For Cal fans, talk of Cal head coach Justin Wilcox being a finalist for the Oregon head coach position following Willie Taggart's departure to Florida State ended up being the biggest non-story story of the young offseason for the Bears so far.
The logical leap was ripe for the taking. Wilcox played safety for Oregon from 1996 to 1999. He grew up in the shadow of Eugene in little Junction City, Oregon, just 14 miles from Duckville. Many of his relatives are still in the area. Plus, Phil Knight and his Nike money often gets what he's looking for and the Ducks were reportedly interested.
Typical to his style, Wilcox hasn't offered any public comments but word filtered out today that Wilcox is staying put in Berkeley, much to the relief of nervous Cal fans.
You can't fault Cal fans for fearing the rug being pulled out from under them when things appear to be going in the right direction with the program based on prior experience.
More than a quarter century after Bruce Snyder led the Bears to a 10-2 record and big Citrus Bowl win over Clemson, the incompetence and misguided leadership of AD Bob Bockrath led to Snyder's departure to ASU in 1992 and still haunts Cal fans. In 1996 popular head coach Steve Mariucci left after one season to coach the 49ers, leading to a downward spiral for five seasons before Jeff Tedford's arrival. And throughout much of the successful early part of his tenure, Tedford always seemed on the verge of receiving an offer he couldn't refuse. There's also the coup de grace, Lucy-pulling-back-the-football-from-Charlie Brown moment of them all, when DL coach and co-recruiting coordinator Tosh Lupoi blew up what may have been Cal's greatest recruiting class ever to work for Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies.
Suffice to say, Wilcox is not Lupoi. Nor is he Tedford, who's agent consistently parlayed outside interest into big raises or even Snyder, though in fairness, it was more Bockrath's intractability that drove that move.
Anyone who's talked to Wilcox knows the man is not wired like your garden variety, ambitious-at-all-costs, publicity-seeking head coach. He's not going to give you cute catchphrases like Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck's, Row the Boat or David Shaw's Stanford Nerd Nation. He's an all-business, old school, meat and potatoes football coach and his players and recruits know it.
"I never thought Coach Wilcox was going to leave," said Granite Bay RB/LB Evan Tattersall, who's committed to play for Cal. "Just from his personality and they way he recruits you, you just know he's just one of the most loyal coaches you'll ever see. He's not really out there on social media and media but if you're close with him, you just know what he's about."
Fortunately for Cal, Wilcox had roots in Berkeley, too. When Wilcox was a 27-year-old graduate assistant at Boise State, Tedford took a chance on him as his linebackers coach after the retirement of veteran LB coach Bob Foster.
Wilcox quickly earned respect from his players and in coaching circles and was hired in 2006 as Boise State's defensive coordinator -the first of five stops over the next decade at high profile programs as a coordinator before being hired as head coach at Cal on January 14 this year.
Wilcox took over a team that lost nine significant starters from their 5-7 2016 squad to graduation and the NFL draft, including current NY Giant quarterback Davis Webb. The Bears also suffered nine season-ending injuries to many more key starters -many prior to or early in the season- yet the Bears remained highly-competitive hammering then No. 8 Washington State 37-3 and giving Pac-12 North champion Stanford all it could handle before falling 17-14 in Palo Alto, narrowly missing the postseason.
The Bears' defense had been embarrassing for years and though there wasn't much in the way of new personnel and despite key players like Devante Downs, Cameron Saffle, Zeandae Johnson, Evan Rambo and Cameron Goode being lost for much of the season, including all five players down the stretch, the Cal defense was far much aggressive and competitive throughout the season. The Bear defense reduced yards per game from 518 to 429, yards per play from 6.71 to 5.81 and points per game to 28.7 from a miserable 42.6 per game in 2016.
And it's more than just a statistical game. Wilcox's players are playing with poise, playing smart football. There's a high level of cameraderie -win or lose- between the players as well as players and coaches. And there's a sense among players and fans that Wilcox is building something in Berkeley that could be special.
Torrey Pines linebacker and Cal commit Louie Bickett effectively summed up how many Cal fans feel about Wilcox, not to mention offering a bit of a glimpse into how Wilcox sees the fledgling Cal program he's working to give wings.
"I'm pumped that Coach is staying," said Bickett. "He's a great person and very passionate about football. I'm very excited to learn from him and grow as a player, as well as a person.
"Coach Wilcox has been a huge factor in my recruitment. He saw future physical and mental improvement in me that not many coaches saw.
"I'm very lucky to have a coach like Coach Wilcox."
As are Cal fans.
