Cal Assistant Coach Vic So'oto Reportedly Will Join a Big Ten Team

Vic So’oto, who was Cal’s outside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator this past season, will not be on the coaching staff of new Golden Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi.

So’oto is being hired as UCLA’s linebackers coach, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

So’oto will join the staff of new UCLA head coach Bob Chesney, who was the head coach at James Madison this past season.

UCLA is hiring Vic So’oto as a linebackers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

The former NFL linebacker had been co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Cal. Before Cal, he was defensive line coach at USC. Has coached six future NFL draft picks. pic.twitter.com/XPssCCzYMH
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 30, 2025

So’oto had been on the Cal coaching staff for four seasons under head coach Justin Wilcox. But Wilcox was fired following Cal’s 31-10 loss in the Bears’ 11th game of the season.

Nick Rolovichh served as Cal interim head coach for the final regular-season game against SMU, which Cal won, as well as the Bears’ Hawaii Bowl loss to Hawaii. Lupoi was named Cal's next head coach before the bowl game.

Rolovich reportedly is being retained as Cal’s quarterbacks coach under Lupoi, but so far he is the only member of Cal’s 2025 coaching staff who has been retained by Lupoi.

So’oto and Terrence Brown were Cal’s co-defensive coordinators in 2025, with Brown calling the defensive plays.

Minnesota Vikings assistant coach and De La Salle High School graduate Michael Hutchings has been named the Bears’ defensive coordinator under Lupoi, and Da’Von Brown has been named Cal’s defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator.

D’Von Brown’s hiring suggests Terrence Brawn will not be retained on the Cal staff either.

So’oto is still a young coach at 38 years old, but Lupoi is assembling a coaching staff that’s even younger. Five of the coaches he has added are 30 years old or younger.

While at Cal, So’oto was the Bears’ special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach in 2023 and 2024 and was the outside linebackers coach in 2022.

Before he was on the USC coaching staff in 2020 and 2021, and was on the Virginia staff for the four years prior to that.

So’oto played football at BYU and the NFL.

Lupoi is currently Oregon’s defensive coordinator, and he will remain with the Ducks’ staff until they are eliminated from the College football Playoff. The Ducks face Texas Tech in a CFP quarterfinal game on Thursday.

If Oregon loses that game, Lupoi will devote his full attention to the Cal program. The transfer portal opens on Friday, January 2, and Cal needs players at certain positions out of the portal.

Cal finished the 2025 season with a 7-6 record, its first winning season since 2019.

Recent articles:

Is Cal basketball an NCAA tournament team? Some Say yes, some say no

Cal and Louisville rebuilt with newcomers

We count down the top-10 Cal stories of 2025

Cal women close out non-conference with an easy victory

Tosh Lupoi adds three more young assistants to his staff

Zach Tinker named Cal special teams coordinator

Assessing the grades ESPN gave Cal for its hire of Tosh Lupoi

Cal's new tight ends coach is a Bay Area native

Cal announces hiring of new defensive backs coach

New Cal defensive coordinator grew up in the Bay Area