Thursday update> The deal is now in place Mike Silver shares. Tosh Lupoi, head football coach Cal Bears.
Less than two weeks after firing head coach Justin Wilcox in the wake of Cal’s blowout-loss to rival Stanford in the ‘Big Game,’ the Golden Bears’ search for their next head coach has narrowed its focus.
In a process led by Cal co-athletics directors Jay Larson and Jenny Simon-O’Neill, as well as general manager Ron Rivera, Cal is zeroing in its interest on Tosh Lupoi, a former Golden Bears standout defensive lineman and academic all-conference selection during his playing career in the early 2000s.
One source told FootballScoop that Lupoi “is definitely the frontrunner” and another indicated that if the two sides reach agreement, the deal could be completed in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator the past four seasons, Lupoi was Tuesday named as one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award — college football’s top honor for an assistant coach giving annually since the 1990s to the coach selected top assistant.
Lupoi has coached under some of college football’s top leaders in the past 15 years, including time under Steve Sarkisian at the University of Washington and then a five-year stint for Nick Saban at Alabama. There, Lupoi climbed the ranks under the steadfastly demanding Saban from defensive analyst to position coach to co-defensive coordinator and finally defensive coordinator.
He’s now added these past four seasons under Lanning in Eugene, Oregon, where the Ducks are poised for a second-straight College Football Playoff berth after last year earning the CFP’s No. 1 overall seed.
Oregon is No. 3 this year in total defense at a scant 251.1 yards per game and ninth in scoring defense at less than 15 ppg.
Additionally, Lupoi has long been heralded as an outstanding recruiter and his deep West Coast ties, as well as high-energy, high-intensity approach are seen as strong attributes as Cal seeks to revamp a program that went 44-55 in nine seasons under Wilcox.
A Walnut Creek, California, native, Lupoi grew up less than 20 miles from Cal’s Berkeley campus. He spent five years there during his playing career and got his collegiate coaching start at his alma mater under Jeff Tedford, whom he served four years as his defensive line coach.
Lupoi also carries with him NFL experience. He spent a trio of seasons in the league as the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Notably this week, Lupoi has gotten mulitple public vocal endorsements from former Cal players, including former Golden Bears star wideout/return specialist DeSean Jackson. Now the head coach at Delaware State, Jackson posted a strong message of support for Lupoi on X — the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This the man for the job @CalFootball. We all behind and supporting it!! @CoachLup leggggggo.”
Wednesday markings the opening of the NCAA’s Early Signing Period, which runs through Friday for incoming Class of 2026 student-athletes.
For the first time since its onset, the NCAA’s Transfer Portal has downsized into a single, two-week window that runs Jan. 2-16, 2026.
The Golden Bears finished 7th overall in the ACC and closed the season 7-5. They are expected to receive a bowl invitation Sunday following the formal selection of the 12-team CFP field.
