Cal has fired head coach Justin Wilcox, according to multiple reports.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to break that news on Sunday evening. The reported decision comes one day after Cal lost 31-10 to rival Stanford. The Golden Bears are now 5-6 this season and will need a win in Week 14 in order to achieve bowl eligibility.
Wilcox spent almost 9 seasons with the Golden Bears. Cal reached bowl eligibility in each of the past two seasons, but the Golden Bears haven’t won more than 7 games in a single campaign since 2019.
Wilcox’s firing means there are once again 9 vacant head coaching positions at the power-conference level. One opening, Virginia Tech, has already been filled as the Hokies hired James Franklin last week.
This decision could have significant ramifications on the transfer portal this offseason. Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele flashed significant potential during his first season of college football and would be a highly-sought after talent if he decides to enter the portal.
Cal hired former NFL head coach Ron Rivera as its general manager earlier this year. It’s unclear at this time whether Rivera ultimately made the decision to part ways with Wilcox.
Per Thamel, former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich is expected to be Cal’s interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
