Ron Rivera will be joining Bryan Harsin on Justin Wilcox's staff at Cal for a "new era" of Golden Bears football in Berkley. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported the news of Rivera's GM-like role on Wednesday.
"Two-time NFL Coach of the Year and Cal alum Ron Rivera is expected to take a General Manager-like role with Cal Football. An All-American for the Golden Bears, Rivera returns to Berkeley to work with head coach Justin Wilcox for a new era of Cal Football," Jones wrote.
"Rivera’s position at Cal is expected to be similar to the one Andrew Luck took at rival Stanford, helping the program, coaches, players, fundraisers and athletics department navigate the new waters in college athletics."
Rivera was reportedly in the running for several NFL jobs before returning to his alma mater.
"Rivera interviewed for the Jets, Bears and Raiders head coaching jobs in the past month. The former Panthers and Commanders head coach was also in the running to join Liam Coen’s staff as a senior assistant head coach with the Jaguars," Jones added.
Harsin accepted Cal's offensive coordinator job in December. Blue-chip QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele flipped to the Golden Bears in January.
Harsin seems to be comfortable in his new role. He didn't get much shine for helping land the No. 1 prospect from Hawai'i and ESPN's No. 18 pocket passer, but the ex-Boise State QB and long-time successful Broncos coach was undeniably part of the package.
He never tried to land a recruit of that caliber for Auburn. But the institutional support in Berkley still may not lead to much. There's been four Golden Bears winning seasons since 2010. And the ACC is not as weak as it once was.
After a home-and-home, the rise of the Cal-gorithm in 2024, and Harsin accepting the Golden Bears OC job, Cal will be worth a watch on the Plains until further notice.