Report: Other Reasons Justin Wilcox Turned Down Offer to Coach Oregon
Most people were shocked when it was reported in December that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox turned down Oregon's offer to be the Ducks head coach, a job that ultimately went to Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.
Wilcox later explained that he felt Cal was on the cusp of doing something special and wanted t be a part of it. Cal was working on a contract extension with Wilcox at the same time, and that extension was later finalized.
But a report this week from ESPN.com suggests there was more to the story. (There's always more to the story.)
Apparently Oregon had some stipulations in its offer to Wilcox that he was not comfortable with. Those conditions had to do with recruiting and retaining or hiring certain assistant coaches, with offensive coordinator presumably being the key hire. Neither of those requirements would sit well with the Justin Wilcox the media have come to know.
.Here is an excerpt from that ESPN story by Kyle Bonagura and Adam Rittenberg
The search initially steered toward Cal's Justin Wilcox, with the hope that he could blend the old ways and the new.
Wilcox is a former Ducks player from one of the program's most celebrated families. He's the son of former Ducks linebacker Dave Wilcox, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who made seven Pro Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, and his uncle and older brother also played for Oregon before pro careers.
A well-regarded defensive mind, Wilcox's mediocre win-loss record at Cal (26-28) could be defended by the challenges of winning in Berkeley. Plus, he had extensive knowledge of the program and the Pac-12. There was a feeling inside the Oregon athletic department, multiple sources told ESPN, that if Wilcox was paired with an innovative offensive coordinator and a staff of talented recruiters, it would be close to an ideal succession from [Mario] Cristobal.
"I will always side with a former player potentially leading the program. That's where my loyalty lies," [former Oregon quarterback Akili] Smith told ESPN. "Justin Wilcox's name came up. Me and Justin Wilcox walked out of the locker room together to go to war together. From that standpoint alone, why wouldn't you want your brother to have an opportunity to lead the team?"
A move to Oregon made sense for Wilcox, and from the outside, it appeared to be a dream job for the 45-year-old.
Until it wasn't.
Sources close to Wilcox said the Oregon job initially came with some conditions related to the recruiting philosophy and possibly assistants to retain or hire. Those "spooked" the coach, one person said. Even when Oregon relaxed on some of those items, Wilcox didn't feel he could run the program like he wanted. He turned down Oregon's offer to become coach, sources said.
"It seemed like they wanted him to work in the gray area, and that's really not him," said a source close to Wilcox. "Justin is the kind of guy who likes to recruit kids that aren't interested in the Recaro leather seats. After he made up his mind, he just stuck with it."
Oregon assumed Wilcox would accept the offer when it was made on Friday, Dec. 10. As we wrote then, based on a report by the Oregonian's John Canzano:
Oregon was so certain that Wilcox would accept its offer that it planned to have T-shirts printed up and distributed at his introductory news conference.
Oregon presumably modified its conditions for Wilcox when the Ducks offered the job to Wilcox again a day later. But again Wilcox turned down the offer. That's when Lanning was offered the job.
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Cover photo of Justin Wilcox by Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports
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