Cal Names Terrence Brown, Vic So'oto Co-Defensive Coordinators

Cal has decided to stay inside its staff to fill the vacant defensive coordinator position. Cal announced Thursday that defensive backs coach/defensive pass-game coordinator Terrence Brown and outside linebackers coach Vic So’oto have been named as co-defensive coordinators for the Bears’ football team.

In any case this remains the defense installed by head coach Justin Wilcox, and he presumably will remain the chief architect of the Golden Bears defense. Brown and So’oto replace Peter Sirmon, who had been Cal’s defensive coordinator the past six years but left to take a coaching job with the New Orleans Saints of the NFL.

Brown and So’oto will retain their roles as position coaches although Keith Heyward, who was Oregon State’s defensive coordinator this past season, as been added to the Cal staff as a defensive backs coach.

As significant as the announcement regarding the co-defensive coordinators was the announcement that Bob Gregory has been brought on board as a senior defensive assistant.

Gregory served as Cal’s defensive coordinator for eight years when Jeff Tedford was the Golden Bears head coach. Gregory was Cal’s defensive coordinator for 2002 to 2009, and the Bears finished with winning records in each of those eight seasons.

He was Cal’s defensive coordinator when the Bears went 10-1 in the 2004 regular season and finished ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season polls. Gregory was also the Bears defensive coordinator in 2006 when Cal tied USC for the Pac-10 title, the only time since 1958 that Cal claimed a conference championship.

Cal has not finished with a winning conference record since Gregory left the Cal staff following the 2009 season.

Also, defensive line coach Andrew Browning was named defensive run-game coordinator.

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