Bear Insider Cal Weekly Grab Bag – August 7, 2026

This week’s edition features comments from Tuesday’s Cal Football Media Day, including conversations with Doug Brien, Jahvid Best, special teams coordinator Zack Tinker, and assistant defensive line and pass-rush coach, Eddy McGilvra.

Doug Brien: Culture, Entrepreneurship, and a Family Recruiting Visit

Former Cal and NFL kicker Doug Brien—now a successful entrepreneur—discusses building a strong culture and recalls the emotional official visit his family experienced when Cal recruited his son, Zach Brien‍.

“One of my observations about college football in the NIL era is that, now more than ever, it’s so important to build a culture. In business, I have a saying: You want to build a team of missionaries, not mercenaries. And that’s his philosophy—it’s about building a culture. You can’t have everyone acting like a mercenary and always looking for a higher dollar, because then you’re going to have 50 percent turnover, like we’ve had over the past several years. That’s no way to build a program.

“I mean, the recruiting trip was insane—the official visit, what they did for every kid, having a personal car, going across the Bay Bridge with a police escort to see a Giants game,” Brien said. “But then we walked into this little room on Sunday morning, and they had made a three-minute video about Zacu and our family story. It made me emotional. I was crying while watching it. I’m like, ‘You had us at hello, but now this.’ My wife was crying, too. It was like, ‘When did you guys do this?’ I still have the video. It’s so well done and so personal.”

Jahvid Best: Recruitment and a Lesson Learned

Cal great Jahvid Best, discusses his Cal and Oregon recruitment, a story he has never told and an important piece of advice he received from his mother.

“I was really close to committing to Oregon,” Best said. “I don’t think I’ve ever told this story. My first visit was to Oregon, and on the final night of that weekend, I was going to commit. I told my parents, ‘I’m going to commit.’ My dad said, ‘If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine.’ But my mom said, ‘This is your first visit. Let’s take the other ones, and if you still feel that way afterward, that’s fine.’ Thankfully, she encouraged me to wait, because then I visited Cal, after that visit, I knew Cal was where I wanted to be. My mom had said, ‘There’s no rush.’ She was right.”

Zack Tinker: A Wide-Ranging Coaching Background

Before arriving at Cal, Zack Tinker made several stops across the Northwest and served in multiple roles, including offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, head coach, and special teams coach. His broad expertise stands out, but his special teams knowledge ultimately brought him to Berkeley after a stint at Oregon. His patience and selflessness paid off.

Asked whether his special teams role at Cal might be a stepping stone to a larger position, Tinker said,

“I don’t really think about it that way,” Tinker said. “Opportunities like this—to be at Cal and serve in a leadership role—are so rare. If you had told me five years ago that this path would unfold the way it has, I would have laughed. It just seemed very unlikely. It’s not that I didn’t think I was capable; a lot of things simply had to fall into place. I enjoy being part of an organization where I can lead, influence the players, and support the head coach.

“I also enjoy learning about every part of the game—the competition, the offense, and the defense. I like working with coaches who have NFL experience because I can learn from their perspective. I’m fascinated by the sport itself.”

Eddy McGilvra: Developing Elite Pass Rushers and a heartfelt offer from Lupoi

Eddy McGilvra spent last season as Sacramento State’s defensive line coach. He also built a strong reputation through years of offseason work with elite NFL talent—including Khalil Mack, Aidan Hutchinson, and Quinnen Williams—which caught the attention of Coach Lupoi.

“I got a FaceTime call from a number I didn’t recognize, and I usually never answer those. But I picked up, and it was Tosh. I was ready to sign before I knew any of the details. You could tell the words were coming from his heart, if that makes sense. Everything he said was about Cal. It wasn’t, ‘Hey, I’m selling you on a program.’ It was, ‘I’m sharing my heart with you. My heart believes in Cal, and I know what we can do here.’”

“I almost want to say he's the only power 4 for coach in the country that played at this level, coached it at this level and is now a head coach at this level, So just knowing that, knowing his background, it, to me it was a no brainer. I didn't really need to hear anything else.”

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Bear Insider Cal Weekly Grab Bag – July 31, 2026