Justin Wilcox named Cal's Next Head Coach

Cal's coaching search came to an end Thursday as it was leaked by Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman that Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was negotiating to be named Cal's next head coach. Wilcox was the long rumored front runner, with his name being the first widely reported for the opening after Sonny Dykes was fired on Sunday.

Wilcox returns to Berkeley after an 11 year absence, as he coached the Cal linebackers from 2003-05, having a hand in bringing names like Worrell Williams, Zach Follett, and Desmond Bishop to Berkeley, before leaving to become the Boise State defensive coordinator under Chris Peterson. The Broncos most notably went to the Fiesta Bowl during Wilcox's tenure, defeating Oklahoma in of the wildest college football games ever played. Boise State went 49-4 during his four year tenure as the defensive coordinator.

Wilcox then went to Tennessee for a two-year stint under Derek Dooley, then moved to Washington to replace Nick Holt, then went to USC with then-head coach Steve Sarkisian. After Clay Helton didn't retain him, Wilcox made the move to Wisconsin, coaching a defense that ranked 9th in the country in turnover margin, forced turnovers at the 6th best rate, was 7th in yards allowed per game, 9th in yards per rush attempt allowed (Cal was last), and 4th in opponent's 3rd down percentage, among other categories.

Wilcox now has few tasks going forward in his first head coaching position. Assembling a staff that can keep the players invested and on track is the first step. There are questions as to whether interim head coach and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will return to the spot. Can Wilcox bring in a defensive coordinator with recruiting chops, something that Cal has been missing for a while now? Will that defensive coordinator choice be Tosh Lupoi, the proverbial prodigal son? It's been long rumored, but their friendship from Tosh's days playing under Wilcox and the two coaching together at UW can't be understated. A Tosh return may not be too far away.

Second, keeping recruits on board is a focus. The Bears only have 15 commits in the 2017 class, with only a couple more slots available. Who fills those slots in the coming weeks will be critical. With various Cal players getting new offers in the past few days (Jordan Genmark-Heath from Notre Dame and Casey Roddick from Iowa State), Wilcox will need to hang on to who he wants to hang on to.

Finally, Wilcox will have to turn around a defense that couldn't stop the run for the most part, ranking last in a number of statistical categories. Wilcox has been a 4-3 defense guy for the most part, so personnel shouldn't need to change on that, aside from the need to add to the linebacker group in the near future.

Wilcox becomes the 34th coach in the history of Cal Football.

UPDATE:

Wilcox officially signed his contract Friday night, agreeing to a five year deal, as reported by ESPN's Brett McMurphy. With the departure of former offensive coordinator Jake Spavital to West Virginia, Wilcox now has an offensive staff to assemble in addition to the defensive staff. This may signal a return to a more pro influenced offense, though at the moment that depends on the hires made.

UPDATE 2:

Cal has put out a release on Wilcox, officially naming him head coach