New Cal TEs coach Tim Plough goes in-depth on career reset, Bears optimism

Tim Plough was thrust into an unfamiliar position in late September, when he was fired as Boise State's offensive coordinator just four games into his second season with the Broncos.

After working his way up the ranks as an FCS position coach, passing game coordinator, then OC at Northern Arizona for two seasons and OC at UC Davis for four years prior to making the move to Boise, he was suddenly forced into an unexpected reset not knowing what was to come next in his future.

"It definitely has been a tough couple months," Plough said. "Any time you're in a situation like I was in, [you're] doing a lot of self-reflecting on what you're looking for."

Those final two months of the 2022 football season actually helped him find that clarity, though.

After he was let go by Boise State, Plough was appreciative to hear from others in the business -- those who could truly understand what it was like for a guy who had been immersed in college football since his early days as a QB at UC Davis in 2003 to suddenly be involuntarily uninvolved. Plough said he received a few invitations to come spend time around various college football programs, sit in on meetings, observe, get a look at what others were doing, and as much as anything, just stay close to the game.

One of those calls came from Cal coach Justin Wilcox.

"He was one of the guys that did that -- that meant a lot to me, meant a lot to my family even if it didn't lead to a job. ... He wanted me to stay positive with everything," Plough said.

After the season, as Wilcox went about a pivotal reset of his own -- redoing his offensive staff after a lackluster 4-8 finish -- he reached back out to Plough with a more formal opportunity to come talk about a potential job as tight ends coach.