Next California head football coach: Top 5 best candidates to replace Justin Wilcox

With the University of California's announcement that Justin Wilcox was being fired, one of the potentially more unusual coaching searches is now officially on.

Cal hasn't won 10 games in a season or finished a year in the top 25 since 2006. With Cal unlikely to buy in on a massive hire, the Bears will likely be working in a different group of candidates than schools like Florida, LSU, and Penn State.

But given a roughly 20-year slump in the program, Cal will have to think outside of the box. Here are five candidates the Bears might consider, ranging from the plausible and likely to the really unusual.

Tosh Lupoi, Oregon defensive coordinator

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

With Dan Lanning, one of the hottest coaches in the nation, and offensive coordinator Will Stein, a highly regarded head coaching candidate, Lupoi is perhaps the underappreciated member of the Oregon coaching squad.

The 44-year-old Lupoi is a California alum who has coached at Alabama, in the NFL, and now for four seasons with Oregon. While defense can be a tougher sale than offense, Lupoi has worked for two of the best collegiate programs and can use his NFL experience to sell to recruits.

Jim Mora, UConn coach

Mora doesn't have direct ties to Cal (he went to Washington and has coached at UCLA), but he has consistently proven at UConn that he can do more with less than most coaches. A former NFL head coach, Mora has now won nine games in each of the last two seasons with the Huskies. Given the relatively limited sports investment at Cal, Mora would be a plausible veteran coach to snag.

Tim Plough, UC Davis coach

UC Davis Aggies head coach Tim Plough | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Plough represents another path, grabbing a promising FCS coach. The 40-year-old Plough played at UC-Davis and has spent most of his coaching career there. He was the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Boise State in 2021 and early 2022, and after being fired, he coached tight ends at Cal in 2023. Plough left that position to take the head coaching job at UC-Davis, where he has gone 19-6 in his two seasons. Plough's pass-first attack and youth would be very attractive at Cal.

Tony Gonzalez, TV analyst/entrepreneur

On the other hand, Cal might be willing to roll the dice on a legendary alum without major coaching experience. Gonzalez has fared well as a TV commentator and as an entrepreneur in the years since his NFL career. He's well-respected across football and society at large, but he lacks coaching experience.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers QB

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Golden Bears could REALLY throw caution to the wind and try to draft Rodgers away from the NFL and into coaching. Unlike Gonzalez, Rodgers' off-field world has been occasionally controversial thanks to his forays into the political arena. But he has been active in supporting Cal throughout his lengthy playing career. But in the case of Rodgers, not only is there a lack of coaching history, but he's also currently quarterbacking the Steelers toward potential postseason play (when not injured). Hiring Rodgers would be a massive risk/reward calculation.