Ron Rivera is continues to settle into his new role as Cal's football general manager, and that comes with plenty of responsibilities. The longtime NFL coach and Bears alum spoke with reporters Monday for the first time since being hired for the position, and there was plenty for Rivera to discuss amid more changes taking place since the end of spring ball two weekends ago.

Cal lost two more of its key offensive playmakers with Jack Endries transferring to Texas and Jaydn Ott leaving Berkeley for Oklahoma.

Rivera answered questions about the transfer portal, Cal's plan for the future and more.

Read all of his comments from the 30-minute media session in the transcript below.

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity that's been presented to me. I love the fact that I got a chance to come in and help my alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley. I think the biggest thing we have to understand is we are at the number one academic institution in the world. And because of that, because we have academic excellence, what I really believe in is trying to get Cal football to the point where we have athletic excellence. And so we're going to be striving for that, we're gonna be working towards that. And with this situation and set of circumstances that I'm currently in, I'm pretty excited because now is the opportunity for me to go out and do things that I need to do to give this university's football team an opportunity to grow and become very, very competitive in the ACC. So I'm excited about what's to come. I'm looking forward to the 2025 season."

"Well, the biggest thing, more so than anything else, to understand is I will report directly to the chancellor at the University of California. Rich Lyons is our chancellor and that's who I'm going to report directly to. I think the biggest thing everybody has to understand is that what I have with Justin is a working relationship. It's an opportunity for he and I to get together and discuss, collaborate, and talk about the things that we need to do at the university to help this football team become what I, again, believe can be, and that is a very successful program that's going to strive for excellence. I think that's the opportunity to work with Justin, I don't know if you guys have been out to practice, had an opportunity to see how he and I work. It's been very cool. I really appreciate the candidness in which he and I sit there and talk during practice, how he and I get together and talk about the things that are going on in meetings, and just around the facility, I think that's one of things people have to understand. This is not about, quote unquote reporting as much as this is about working together. And I think that's probably one of the most important things people have to understand. He and I are here to work together and striving to make this football team one of the best. And again, the one thing everybody has to understand is, I do have the opportunity, working with the Chancellor, to make decisions on what is best for Cal football, because my hands are in every facet of Cal football, and that's something everybody needs to understand."

"Well, for the most part, as I said, I will be involved in every facet Cal football, which means I will have operational decision making on specific things that deal with the football team. Talking about players, player growth and development, player acquisition. I have decision making as far as what's best as far as the coaching staff is concerned and how all that works. Working with support staff, trying to make sure we have the necessary tools to give this team every opportunity to be successful on the football field. I'm going to work with the development, fundraising, engaging with our donors and our alumni trying to bring them back into the fold because of the many needs that we have. People have to understand that this program really is not just going to get all funds from one source and that's the university. We're looking to reengage and develop the types of relationships we need to have with our donor base, to get them back involved and being part of Cal’s football success as well as athletic success. Again, I'm here to help the university, whether it's on the football field or other sports as well. I'm mostly going to do the best I can to help the men and women's sports that are also going to be touched and affected by our donor base. So again, that's one of the more important things people have to understand. We are in a very interesting position right now at the university, and that is we've got to become relevant again. We've got to go out and make the type of impact as a football team that we're making right now academically. And so we're going to work towards that with the goal and the idea of becoming a very relevant program that’s going to compete in the ACC for ACC championships, which gives us an opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship. All you got to do is get in the tournament. That's our primary goal. I know that's Justin's goal. It’s one of the main things he's talked about. That's why I'm here. I would not come here if I didn't have that opportunity, OK? And talking with the chancellor and learning and listening to the things that he thinks are very important and very valuable to this university, it does go back to to one thing, and that is striving for excellence. Just like the academically, we strive for it. We want to strive for the same type of excellence that we can have on the football field."

"Oh, I see what you want me to do is you want me to tell you that I have the ultimate authority. Well, I am going to tell you, I do have that other than the chancellor. That's who I answer to. Every major decision that he and I will always talk about. I'm not making these things willy nilly, I'm making these gathering as much information as I can, OK? And if that means going to the chancellor sitting down and saying, "Look, this is something that's very vital, very important.” And I'm going to bring it to him. He and I will have that conversation. And again, I would like to believe that he's going to trust me, which I believe he does, because I trust this chancellor. I really, truly do, especially when he tells everybody football is important. Football is important. It’s important that football is successful because that impacts not just the university and not just the athletics but it impacts it everybody that's around Cal football."

