Cal fires coach Justin Wilcox after nine seasons leading program, brutal loss to rival Stanford
The Bears parted with Wilcox amid the conclusion of his ninth season on the heels of a 31-10 loss to the Cardinal
By
Chris Hummer
•
1 min read
California fired coach Justin Wilcox on Sunday after nine seasons leading the program, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. The staff was informed of the decision in the afternoon.
The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but just suffered an embarrassing 31-10 loss to rival Stanford in Week 13.
Former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich, currently a senior offensive assistant with the Bears, will be the interim head coach, per a source.
It's been an uneven year overall for Cal. It began the season 3-0 with a lot of momentum thanks to the presence of freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Things have been much more uneven since, however. The Bears were blown out 34-0 by San Diego State in nonconference play, and they're just 3-4 on the season in the ACC.
Wilcox, 49, was once considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches on the West Coast -- so much so he was a candidate for Oregon when Mario Cristobal left the program following the 2021 season. It's been a difficult run for Wilcox in the time since. The Bears haven't produced a winning season since 2019, and they're just 22-27 over the last four seasons.
Cal currently has a pair of interim athletic directors. It's expected that general manager Ron Rivera will have a large say in the upcoming coaching search to replace Wilcox.
