Bear Insider Video: New Cal OL Coach Angus McClure

By Jim McGill

February 15, 2020

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With the hiring of new offensive line coach Angus McClure, the Bears added not only a wealth of experience but a coach who has deep ties to Northern California as both a player and a coach, not to mention as a recruiter.

“I’ve always recruited Northern California, being from California, being from the Bay Area,” said McClure. “Spending a lot of time in Sacramento.

“I played in Sacramento at Sacramento State. I coached high school football there. I coached junior college football there. And then I coached at Sacramento State midway through my career so I have a lot of roots in this area.

“It doesn’t matter if I was at UCLA or Nebraska or even Buffalo. I’d recruit Northern California. I’ve always had great success, I think because I have really good relationships with the coaches in the region. Certainly a lot of my former players are coaches. That helps. I’ve gotten to the age now that a lot of my former players have kids who are playing football. So I’m able to get a lot of information that others aren’t able to get. I have a lot of eyes in the region helping me recruit.

“I love recruiting this area and I love living here again, too.”

Talk to anyone familiar with McClure and they’ll tell you he knows everyone and is on a first-name basis with coaches, players, former players and families throughout the region. His naturally-gregarious manner instantly puts people at ease and is key in building and maintaining relationships.

“Recruiting is all about relationships,” said McClure. “I’ll go by a school even if they don’t have a prospect because I want to go see that coach and see how he’s doing. For the amount of years I’ve been recruiting the Bay Area and Sacramento, you just can’t help but get to know people and that has kind of blossomed throughout the years. I think it’s an easy area to get around if you know where to go.

“I think there’s excellent coaching who prepare their players for college. I’ve seen a big jump in sports performance and how physical kids are compared to decades ago. I’ve seen that right in my recruiting area at Cal.”

With somewhat of a wane in academically-qualified and talented athletes in NorCal in recent years, the Bears have done well recruiting in SoCal, as well. Might his recruiting efforts in his decade+ at UCLA also pay dividends for Cal?

“I think so,” said McClure. “I have a lot of good relationships in Los Angeles. I know the coaches on our staff have experience in recruiting Los Angeles, so I think I can add to that.

“Coaches are going to recruit from the areas they’ve had in the past or where they grew up or where they have past relationships. I feel this staff here at Cal really knows California well and they all have experience recruiting in Californa. We’re always going to start recruiting in the Golden State before we branch out into other states so there’s a big focus on recruiting California kids.”

From the outside looking in, McClure has always had an eye on the Cal program but the veteran coach has seen something special brewing in Berkeley in recent years under the leadership of head coach Justin Wilcox.

“You know, I’ve noticed a big jump since Justin took over,” said McClure. “I’ve noticed more awareness in recruiting. A little more savviness in recruiting. I think he has a great idea of the kids who will have success here, not only on the football field but in the classroom and that has attracted me at Cal. To be around a coach like that is the kind of guy I’d like to work for.

“I think it takes a unique young man to want to come and play at Cal, just with all the challenges. But I feel that, especially in California and the Northern California region, that Cal’s a very popular place and I think a lot of young kids grow up wanting to play at Cal. So I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to come back home and reach out and recruit these kids.”

McClure has spent time coach OL, DL, tight ends. special teams and more over the years but he’s returning to his first like coaching the big guys on the offensive line. Right away he’ll jump in and have the opportunity to bring in a big group of likely four or five OL in the 2021 class.

Was that part of the allure with the OL coaching vacancy at Cal?

“Oh, of course,” said McClure. “I love recruiting the guys in the trenches. It’s an exciting opportunity for me to go out and help mold these young men who are gonna take the spots of the guys we have now. So I think it’s a good time to come to Cal.

“We have a lot of returning guys (on the OL), which I’m excited to work with. But you’re right, we’re looking to bring in a pretty big offensive line group next year. So I’m looking right here in California first and kind of broadening throughout the country.”

Part of that broadening helped reel in the Bears’ second commitment in the 2021 class last week with the commitment of Minnesota OT Bastian Swinney‍. The Bears beat out some impressive competition for the multi-sport athlete, including Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and more for the 6-6/280 Swinney, who’s in the middle if his Edina squad’s basketball season.

McClure will be taking over an OL group who will go from thin and inexperienced last season to one that could go more than 10-deep in viable linemen in 2020. Is that an exciting opportunity for the veteran coach?

“Yes, definitely excited,” said McClure. “Really can’t wait to get out on the field with these guys for spring football and really kind of mold the group, put them together and find that synergy .

“I think it can be a really good group. I’ve been watching winter workouts. They work very hard and seem very dedicated and committed. I’ve been impressed.”

One of the elements McClure brings to the OL is his vast experience at other positions. The knowlege he accumulated as a DL coach will undoubtedly come in handy when scheming to defeat opposition’s D-lines. But his first love will always be with the O-line.

“I started as an offensive line coach and was fortunate enough to work with other positions, which I enjoy,” said McClure. “I’m the only coach in history in the Pac-12 to coach offense, defense and special teams. I take a lot of pride in that.

“I’ll tell you, I walked into a great position here at Cal and I’m really excited.”

- Cal OL Coach Angus McClure

“I think a good coach is a good coach. A good teacher’s a good teacher. But coaching offensive line’s kind of like home base. That’s the position I played for the most part and I have the most experience coaching that position, so I’m really excited.

“One of the reasons I left UCLA was to get back to the offensive line and Nevada gave me that opportunity.

“I’ll let you, I walked into a great position here at Cal and I’m really excited.”

McClure will be taking over for legendary offensive line coach Steve Greatwood, who hung up his practice whistle to enjoy retirement and his first grandchild, likely up in Oregon.

“I’ve known Coach Greatwood for a long time,” said McClure. “When I was a high school coach, I used to get up to Eugene and go out to spring practice. I used to see him at clinics. I was fortunate enough to have one of my players from McClatchey High School in my first high school coaching job go play at Oregon. And Aaron Jones played with Justin and Peter (Sirmon). So I got to go up there and watch football games and hang out with Steve a lot.

“The last two years I’ve come to Cal camp with Nevada in Cal’s summer football camp. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He had an outstanding career and I’ve continued to stay in contact with him.”

What approach will one of the nation’s top recruiters take when recruiting now for the Bears?

“It’s the number one public institution in the world,” said McClure. “That says a lot right there. It’s an up-and-coming program in the Pac-12.

“I think right now, Cal is climbing and climbing fast, especially with so much change in the Pac-12 North. I think you’re in the third-largest media market in the world. San Francisco can offer opportunities like no other place.

“The weather, the climate, the conditions for training are oustanding. There’s a reason we don’t have an indoor (practice) facility here. We can be outside every single day. And I think the alumni base, the Cal brand projects throughout the country is a national brand. I think we offer tremendous amounts to any student athlete to be a great student and a great football player.”