"For the most part, yes. But, again, as I said, I believe he's going to trust me and trust my opinion. As I look at these things and decide these are things that need to happen or should happen or can happen, I'm most certainly going to reach out and make sure he and I have the opportunity to talk about any decisions that I make."

"Just to understand we're not the only team in the NCAA that's going through this portal situation right now alright. You can't name a team right now that doesn't have a player that they wish didn't go into this, and we all understand that. We also understand fan favorites, but remember this, there will be other favorites. I can promise you this right now. Somebody since 1983 has worn the number 80 jersey, and people have cheered for ‘em. And just because I wore it back in ’83, doesn't mean that I couldn't have been replaced. Let's all understand that this game is about the university. It's about the football team. That's what everybody has to understand. It's about the team. Secondly, we have a plan, and we have a plan of action right now that we've put into play. And a big part of it is Justin and his coaches, along with consulting with me and talking about the potential for certain other types of players from other schools coming in that are in the portal that we've looked at, that we've scouted, that we have decided these are the kind of guys we want to bring in. We're trying to get these guys. And again, if we can get these plans through fruition, I promise you we bring a few more guys in, you guys are going look and go, ‘Wow, this team was as good as it was a month ago. Oh, wow, this team looks like it might be better than we were a month ago. That's how we feel. We feel that we have a pretty good plan. We feel very confident in what we're doing going forward. And again, everybody's got to understand this too. Stop thinking about what's interesting and start focusing on what's important. OK, just because we have people going to the portal doesn't mean that much more than that it's interesting. The most important thing is we go out with plan, we execute the plan, and now we get ready for summer football, get through the 2025 training camp and next thing you know, we're in the regular season. That's what's important. Let's focus on that. Let's focus on making sure we're in position that when we go into 2025, we're going with everything that we need and everything that we want. That gives us the best opportunity to be successful. Again, focus on what's important, not interesting."

"It was something that was anticipated. If there is one guy that we wished didn't go in? Yeah, there's at least one guy that we wish didn't go in. But for the most part, when you look at what we're doing, we have a plan, and we've went out and we've identified a number of guys that we like, a number of guys we felt that, again, if we can get these guys, we could sit there and say, ‘Wow, we're pretty much like we were a month ago. So, are we concerned? Yes, because we have to bring those guys in. So we're we've got a plan of action. We're working that plan right now. We've reached out to several of these of these student athletes and believe that these are the kind of guys that fit into our system, and I think that they're going to have success for us. So that's something that we feel feel very positive about. Again, as I said, we're not the only team to have guys go in. Let's understand that. It's very important that everybody thinks and realizes it's not the end of the world either. We have a plan of action. That's why I'm here, is to help make sure we can get through these plans of actions, do the things that we need to do. I think one of the positives now is, again, with the donor engagement, and the alumni engagement, the idea is to put ourselves in position that we have the resources that we get into a situation like this, we can stave it off. And, we really believe that this plan that we have of action and we're going to be able to execute it, we will put ourselves in a position that's very positive going forward from this point out."

"No, we've had opportunities. Sometimes when you work things out and get to a certain point, sometimes it's better that you move on. And that's the truth of the matter. You've got to really examine a lot of things. Did we give give Jaydn Ott a great shot? I believe we did. I really did. I'm not going to get into the specifics of it, but sometimes an athlete just thinks I've accomplished all I can here and it's potentially time to move on. That's something that we have to look at. And if that's what the young man decides, well, we just want to wish him the best. I mean, he came here, did the best he could. The hard part about him leaving early is that here's a young man that had an opportunity, as far as those things are concerned, to really create the type of legacy that you could be proud of. But again, it was his decision he made that he felt was best for himself."

