In the span of three days, while dealing with the loss of his starting quarterback to the transfer portal and preparing for an LA Bowl appearance, Cal coach Justin Wilcox rebuilt his offensive braintrust with two fascinating moves.
First, he hired Bryan Harsin as the Bears’ offensive coordinator.
Then, he added Nick Rolovich as a senior offensive assistant.
What a pairing.
Harsin and Rolovich, who were involved in COVID vaccine controversies during the 2021 season, will be employed by the football program that faced the most stringent restrictions in the country.
This might cause the Calgorithm to crash.
For those unfamiliar, Harsin coached with Wilcox at Boise State under Chris Petersen in the 2000s. But in the fall of 2021, he was Auburn’s boss — and very publicly declined to divulge whether he received the vaccine.
A year later, he was gone. In a statement on Harsin’s termination, Auburn indicated the team’s poor performance was the reason.
Rolovich’s issues with the COVID vaccine were far more public, and impactful.
As the head coach at Washington State in the fall of 2021, Rolovich declined to receive the vaccine despite a university mandate for employees. Instead, he sought an exemption from the mandate on religious grounds. WSU denied his request and terminated his employment on Oct. 18 — a move that led to Rolovich taking legal action against the Cougars. (The lawsuit is ongoing.)
Three years later, the apparently un-woke duo has been employed by a school that imposed COVID policies so strict they affected Cal not only throughout the pandemic season of 2020 but also in multiple games during 2021. (The Hotline viewed the City of Berkeley’s approach that fall as pure lunacy.)
The impact of COVID testing and restrictions set the Bears back years — to the point that Wilcox was forced to effectively start over in the summer of 2022.
Our reaction to the hirings: Good for the Bears.
It’s about time the university prioritized winning.
Rolovich is a sharp football mind who deserves a second chance at the major college level. (He spent some of the intervening three years coaching in the XFL.)
But Harsin’s employment, while perhaps less jarring against the backdrop of the COVID vaccine, is more significant for Cal’s future given his role as the primary playcaller next season. (The Bears also hired Kyle Cefalo as the passing game coordinator.)
Harsin replaces Mike Bloesch, who called the plays in 2024.
Bloesch replaced Jake Spavital, who served as the offensive coordinator in 2023 before jumping to the same post at Baylor.
Spavital replaced Bill Musgrave, who called the plays from 2020-22 before being relieved of his duties.
And as some might recall, Musgrave replaced Beau Baldwin, who held the post from 2017-19 before taking the head coaching position at Cal Poly.
Put another way: Wilcox, whose background is on defense, has been unable to hire and retain an offensive coordinator capable of consistently elevating Cal’s production.
And it’s starting to get late in the game.
Yes, the Bears are bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season. And given the ever-present hurdles faced by the football program — the COVID restrictions were hardly the only obstacle — back-to-back bowl appearances should be viewed positively.
But the program has plateaued. The Bears were 6-7 last year with a loss in the Independence Bowl and will take a 6-6 record into the LA Bowl matchup with UNLV on Wednesday.
What’s needed to reach the next level, where the Bears could win eight or nine games and potentially compete for the ACC title?
Less offensive offense, for starters. The Bears were 114th nationally in Red Zone touchdowns (by percentage), 90th in third-down conversions, 82nd in scoring and 81st in yards-per-play.
And they just lost starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the transfer portal.
Wilcox is under contract through the 2027 season, and the school has plenty of more pressing issues, including the transition into the ACC, the implementation of a revenue-sharing model for athletes and an operating budget that would be deep in the red without substantial university support.
But the football program needs help to gain traction in its new conference and relevance in the new era. Much of the pressure falls on Harsin, with Rolovich in a key supporting role.
Their arrival in Berkeley is as refreshing as it is surprising.
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