds are much greater for success with someone at the top who knows offensive.
CalBarn said:01Bear said:bearister said:
"Cal pays the initiation fee and dues of any country club Lupoi wants to join….provided he doesn't get bonged in the application process."
He needs to be working on developing players, learning Xs and Os, and hiring competent coordinators. He has no business even thinking about joining a country club until Cal has a winning record at the end of a season.
Wilcox didn't learn X's and O's for 9 seasons. That's the problem with most defensive coaches. They often just don't have that skill set. The Cal money powers that be need to understand it is a big mistake hiring a d-line coach to head the team. The odds are stacked against them. Once hired, I was hoping Tosh might be the exception and tried to support the program with enthusiasm. But it's obvious, Tosh is an unmitigated disaster. The sooner we realize that the better. Let's not pretend he will get better with time. He's been around the game long enough with lots of experience to have picked up enough knowledge to have a plan for success. What you see is what you get. His enthusiasm and work ethic don't make up for his lack of football smarts. Next time we need to hire someone with an offensive mindset to lead the team. And please don't throw Sonny Dykes at me. Overall the odds are much greater for success with someone at the top who knows offensive.
You're preaching to the choir. But now that the contract is finalized, Cal's wedded to this dumpster fire. It has no option but to hope that the crappy head coach starts learning Xs and Os. Because apparently, the whales who bought into this crap aren't willing to pay for anyone else.
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