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As you may well know by now, 2013 marks a new era in Cal football, with nearly everything about the program beginning anew under Sonny Dykes. But as Dykes attempts to create his own legacy here in Berkeley, that meant the replacement of everything that came before him. Some of last year's staff have already found new jobs - Marcus Arroyo has moved on to Southern Mississippi, and Ron Gould to UC Davis, for example.
This week saw a few more familiar faces take new positions.
Let's begin with former offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Jim Michalczik, who will be taking his talents to Arizona, where he'll help clear running lanes for Ka'deem Carey.
Former long-time Cal O-line coach and offensive coordinator Jim Michalczik named O-line coach at U of Arizona.
— Jeff Faraudo (@CalBearsBANG) January 15, 2013
Former Cal OL coach/OC Jim Michalczik has joined RichRod’s staff at Arizona.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) January 15, 2013
The good thing for Coach M in Arizona is that he won't need to recruit at an all-star pace like he had to at Cal. He'll just need to plug and play the players for Rich Rod's system and produce. It's a solid fit for him, particularly since Coach M's lines have always done better run blocking than pass blocking.
Last year's linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson, on the other hand, will be remaining in the Bay Area as the new defensive coordinator for the San Jose State Spartans.
I'm hearing that Kenwick Thompson, a former Cal and San Jose State assistant, will join the SJSU defensive staff in some capacity.
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) January 11, 2013
At San Jose State, sources tell us former Cal assoc HC / LBs Kenwick Thompson will be DC. Caragher has his DL coach 2 footballscoop.com/the-scoop
— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) January 16, 2013
Thompson coached at San Jose State from 2001-06 in various capacities like D-line coach, linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, strength and conditioning coach, and so on. He's a solid and flexible coach who should hopefully do good things in keeping the Spartans relevant.
The most interesting development, though, comes from Clancy Pendergast, who appears to be the frontrunner to replace Monte Kiffin down at USC, although Bruce Feldman's tweet indicates that nothing has been officially announced. However, if true, it appears to be an odd fit - given how badly the Trojans have struggled with spread offenses under Kiffin, Pendergast would appear to be a marginal upgrade at best.
According to multiple sources, I'm hearing #USC is close to announcing Clancy Pendergast its new defensive coordinator.
— Gerard Martinez (@gmartlive) January 16, 2013
Contrary to reports about ex-Cal asst Clancy Pendergast, Lane Kiffin says he hasn't hired a DC.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) January 16, 2013