"That's a great question. You know, the roster is something that is constantly moving. It's something you've got to constantly stay on top of. I'm just learning these young men. I'm also learning the process of how it all works. A big part of it is the compliance. Well, that's what's really important about Jim Knowlton and his team of athletic directors and personnel is that they got to help us with the compliance and the rules and understanding all these types of deals. So, we've got a great support system in that part of our athletic department. Secondly, comes our personnel department. Guys, that we have that are constantly watching tape, constantly grading these guys. And as things happen and issues happen with players that are in and out of the portal, we can go to them and they can bring the names up, we'll go out and we’ll watch the tape together, sit down with the coaches, and we've gone through some of the guys that we're reaching out to right now. And again, it's as our needs come, then we sit there and look at our board, look at what they've done, and then we pull those guys, we pull their tape, we watch it, we come to a decision. As our current roster is concerned, I know that in the meetings that coach has, we sit there and we talk about each guy individually, we talk about strengths and weaknesses and how they can grow and get better. Even some of the guys should talk about, you know, that they may not be good enough. But again, these are all conversations that you have to have in discussions about your guys. And then you listen to the personnel people as well, because, you know, they grade. And just to see, hey, is this guy a guy that can help us? Is a guy who's, you know, going to be a future development guy? You have to have tags for everybody, too, so you know where they fit. OK, if this guy's there and he's a guy you want to keep, then we got to start making sure that we're constantly cultivating. These are a couple of guys that we're concerned that may be leaving. So we have a guys ready to replace them. If you don't, then where are we going to get those replacements? Well, are we recruiting these guys from high school, or we got these guys that potentially are going to be in the portal? So when we get to the end of spring football, for us, our guys were talking about who they're hearing that could potentially go into the portal. And so now we start making sure that we have these guys graded and these names prepared. And then we talk about who we may lose or guys that we're not going to be able to bring back and say, OK, these guys leave, we've got to replace these guys. And what you look at is if there're a guy that's out in the portal that if we replace this guy, he's going to come in and he'll be a fit. So you're constantly working it, you're constantly moving it. And again, as I said, I'm relying right now on a lot of these folks. I’m relying on our athletic department and our associate athletic directors and their team when it comes to the compliance rules, when it comes to the administrative rules and how we can bring players in. I'm relying right now on our personnel people, on their grades and what they think about guys. I’m relying on their coaches that give me their opinions as well. And then talking with Justin and really coming to an agreement on what we think is best for us. Again, this is really a collaboration of a lot of names. You don't have to to have reporting lines when you have great communication and collaboration, and that's what I feel really comfortable about, real confident is that everybody right now is stepping up. As I said, from the athletic directors department, from the personnel department, coaching staff and all of our support people right now. It's very well orchestrated when you watch us, the way our guys communicated, we pull a name, we get to work right now and setting up the visits. We have people that are working with our travel agents, we have people working with the limo services, we have people working with the hotels, we get everybody in and placed, and then we sit there and we go through exactly what each player that comes in visits what their itinerary is, and then we just go out and we execute that. And so far, we've been doing pretty good. We feel pretty strong about the guys that we've brought in. And we've obviously, if you've heard, we've had a few commitments. Can't talk about those names specifically, but just understand, we have a plan of action and we're out there and we're trying to go ahead and execute this plan."

"Well, what we do is we talk about what we call our core, the priority positions we have to have. And then we try to sit there there and we put a value on each one of those positions. For the most part, I will be in the conversation in discussions. We talk about where these guys fit, and then as we go through the process, obviously, that number changes, and then guys will come to me and say, ‘Hey, we got to be able to do this.’ And I say, ‘Hey, we got to do it, then let's do it.’ If at some point that number becomes exorbitant, I will call it the chancellor just to let him know. I think the thing that we have to understand is just making sure that we are keeping the chancellor appraised as to what we're doing, because because not only will I have to answer questions, he'll have to answer questions. I want to make sure he has the right answers for those. And again, at the end of the day, I'm responsible, though. It will fall onto my shoulders. I've accepted that responsibility. I'm thrilled to have this responsibility, because I do believe in what we're doing here, and I do believe in the university."

"The biggest thing everybody needs to understand is, I don't need reporting lines. Please understand that. I like exactly where we are. I'm not concerned about that. All you have to understand is when it comes to decision making, I get to make decisions. I make decisions that's going to impact every facet of football. That's the thing everybody has to understand. What I do is I'm doing the best I can to make the best decisions, and I will collaborate and I will come to those decisions based on the information I've gathered, the things that I've seen and the decisions I've made. I will talk with the chancellor. I will report directly to chancellor Rich Lyons on manners related to football and intercollegiate athletics."

