The Cal Golden Bears fired head coach Justin Wilcox on Sunday, but they didn't clear out his staff. Bryan Harsin, his offensive coordinator, was kept on in his same role. Nick Rolovich was promoted to interim head coach from his offensive analyst role.
California Golden Bears On SI's Jeff Faraudo believes Rolovich's promotion was a simple case of not wanting to disrupt the rest of the season, which includes a Week 14 matchup with the SMU Mustangs and a bowl game.
"Both have head-coaching experience, Harsin a combined 10 years at Arkansas State, Boise State and Auburn. Cal did not specify why Rolovich was elevated, but it makes sense that lifting him from the analyst role would be less disruptive to the staff than altering Harsin’s assignment as OC," Faraudo wrote.
SFGATE's Alex Simon reports that there's a strong chance Rolovich is kept beyond this season because of his connection to star seven-figure freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
"Rolovich returned to the college ranks when Cal hired him in December, and the coach might be in Berkeley beyond the quick fill-in as head coach. While he’s not expected to be a candidate for the full-time head coaching role, multiple reports indicate that Rolovich has a strong connection with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal’s freshman quarterback phenom who is from Hawaii, and keeping Rolovich would be a benefit for the school’s chances at keeping Sagapolutele in the NIL era. (Cal’s top recruit, tight end Taimane Purcell, is also from Hawaii.)," Simon wrote.
That bodes well for Harsin's chances to return to Berkeley in 2026 as well.
After Harsin's breakup with the Auburn Tigers, both have gone on to become barely bowl eligible in their first season without each other. Hugh Freeze led the team to six wins and an embarrassing effort in the Music City Bowl, while Harsin is now the offensive coordinator for a likely six-win team.
No one won, necessarily, but you can argue AU has lost it. The Freeze era is over, and there's more than $15 million in buyout payments to former head coaches on Auburn's tab this decade.
We'll see if Jon Sumrall could lead the Tigers into their first successful era since Harsin was hired in December 2020. And if Harsin can stick in Northern California.