With Cal moving toward more pro-style sets and greater use of the tight end, the replacement for Marques Tuiasosopo (headed to Rice as their offensive coordinator) looked be in that vein. Justin Wilcox has gone with that familiarity, in bringing former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator George Patrick 'Geep' Chryst on board, formally announcing the hire Monday.

"I'm thrilled to be part of Justin Wilcox's staff at Cal," Chryst said in a release. "With many of the challenges of the 2020 COVID season hopefully behind us, I look forward to representing this great university. I know the great football tradition of the Golden Bears."

Chryst has a handful of connections to Wilcox and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, with the Musgrave connection being the strongest. The two worked together on the Denver Broncos staff in 2017-18, with Musgrave serving as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator and Chryst serving as the tight ends coach. Chryst is also the older brother of Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, under who Wilcox served as a defensive coordinator in 2016.

"Geep is a highly respected football coach who has experienced success at the highest level of our game," Wilcox said. "He has a strong understanding of what we are doing on offense, and he will do a great job of coaching and developing our tight ends to maximize their potential. We are pleased that we were able to attract Geep to our program."

Chryst hasn't coached at the college level since 1990 (when he was the quarterbacks coach at the University of Wyoming), but he brings a wealth of experience at the pro level with him. His most success came with the 49ers, where he was the quarterbacks coach for the team's string of success under Jim Harbaugh. Chryst helped Alex Smith to career highs in nearly every passing category in 2011, and helped to develop Colin Kaepernick, leading the 49ers to two more NFC championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance.

Chryst also has experience with Pac-12 football, as one of his sons, Keller, played for Stanford from 2014 to 2017 (prior to transferring to Tennessee). His younger son, Jackson, walked on at Oregon State and is currently on the Beavers' roster.

With Cal starting their spring football schedule Wednesday, Chryst comes in to work with a tight end group that has experience and a few more younger players than there have been in recent year. Jake Tonges, Collin Moore, Gavin Reinwald, and Elijah Mojarro all saw time at the position a year ago, while Nick Alftin and Jake Muller are looking to earn more playing time. Jermaine Terry comes in as a highly touted tight end this spring, while Keleki Latu will add to the group in the fall. With Musgrave wanting to utilize the tight end more, the Bears got someone familiar with how he wants to teach the position.

Chryst's Coaching History

Season: Team (League) – Coaching Position (Postseason)

1987: Wisconsin-Platteville (Division III) – Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers

1988: Wisconsin (Division I FBS) – Offensive Graduate Assistant

1989: Wyoming (Division I FBS) – Offensive Line

1990: Wyoming (Division I FBS) – Quarterbacks (Copper Bowl)

1991: Orlando Thunder (WLAF) – Wide Receivers/Running Backs

1991: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control (NFC Playoffs Wild Card)

1992: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control

1993: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control

1994: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control (NFC Playoffs Divisional Round)

1995: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control

1996: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Tight Ends

1997: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks

1998: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks

1999: San Diego Chargers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

2000: San Diego Chargers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

2001: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks

2002: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks

2003: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks

2006: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends

2007: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control

2008: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control (NFC South Champions, 2008 NFC Divisional Round)

2009: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control

2010: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control

2011: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC Championship Game)

2012: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC West Champions, Super Bowl)

2013: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC West Champions, NFC Championship Game)

2014: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks

2015: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator

2017: Denver Broncos (NFL) – Tight Ends

2018: Denver Broncos (NFL) – Tight Ends