Cal Football Countdown: 68 Days, Worst Case Scenarios, Part 3

The following scenario is speculative. It is in no way something we here at Cal Rivals are wishing for – let us repeat, in no way what we are wishing for -- and is merely a thought exercise into what we think might happen, should this specific scenario happen. (This, of course, is Cal after all.)

Plus, with it being the doldrums of the offseason – fall camp is so close and so far away – and us needing to continue filling out our preseason countdown, this can sometimes take us to weird, unexpected places. So, what happens if:

There are sudden coaching changes?

I mean, this is an inevitability at any program, so this is a thought exercise into an eventuality, rather than a worst case scenario (and honestly, a good thing to be worried about).

When Coach Wilcox’s original staff was assembled in January 2017, the general consensus was that he did an excellent job assembling an experienced, West Coast oriented staff without too many resources available, and there was a consistent, underlying logic to every member. Youth? Diversity? Check and check. Veterans? Noted track record of turnaround? Check. Notable history of recruiting the region? Check.

Since then, they’ve had to replace Jerry Azzinaro (DC at UCLA) and Tony Tuioti (lateral move to Nebraska), and done admirably in that regard, shuffling around the position responsibilities to accommodate the hiring of Peter Sirmon and in the case of Andrew Browning, promotion.

For the purposes of this column, we’ll examine the three most likely candidates to be sought after elsewhere, and what possible paths there might be should they happen.

Tim DeRuyter is hired off?

Look.

We are on borrowed time here. I think we all should accept that.

DeRuyter’s already been tapped for a head coaching job on the back of his defensive coordinator work before, and after carrying Cal to even greater heights than he did Texas A&M, it’s inevitable that some team will look at him again. It might be a top tier school looking to cure an ailing defense, or it might be a head coaching position. The point is, he’s done such a good job here that it’s fair to worry. (Again, this is a good thing.)

So what does Cal do if DeRuyter is gone next year?

Most likely, they’ll do what they’ve done for most hires – partly due to budgeting, partly due to stability, and partly because Wilcox appears to really trust his own guys, especially on the defensive side – hire from within.

It’s doubtful that the solution comes from the outside, because there is already a strong in-house candidate in Peter Sirmon, having already DCed, albeit with mixed results, at Louisville and Mississippi State. He’s also currently the co-Defensive Coordinator for Cal alongside DeRuyter, but I don’t have any insight into how much control he actually has. (It’s likely to be a collaborative process between all members on that side of the ball anyway.)

In any case, it would be foolish to believe this is a possibility no one’s prepared for in the program – there were whispers of a possible dalliance between Oklahoma and DeRuyter last year already -- and Wilcox has extensive DC experience of his own, so this is a situation that feels eminently weatherable.

Scenario likelihood: High

Scenario survivability: Good