First-year head coaches facing big challenges

1:36 | College FootballAfter four years of disappointing play under Sonny Dykes, Cal opted for a coach familiar with the program in hiring Wilcox, who was the Bears’ linebackers coach under Jeff Tedford from 2003–2005. The hire was popular, and for good reason. Wilcox is a widely respected defensive coordinator, understands the demands of working for a school where football isn’t a priority, and will revitalize local recruiting pipelines that dried under Dykes. Dykes refused to change his recruiting tendencies while in Berkeley, returning to familiar territories in Texas and on the junior college circuit instead of fostering relationships with local Northern California high school coaches. One of the finest architects of the Air Raid offense, Dykes also focused his recruiting on offense. The Bears’ defense, on the other hand, was execrable every year Dykes was in charge. Fixing it will be no small task.

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