Tosh Lupoi and Ron Rivera respond to Cal chaos report

The general manager doesn't normally share the stage at the head coach's weekly presser, so Rivera's being up there was a message in itself. The first thing he got asked about was the quarterback.

Joaquin Ruiz

@WalkingRuiz

Cal GM Ron Rivera was asked if he thinks QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele will be back in 2027: "I believe he can come back. And again, we'll see what happens. But I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth. The biggest thing that's important right now is these next three weeks."

That's "I believe he can come back," not "he's coming back." Rivera said almost the same line twice: everything gets judged over the next 3 games. Cal is 3-6 and 2-4 in the ACC, it lost its last 3 by a combined 131-37, and it has to beat Virginia, Stanford and Pitt to reach a bowl. In plain terms, the next 3 weeks are an evaluation for everybody in the building, and the man with the clipboard is sitting right next to the head coach.

Then the actual question came up. The Athletic's deep dive on Lupoi's first year quoted a source saying the program was mired in chaos and reported tension between the coach and his GM. This came the same week Rivera said on his KNBR show that his first-year coach had "bumped his head a lot." Lupoi went with the joke.

Thomas Dunn

@Thomasdunn24

Cal HC Tosh Lupoi on the Athletic’s characterization of program “chaos” “I have no idea what the reference was. Certainly, I produce chaos everyday at practice. Not sure if it’s that. Going off the gauge of the team, connecting with these guys, bringing over to the house. Getting great debriefs from them. I meet with them and tell them I have thick skin, tell me something I can do better.”

The "I produce chaos every day at practice" line got a laugh. The part that matters more is right after it: players at his house over the bye, debriefs, and "I have thick skin, tell me something I can do better." Then he went further than most coaches will in a presser and admitted one of the specific criticisms in the report, that he's too involved on game day.

Thomas Dunn

@Thomasdunn24

Tosh Lupoi on being over involved on game day as The Athletic noted “When things aren’t working, trying my best to create solutions there. Ultimately, voiced to Pat McCann, when we’re not getting first downs, I got to depend on the preparation going into it. Do my best to let him adjust or anyone on staff. Clutter on the headset is not going to help situations there. Recognize self improvement.”

"Clutter on the headset is not going to help" is a head coach saying, out loud, that he needs to let Pat McCann call the offense. Rivera added his own checks-and-balances pitch, pointing to former coordinators and head coaches on the staff who are supposed to help work things out. He also walked back the old win-in-2-years talk, saying they're laying a foundation now because nobody knows if realignment hits in a year and a half.

When they were asked straight up about settling disagreements, Rivera talked about communication and "the dynamic." Lupoi went right to recruiting. He talked about his first full offseason, after spending last year coaching Oregon in the playoffs and living in a hotel, plus a top-20 high school class and a careful approach to the portal. That answer is the one that stuck with some of the people covering the program.

Jon Wilner

@wilnerhotline

Among the many issues in Berkeley: Lupoi sees *everything* thru the lens of recruiting, even his relationship with the GM. That wouldn't be a problem if he was, ya know, the GM

Cory Pappas

@cory_pappas1

Tosh Lupoi and Ron Rivera’s full answer on their HC/GM dynamic and how they have resolved disagreements: “What’s behind us, that’s behind us. What’s in front of us, that’s the most important aspect.” t.co/TOdY2vCD25

That's the problem with a show of unity. It only lasts until the next result. Lupoi and Rivera said the right things, and Lupoi even owned a couple of them, but Rivera kept bringing it back to the same point: 3 games left to figure it out. If Virginia, Stanford and Pitt go like the last 3 games did, Tuesday's joint presser will look a lot less calm than it did in the room.