BREAKING #Cal has fired head coach Sonny Dykes, a source has told FOX Sports. Story coming on @FoxSports.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 8, 2017
In an unexpected move Cal has decided to fire HC Sonny Dykes.
HC Dykes Lead Cal to a 19-30 record over the last 4 years for a .388 win percentage and one bowl win against Air Force in 2015.
Per this article by Bruce Feldman.
A search for Dykes’ replacement is expected to begin immediately, with hopes the school will have its new coach in place before the end of this week when recruiting heats up again.
I personally hope the AD has someone in mind and basically locked up.
UPDATE:
Jake Spavital to serve as Interim HC.
Can confirm @BruceFeldmanCFB report: Cal has fired coach Sonny Dykes. Jake Spavital interim for now https://t.co/U41NOLc4px
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) January 8, 2017
More as the story develops.
UPDATE: Full statement from Athletic Director Mike Williams.
This was an extremely difficult decision and one that we take very seriously. There was no rush to judgment; we wanted to be thorough and thoughtful. Ultimately, it was a combination of factors that brought us to this outcome. We are continuously evaluating our program and looking for ways to make it better – whether that's through additional academic support, recruiting, facilities, staffing, culture, leadership or anything else that can help our football program succeed. Primarily, we want what's best for our student-athletes and have a head coach in place who is fully committed to our program and our university.
Coach Dykes clearly built up our program – both on the field and in the classroom – and he leaves Cal in a stronger position than when he arrived. For that alone, he deserves credit and our thanks. After our bowl win last season, we showed our commitment to him with a contract extension. But after looking at a number of factors after the end of this season, I felt that we needed a change of direction for the good of our student-athletes and our program. I understand that the timing may not be ideal – it rarely is. We did not want to make this decision until we were ready and did so for the health of our football program and department.
Our objective is long-term financial sustainability for our department. In order to do this, we understand that investing in football is critical. We believe that this change will reinvigorate the program, stimulate lagging ticket sales and renewals, and energize our donor base.
Football is very important to our department and it is essential that we provide the resources necessary to hire the right head coach and staff. We have invested in our football program and will continue to do so as necessary. Over the past few years, we have also added additional support personnel in virtually every area that touches the program to ensure our student-athletes have what they need to succeed on the field and in the classroom. We want to win championships. The success of our football program is vital to both our department and our university community, and its influence can be felt well beyond Berkeley.