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Justin Wilcox and Cal have formally agreed to become the 34th Head Coach of the California Golden Bears. It appears that it’ll be a five year deal.
Wisconsin DC Justin Wilcox reaches agreement to become Cal’s coach, sources told @ESPN. Wilcox will receive a 5-year deal, source said
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) January 14, 2017
Details such as compensation etc. are pending.
A former defensive back at Oregon, Wilcox was an assistant at Cal during the heyday of the Jeff Tedford era. Wilcox worked with Cal linebackers under Bob Gregory as the Bears built up a feared defensive Pac-10 unit.
At Boise State, Wilcox brought the Broncos to an elite level through coaching and recruiting, where the Broncos would go on to win two Fiesta Bowls. Wilcox was defensive coordinator with Washington and USC under Steve Sarkisian and then joined Wisconsin. Aside from some struggles with the Trojans, Wilcox generally was in charge of top 20 defenses at most of the programs he was with.
With Jake Spavital departing, it appears as if Wilcox has two big tasks—finding a defensive staff that will recruit well and help build up the California pipeline, and finding an offensive staff that will execute his vision on that side of the football.