What qualities are you looking for in a potential head coach?

TwistNHook: Well, I'm looking for somebody with a steady hand on things. I do not think it is solid to have a coach who expresses a lot of strong emotion, because there are many ups and downs. I mean you do not want to seem distant from the players, but instead calm and collected no matter what the situation. Sometimes emotions can be a tool to spur people into action, but generally used only rarely and smartly. A large part of a successful team is a strong locker room and I think the key to that is stability from the coach. No Mike Singletarys out there.

Kodiak: Can we just fill in the ad from Mary Poppins?

Represent our university well. Get it done on the classroom and on the field.

JahvidKnowsBest: What I really want in a coach is someone who is a Harbaugh-esc disciplinarian. One of the things I can't stand about Cal under the Tedford regime is the constant shooting ourselves in the foot. Penalties, missed assignments, personal fouls. I want to see clean, efficient, mistake-free football. We need someone who enforces player accountability.

Berkelium97: I want a coach who instills discipline and accountability among the players. I can't stand to see another holding penalty, block in the back, or seemingly incurable case of fumblitis. This should extend beyond the field into the classroom where our APR scores have been tumbling. Someone who focuses on defense would be ideal, particularly in light of the recent hires throughout the conference.

I'd like to avoid a flash-in-the-pan kind of coach. We have made it clear that we are interested in investing in the long-term success of Cal. Accordingly, I'd like to see us hire someone with a long, successful track record (head coaching success at the FBS or NFL-level would be a big bonus).

Unclesam22: Like everyone else, I'd really like to see a disciplined team on the field each week. This seemed like it used to be a hallmark of Tedford teams of years past but for whatever reason, the past few years have been one dumb penalty after another and I'd really like to see that stop. Additionally, the graduation rates an and academics are huge. Cal is not the #1 public university for nothing and all athletic teams, not just the football, should uphold that lofty standard. And lastly, I'd like to see the next coach continue in the tradition of Tedford in running a clean program. I don't want to see continual reports about shady dealings with agents and the like, affairs with students, grade fixing, and players filling the police blotter. That's not Cal either and I want the next coach to continue that.

The other thing that I'd like to see is someone that is personable. It seems like a lot of the current top tier coaches are arrogant and/or smarmy to the point that I cringe each time I see them interviewed on the sidelines or in a press conference. I'd love for our next coach to take a page out of Monty's book and be engaging, warm, and funny without being a doofus. I don't think that's too much to ask...

Ohio Bear: I don't want someone who is ethically suspect. To me, winning is not worth the shame of probation. And if we cheat and don't win (thank you, Tom Holmoe), it's infinitely more embarrassing. So if a guy is willing to ride close to that line and even cross it when he thinks no one is looking -- no thanks, I'd prefer to look elsewhere.

I have always thought that motivation and leadership qualities are important in a college coach. People motivate and lead in different ways, obviously, but I think the new coach has to be able to do it effectively as we turn the page from a less-than-successful run. I think we need someone who understands and embraces the environment that is Cal, academically, culturally, etc. And on the academic side, the latest GSR numbers and the declining APR are unacceptable: the new coach has to take that seriously and accept that challenge of making Cal a top notch program on and off the field.