Cal GM Ron Rivera Drops Honest Quote on HC Tosh Lupoi Amid 3-6 Record in 1st Season

As Cal struggles through a 3-6 season, general manager Ron Rivera isn't mincing words when it comes to first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi.

"He has bumped his head a lot. We have talked a lot, tried to give him a lot of advice, point him in the right direction. Some of it, he's been very receptive, and other portions of it, he hasn't," Rivera said during an appearance on KNBR's "Murph & Markus" morning show (h/t Alex Simon of SFGate.com). "And it's those things that sometimes you've gotta learn for yourself before you think, 'Oh wow, this is it.' But I'd like to continue to stress that this is a guy that's learning, growing. But now it's time. These last three games, hopefully four, the trajectory has to be going north. We have to show that we are growing, there has been some growth and development of our players, our team, and the culture is getting stronger. Those are all things that you have to have going forward."

Lupoi, 45, played for Cal as a defensive lineman (2000-05) and also served as a defensive line coach with the team between the 2008-11 seasons. He's also had stops at Washington (2012-13, defensive line coach), Alabama (2014-18), the Cleveland Browns (2019 defensive line), Atlanta Falcons (2020, defensive line and run-game coordinator), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021, defensive line) and Oregon (2022-25, defensive coordinator and linebackers). He held a number of roles at Alabama, including as the defensive coordinator for two seasons.

Rivera, 64, was hired as the football program's general manager in March 2025. The former Cal and NFL linebacker is best known for his stints as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers (2011-19) and Washington Commanders (2020-23), posting a 102-103-2 record during his NFL coaching career.

Lupoi replaced Justin Wilcox, who posted just three winning seasons in nine years at the helm along with a 1-4 bowl record. Expectations were high coming into the 2026 season, especially as Cal continue to adjust to life in the ACC, but thus far the results haven't followed.

"We've got to get this foundation put down, we've got to show that we have solid roots in the ground, we are ready to go forward," Rivera noted. "Then we can hit the recruiting trail being able to point to the direction, saying, 'Look, we're heading north. We're doing the things that we need to do. We're putting the players in position, so let's roll.' And that's what we have to do."