What Will Cal’s Offense Look Like Under New OC Bryan Harsin?

Bryan Harsin is Cal’s fourth offensive coordinator in four years, and he is expected to breathe life into a Bears offense that ranked 14th in the ACC in scoring in 2024, when Cal finished with a losing conference record for the 15th consecutive year.

How will he do it? What is his history? Why did he come to Cal? What about his time as head coach at Auburn?

Harsin’s System

“First of all it’s physicality,” said Harsin. “We want to be a physical football team. . . . really have that mentality.”

During the spring he is focusing more on basics than a system.

“We have to get better, not just at schemes but at the fundamentals of the game,” he said.

Beyond that, Harsin offered few details, partly because he says the offensive identity is still being formulated.

Asked what his offense will look like, Harsin said, “I’d say it’s multiple.”

That description could apply to most offenses, but he said offseason discussions will determine what the offense will look like during the season.

“I’d say we have a system in place, but that’s going to morph into something different,” he said. “By August, that’s your system. That becomes your identity.”

Harsin’s Offensive History

Harsin’s history suggests the starting point for his offense is a physical, downhill running game. His attack typically features a lot of pre-snap shifting and a lot of motion to get the best matchups, and the quarterback operates out of both the shotgun and under center.

You would expect him to continue that trend at Cal with variations to accommodate the personnel.

As offensive coordinator at Boise State from 2006 through 2010, the Broncos finished among the nation’s top three teams in scoring in four of those five seasons, including first in 2009.

Boise State averaged better than 40 points in three of those five season, and in his second season as Texas' play-caller in 2012, the Longhorns averaged 35.7 points per game.

The Auburn Experience

Harsin had head coaching success at Arkansas State (2013, 7-5 record) and Boise State (2014-2020, at least nine wins in each of the six full seasons), but he was less successful as the head coach at Auburn (2021-2022, 9-12 record, dismissed after eight games in 2022).

“It was an experience,” Harsin said of his time at Auburn.

“I think that’s one of the things you go through in a career. It doesn’t matter the profession you’re in. Some places are better than others. Some things work out. I think the environment’s a huge part of it, but I wouldn’t change anything.

“I’m not a guy who looks back. Did it go the way we wanted? It didn’t. But sometimes you take chances like that. It doesn’t always go your way. But I wouldn’t tell anybody not to take a chance just because it doesn’t go your way.”

Coming to Cal

Harsin spent the past two years away from coaching, working with coaches in what he called “mentoring.” He was not necessarily looking to get back into coaching, but when he began talking to Justin Wilcox, he thought joining the Cal staff would work.

“It was the right thing because I believe so much in him,” Harsin said of Wilcox, ultimately saying the choice to come to Berkeley was “a no-brainer.”

Harsin also referenced former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford as a reason he wanted to join the Cal program, noting that offensive coaches, like himself, followed a lot of what Tedford did offensively.

Tedford was Cal’s head coach from 2002 through 2012, and he was lauded for his work with quarterbacks.

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