"Well, I think the biggest thing that you have to do is just understand and know all the things that go on. Unfortunately, you guys don't get to know everything that happens, and we do. And what we try to do is make sure that everybody's had an opportunity to explain themselves, express what they want to do, and we come to those understandings. But going forward, I really do like the situation we're in. I like the fact that we have an offensive system that is multifaceted. You're not going to line up and know where everybody's lined up at the same time. And I think that's important because when you attack an offense or you attack a defense, you need to have a specific plan, specific set of things. I like what Bryan's doing offensively. To me, it's one of those things that will keep our opponents on their edge as well. I just think that we are in a good place. I really do. We have a plan of action. We are in a situation to where, for the most part, my position is reactionary to what's going on. This is a very interesting time in college sports where the landscape is constantly changing. Well, that's why, for the most part, the chancellor’s has tried to keep things to a certain spot so that as things go on, I can adjust and adapt, we can adjust and adapt, our fans can adjust adjust and adapt. It's just the truth of the matter. The NCAA landscape is different every day, OK? Let's understand that. I mean, when entire basketball teams go into the portal, I mean, that just shows you how volatile this situation is, and you've got to be able to react and be adaptive. That's also why we want to be able to reach out to our donors, to our alumni and reengage with them and show them just how serious we are about trying to make sure they understand that we believe in athletics. We think it's a very important aspect of the college experience. It’s a very important aspect of the fan experience. And it's also one of the things that we can have to connect with our alumni, and that is athletics. It doesn't matter what the sport is. It's athletics that seems to connect everybody, everything from the women's sports to the men's sports, to the water sports, to rugby, which, you know, Cal is in the national championship game. Shout out to rugby. Just to understand, guys, that this is a time in the world where we've got to make sure we can get to the right place. We've got to make sure that everything that we do is for one goal, and that is to improve and be better and strive for excellence."

"Well, I'll tell you right now, I want it to be tough, physical. I think the thing about it, too, is we got to rely on something that special to who we are, and that is we're going to be smart football players. We are smart athletes. We want to play strong, and we want to play smart. And I think the thing that I like to always fall back to is a little bit of a saying that that I heard way back in the day. And that is, the strong defeat the weak, but the smart defeat the strong. And I think that's the thing that we've got to be able to do. Not just be strong football players, smart football players, but we've got to be both. That gives us an opportunity to be successful. Each position has an identity. Your offensive line's got to have a specific type of identity, because more so than that, they set the tone and the culture for what the offense is going to be. Your defensive line has got to be aggressive and physical. Why? Because they set the tone for your defense for the most part. And then you take your two fronts, your offensive and defensive line, those big fellas, they set the tone for the rest of your football team. So, I again want it to be tough, physical, smart. Just I want them to be the type of football team that when people know they play, they played against a bunch of guys that are very good football players, smart football players and physical. When another team watches the tape, I want them to say, man, these guys are well coached. I think that's the important thing as well."

"That's also part of it that people have to understand. I'm not saying that's what the Jet's doing. I'm just saying that there are some guys that will go into it. It's one of those things that some guys are willing to take those chances. The thing is you have to be careful if you get into the portal, you can be left standing and not sitting in a chair. It's kind of like musical chairs, and that's when the music stops. You've got to have a spot. I think the thing that guys' risk is sometimes they think the grass is greener. How many times have you seen a young man go somewhere else and transfer? My fear is sometimes when these guys transfer, they go somewhere else, their eligibility is over and they have no degree. I think that's one of the things a lot of these young men need to think about, because I'm going to tell you something. Right now, less than 1% of all guys that play college football will make it to the NFL. Again, a lot of these guys have got to be armed with an education, a degree from wherever they are, that gives them an opportunity to succeed after football. And that's one of the things that we try to stress. We call LAB, life after ball."

"Well, you know, it's one of those things that as you go through a certain situations, circumstances, you want to make sure that these guys that have gone in, that that you're able to reach out to and have those conversations because if there's an opportunity to bring somebody back that you know, you most certainly would want to make sure that you're doing that. I can't go into specific details about players that have gone into the portal. That's an NCAA type thing. But just so we know, guys that have gone in, we most certainly have made contact or we've tried to make contact because we'd like them to know that we do respect who they are as football players, but more importantly, respect them as who they are as men and student athletes."

