Cal nears deal to hire Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as head coach: sources

"The Bears are expected to hire Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, barring any last-minute snags in negotiations, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions confirmed to the Wilner Hotline on Tuesday afternoon. The school has not announced any hire as of late Tuesday afternoon. Lupoi, a Walnut Creek native and former De La Salle standout, was a defensive lineman in Berkeley from 2000-2005 and coached the Bears line from 2008-11."

"He has never been a head coach before but led the Ducks defense the last three seasons under head coach Dan Lanning. Oregon ranks third nationally in yards allowed per game and eighth in scoring this season. Prior to his arrival in Eugene, Lupoi spent two seasons as a defensive line coach for Washington, then five years at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide reach four national title games and rising to become the defensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa."

"He then moved on to the NFL, where he coached defensive line for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars from 2019-21. Lupoi, 44, is earning $2 million this season with the Ducks. His offensive counterpart at Oregon, Will Stein, was named Kentucky's new coach earlier this week. Cal fired former coach Justin Wilcox just over a week ago, ending his nine-year tenure overseeing the program after a 31-10 loss at Stanford, its first Big Game loss in five years."

Tosh Lupoi is expected to be hired as Cal's head football coach pending final negotiations. Lupoi is a Walnut Creek native, former Cal defensive lineman and previously coached the Bears line from 2008-11. He spent three seasons as Oregon's defensive coordinator, guiding a defense ranked third nationally in yards allowed and eighth in scoring. Lupoi coached at Washington and spent five years at Alabama, helping reach four national title games and becoming defensive coordinator. He coached NFL defensive lines from 2019-21 and is earning $2 million this season at Oregon. Cal went 7-5 and fired Justin Wilcox after nine seasons.

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