Wilcox Says Players Are Still Hard at Work

Nine days after the fall football season was canceled, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said his players are still preparing -- as best they can. With the possibility of even a spring season no sure thing, Wilcox said his troops were still getting ready.

“The players are involved with voluntary workouts, a significant number of them (75 or 80). We have also given them the ability to go home if they’re more comfortable with that,” Wilcox said on a Zoom call Wednesday with the Bay Area media. “We are going to regroup on September 1, to see what’s happened from now until then on an NCAA level and a conference level and move forward from there.

“In the meantime, it is voluntary workouts under the public health guidelines and they’re doing well. It is difficult for everybody … Their lives have been turned upside down and I’m proud how they’ve handled it.”

With three Power 5 conferences, the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12, still planning on fielding teams this fall, some players might be tempted to try to transfer. Wilcox said no one has taken that action yet.

“We are trying to give them as much info as we can. A spring season, what would that look like, when would the spring season be? How do they balance that with their plans whether it’s to play at Cal in 2021 in the fall, or maybe not,” he said. “I know some guys who are working through those decisions right now. We’re trying to guide them as best we can. And give them info so they can make those decisions, It’s difficult. At this time there is not enough info to make those decisions. The transfer idea has come up for people, some are interested, some aren’t. 

“I understand where they’re coming from. If they’re not going to be here in the fall of ’21 and have a chance to play somewhere, I get that. But there is a lot to be determined, Can they get there. What does spring look like if they can’t go anywhere?”

Some of the Cal players had indicated earlier they intended to opt-out of the fall ‘20 season. Those decisions are now moot.

“We had a couple of guys that decided in the summer that if we were going to play in the fall they were going to opt-out,” he said. “ ...I think a lot of the seniors and those guys are waiting to see what the spring looks like.”

And just what it will look like is anybody’s guess. “It’s s too early to tell,” Wilcox said. “There is some structuring and modeling that is taking place. That’s what we do now is model and then see if it’s feasible under current conditions.”

Wilcox said the Bears are holding their own in recruiting, despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Many of their targets took their campus visits before the coronavirus hit. Others are being recruited virtually. 

“Our staff has done an unreal job. We have gotten better on Zoom,” WIlcx said. “I think that is one of the things that has gone up. Nothing beats face to face, shake somebody’s hand, sit down with them. But you are able to get a lot of information and show them a lot, virtually.” 

If there is an upside to isolation it is the coaches getting more tech-savvy.

“And I think that is one of the things that as we come out of this, whether

it’s recruiting who knows,” Wilcox said. “But there are a lot of ways we can become more efficient.” 

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Pac-12 and Big 10 Canceling Football This Fall