"Our message to them is focusing on what's important, not interesting. And what's important more than anything else is them getting themselves ready for the 2025 season. We're getting ready to go into into the summer session. That's going to be a very valuable time for us. And these guys know that that's also part of their growth and development period. The big thing is, most of these guys, everybody hears what's out there. Some guys have come up with with questions, and we've been very upfront, very candid, and giving them the answers. And then they walk away, I believe, satisfied and happy with what they've heard. Just to understand that the thing that's more important than anything else, everybody's got to understand, we have a plan of action. We're executing that plan of action. The most important thing is that we have a plan of action. We're executing that planet of action. I did repeat myself on purpose because again, that's what's important. I'm tired of the interesting part of it. The interesting part is what people are saying? When people sit there and they tell the whole story or they know the whole story, then that's great. If they don't know the whole story, that's not very fair. Sometimes it's good to sit there and ask for the other side, so we can tell everybody what's happening. But more importantly, we want our players to come to us so we can be very upfront, very honest with these guys, just so they know what the truth is."

"It's going to continue just like it is to a point. Why? Because with a cap on it, and it's going to be a soft cap because there are other rules that will allow for a little bit more money to come in. But it's still going to be important. It's one of those things that if they could ever figure it out how to set it up a little bit more structured. That's the hard part. Coming from the NFL, where there is structure, where there is a balance to really what's happening. Right now, a lot of this stuff favors the player, the student athlete, which is, again, good for them, because they do deserve revenue sharing. But what is it that's fair? The hard part for me to watch is one guy, an individual, get just oodles of money and a guys that either block for them or play up front alongside them or play behind them, without those guys, it's very difficult. It's a team sport. I mean, you're asking 11 guys to do one thing at a time. You're not asking one guy to do all 11. And so because of that, the revenue sharing should be exactly what it is. Everybody that starts, everybody that has an impact, should be somehow compensated, and there's somehow got to be a fair and balanced way. The other way to think about it, too, is what about the other sports as well? You know, I get it. Football is king, OK, great. I love that fact, and I think that's important to understand because football will drive it and help a lot of others. But let's don't forget there are other sports out that deserve to also have some help. So let's figure out the best way, the best solution. That way we can also keep it fair and equitable. I'd love to see what it would be like. And again, kudos to the way the NFL has done it. The NFL has done it in a very bright way where when you do the revenue sharing and you have a salary cap, there's control. There's not this mass chaos that goes on out there right now. Let's see if we can rein it in a little bit, find the right solution and see if we can make this to where it's a little bit more fair and equitable. I mean, it's crazy that that this year, for the first time in years, the Sweet 16 didn't have a Cinderella story."

"Well, you come up against some pretty strong competition, and that's one of the things that we're trying to help our ourselves out with right now. Understanding that we want to be able to work at a level that's comparable to those top donors of other things teams. I mean, we feel very comfortable, very confident about who we have as far as our as our alumni and our donor base, but we have to put ourselves in a position where we can be competitive. That's, again, part of why I'm here, part of what my duties are. It's not just to be competitive only in football, but to really help as much as I can as far as university’s concerned and our athletic department. That's a great question because it really is about trying to make sure we have enough to be able to go out and be competitive."

"I was very comfortable, but this is one of those things things that I really believe. And again, the more you have, the better off you're going to be. But I was very, very comfortable, very confident in what we had. There were a couple of teams that their resources were a little bit little bit more. But the truth is, we have an opportunity. We have a chance. We have to go out and do it now. Just because I showed up on this campus doesn't mean anything. What it means, though, is we've got to go to work, we've got to work together, we've got to be able to collaborate, talk and discuss about best practices, find out what those best practices are, and implement them. We've got to have a plan of action. Every time we do something, we just go can't go out there and do it willy nilly. We've got to be very deliberate in our approach to everything we do. One of the things that we have to do to be able to reengage with our fan base, with our alumni, with our donors, and work together to create those resources. And again, it’s not just about money, but it's about an investment. Whether it's personal time, whether it's coming in and bringing friends to events, or also understanding that there are some needs that we have, some things that we most certainly do need. So understand, this is an investment. This is not an expense for anybody. This is an investment in the University of California, Berkeley. This is an investment at a shot at being excellent. And that's what we want. We also have to understand that in a few years, this landscape's going to change. We've got to be ready for that change. We've got to be in position that when change comes, we're part of the change going forward, not going backwards. We've got to put ourselves and do the things that we need to do. This is what the chancellor has tasked me at, and that is going out and putting ourselves and creating the opportunity for being in that position. So when the time comes, we're ready to take a step up. We want to go forward, and we want to be excellent. That is our goal. We want to match our academic side at the University of California, Berkeley."