Cal Football: New Coaching Staff Chemistry Has Justin Wilcox Excited for Future
Cal coach Justin Wilcox begins the video above by acknowledging, "Change is part of our world," then explains he was ready for the likelihood that at some point he would lose assistants and have to find new ones.
This is business as usual when a program begins to have success, as the Bears did last fall, posting an 8-5 record with a bowl victory. Others come calling to poach assistant coaches because they have been involved with success.
In the wake of the 2019 season, Wilcox and the Bears lost four assistants: Offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin (became head coach at Cal Poly), offensive line coach Steve Greatwood (to retirement), running back coach Nicholas Edwards (became offensive coordinator at Cal Poly) and defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander (to the Miami Dolphins).
Wilcox was ready. Like most coaches, he keeps an active list of coaches he would approach if openings on his staff occurred.
His first hire was Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator, whom Wilcox discusses in detail in the video above. Musgrave, of course, played quarterback at Oregon, but has since earned his living primarily as an NFL offensive coordinator. He did have one two-year stint in the college game at Virginia.
Wilcox said creating chemistry among the new staff members has been a seamless process, aided by the fact that many of them already were familiar with one another.
In the video below, Wilcox talks about the Bears' other three new assistant coaches: Angus McClure (offensive line), Aristotle Thompson (running backs) and Marcel Yates (defensive backs).
