Make that another Washington win over Cal.
Wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau is reportedly leaving for Washington one day after defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi left Berkeley to join the Huskies.
Kiesau, who also served as the passing game coordinator, was in the first year of his second stint with the Bears. He was Cal’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2002-05 before spending five seasons at Colorado, the first three as the passing game coordinator and receivers coach and the latter two as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
It was announced on Monday that Lupoi will become Washington’s new defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator after four years at Cal.
“We appreciate their contributions to Cal football, and we exhausted all of our resources to try to retain Tosh and Eric within the confines and continuity of our coaching staff, but both chose to take advantage of new opportunities,” said Cal head coach Jeff Tedford in a statement on Tuesday. “We will proceed to replace them with quality coaches who will continue to stand for what the University of California and our football program represent, just as Tosh and Eric did.”
After ranking next to last in passing offense in 2010, Cal ranked eighth in the Pac-12 this past season under Kiesau’s leadership, averaging 71.5 more passing yards a game. Sophomore wide receiver Keenan Allen was named first-team All-Pac-12 in 2011, recording 98 receptions and 1,343 receiving yards, both of which rank second on Cal’s all-time single season list.
Lupoi was a top recruiter for the Bears and the architect of Cal’s current No. 10 recruiting class, which may now be in jeopardy.
“Tosh and Eric are outstanding football coaches that did a terrific job during their tenures on the Cal staff,” said Athletic Director Sandy Barbour. “We did all we were able to do to have them remain at Cal and appreciate our community’s willingness to assist in that effort.”
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Cal has only recently had some great recruiting classes, was Lupoi the main attraction for recruits or was it the school and its new facilities, or was he helped by the sanctions against USC? All I can say is that we won’t find out for a couple of years to see if Washingtons recruiting improves? There is of coarse the other possibilities- Cal gets a better Defensive line coach, and receivers coach they in turn end up doing twice the job Lupoi and Kiesau have done and in a couple of years people are saying Tosh Lupoi- Who Dat?
Tedford is the second highest head coach in Pac-12, yet his coaching staff are among the second lowest paid in the conference. Tedford is so ignorant that he doesn’t realize that the reason he has kept his job is because of the recruiting classes that Tosh Lupoi has pulled in past couple of years.
If Washington State can go after top coaching for their football program, surely Cal should be able to at least match them. I’m fed up with Tedford and also with the athletic director for not taking a more active role in the football program.
I think he should have taken the $500,000.00 bonus he is about to receive and gave it to his assistant coaches.
Were I a new recruit, I’d be taking a long hard look at Tedford’s program right now. Personally, I’d still choose Cal for the education but I’m not real sure that those with NFL aspirations would see it that way.
Lupoi quit for money, 3X as much. Its that simple. How much money is Sarkisian making per year ?