Musgrave New Offensive Coordinator?
Bill Musgrave, who has a 21-year coaching career, will likely be hired by Cal as its new offensive coordinator Bear Insider has learned. An official announcement is expected soon.
Musgrave, 52, spent 19 years as an NFL assistant, mainly coaching quarterbacks and serving as an OC.
He will succeed Beau Baldwin, who resigned last month to become head coach at Cal Poly. Musgrave will undoubtedly have a lot to say about the rest of the offensive staff. Only wide receivers coach Burl Toler III and tight ends coach Marques Tuiasosopo are still on staff from the 2019 season. Running backs coach Nick Edwards is following Baldwin to Cal Poly and offensive line coach Steve Greatwood is retiring.
Musgrave has a reputation as a quarterbacks guru, but his lone college coaching experience was two years at the University of Virginia in 2001 and 2002. While there his prime pupil was NFL quarterback Matt Schaub.
Musgrave moved around quite a bit in his pro coaching career most recently he was the OC for the Broncos (2017-18) He was not retained when Vic Fangio became head coach this past season.
Prior to Denver, he was with the Raiders (2015-16, 1997), Philadelphia (2014, 1998), Minnesota (2011-13), Atlanta (2006-10), Washington (2005), Jacksonville (2003-04) and Carolina (1999-2000).
During his career, he helped three different quarterbacks reach the Pro Bowl. Steve Beuerlein (1999), Matt Ryan (2010) and Derek Carr (2015016).
Musgrave seemed to have found a home in Oakland and Carr enjoyed his best season in 2016 until his breakout year in 2019. The Raiders were 14-2 in 2016, but Musgrave was let go anyway. Speculation at the time was the Raiders management felt that for all Carer’s success, Musgrave’s offense was too “vanilla” to suit them. They wanted to give freewheeling Todd Downing a chance to liven things up. That didn’t turn out too well.
Musgrave, a native of Colorado, played collegiately at Oregon, where he became one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history. A four-year starter, he led the Ducks to their first bowl game in 26 years and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in school history.
As a senior, he was All-Conference and an Academic All-American. The latter honor should endear him to Cal fans.
He is a member of Oregon’s Athletic Hall of Fame.