Coaching Carousel (California)

California Bears

Tedford came to Cal with the reputation of being a QB guru.  He tutored the likes of Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, and Joey Harrington.  Things started out good for Tedford.  In his first year he took them from one win to seven.  From 2003-2006 the Bears won at least 8 games and even were ranked #2 at one point.  He was even Pac 10 coach of the year twice.  A big reason for the success early on was due to the ability to get top flight talent into the program.  Aaron Rodgers, DeSean Jackson, and Marshawn Lynch are just a few of the top players he's had.

Things started to change in 2007.  That season they started off 5-0 but ended up losing 6 of their last 7 games and finished with a 7-6 record.  But over the past 5 years (not including this year) he only averaged 4 wins per year.  Whats worse is that he's been able to get some top flight talent in the program, but hasn't been able to translate those into wins.  The biggest blow could have been this past off season when ace recruiter Tosh Lopoi left for the same position at Washington.

With only 3 wins on the season the administration felt the need to move on and bring a fresh new face into the program who could bring it back to what Tedford had in his earlier years.

Potential Candidates

Chris Petersen (Boise State Head Coach)
Seems like every time a job opens up everybody wants to put Petersen's name in the mix.  Almost every time it isn't a good fit.  Petersen is a West Coast guy.  He's always (expect a brief stint at Pitt) coached on the West Coast.  He's got it made at Boise State and seen several coaches leave and struggle.  He's only going to leave for the right fit.  Well this could be a great fit.  He's coached at UC Davis which is right in the Berkeley area and has ties to California from his time at Boise State and Oregon.  Cal isn't a high profile job so he can still keep a low profile.  If Petersen were going to leave Boise State, this (and Oregon) could be the job that gets him.

Hue Jackson (Cincinnati Bengals Assistant Coach)
Jackson is the favorite of many Cal insiders.  Jackson if you remember had a one year stint as the Oakland Raiders Head Coach.  Jackson lead the Raiders to an 8-8 record and probably deserved another year, but with Al Davis passing and Reggie McKenzie taking over, he wanted his own guy.  Jackson is known for being a good offensive coach and a good QB mentor.  But some could be scared off because that sounds a lot like Jeff Tedford.

Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers Head Coach)
The latest name to surface is that of the current Panthers head coach.  Rivera is a Cal alumn and was is in the College Hall of Fame.  Rivera looked like he had the Panthers going in his first year, but they have stalled and now he  is rumored to lose his job.  A perfect landing spot for him would be back at his old college home.

Mark Helfrich (Oregon Offensive Coordinator)
Another name to watch is the current Oregon offensive coordinator.  Helfrich's name gets thrown around a lot because of the success that Oregon's spread offense is getting.  Many teams would love to get that type of output and think that Helfrich could bring it to them.  However Chip Kelly calls his own plays and you have to wonder how much of that is solely on Kelly and how much does Helfrich have credit for.  But Kelly's had a ton of success and Helfrich has more than likely learned a lot from him.

Mike MacIntrye (San Jose State Head Coach)
If you can win at San Jose State, you should be able to win almost anywhere.  Mike MacIntrye has lead the Spartans to a 9-2 record with losses to Stanford and Utah State.  It's hard to ignore that type of success.  MacIntrye brings to him knowledge of the area and experience leading a program.  But it's experience in the WAC.  But there is something to be said for having success at each level you've been at.  Ask Brian Kelly.