BERKELEY — New Cal soccer coach Tosh Lupoi was in assault mode on his first day on the job.
“I do it a lot,” he stated when requested about making use of the phrase to just about all issues. “It’s how I get up, how I’m programmed, how I’m wired. We’re not going to be sitting round tables doing a number of complaining, I can promise you that. It’s going to be about attacking options.
“I love using descriptive and visual words and I learned some of that in my Master’s education program here at Cal Berkeley.”
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 05: (L-R) New head coach Tosh Lupoi and Normal Supervisor Ron Rivera pose for photographs throughout a press convention to introduce Lupoi as the brand new head soccer coach for the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on December 05, 2025 in Berkeley, California. (Photograph by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Pictures)
Lupoi, 44, returns to Cal to develop into a head coach for the primary time as Justin Wilcox’s successor after 4 seasons as defensive coordinator at Oregon. He spent six seasons (2000-05) as a participant and scholar at Cal, then six extra (2006-2011) to begin his teaching profession.
He was celebrated by about 50 former teammates included amongst 300 followers, boosters and workers on the Area Membership in Memorial Stadium throughout a one-hour program additionally that includes Chancellor Wealthy Lyons and soccer normal supervisor Ron Rivera.
Signed to a five-year contract Thursday evening, Lupoi provides the Bears “a true alignment” of three leaders, all of whom had been undergrads at Cal.
“Tosh gets this place,” stated Lyons, the primary Cal graduate to return as chancellor.
Rivera stated attending to know Lupoi over the previous week satisfied him of one thing he didn’t suppose was attainable. “I didn’t think anybody else could love this university as much as me,” he stated.
Lupoi stated it’s develop into a cliché too typically used, however confirmed, “This is a dream job for me. This place means everything to me.”
Lyons referenced Lupoi’s “super-power skills,” particularly his passionate and relentless recruiting efforts, which contributed to what Rivera stated finally was “a no-brainer” resolution.
Lupoi, who additionally has coached protection at Washington, Alabama and for 3 NFL groups, has spent the previous 4 seasons at Oregon. He’ll stay with the Geese for so long as they’re alive by means of the School Soccer Playoff, however may even dedicate important consideration to his new project, even making fast return journeys to the Bay Space when his schedule permits.
An East Bay native who by no means misplaced a recreation throughout his profession at De La Salle Excessive College, Lupoi stated he’s accustomed to getting restricted sleep and acknowledged the following month shall be busy.
The CFP championship recreation shouldn’t be till Jan. 19 — three days after the Jan 2-16 switch portal window closes — in order that complicates Lupoi sporting two hats directly. He stated he’ll go to with present gamers on the telephone or through Zoom whereas Rivera and others on the present workers will work issues from this finish.
Lupoi met with the complete workforce Friday morning, however has not engaged in particular person discussions with gamers but. Clearly, retaining freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who will lead the Bears in opposition to Hawaii within the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl, is a precedence.
“He’s already established himself here quite a bit — I’m talking off the field — the leadership, the relationships,” Lupoi stated. “I’m extremely excited to meet Jaron, meet the family and start that process with him. I’m absolutely pumped to attack this process together.”
Lupoi talked about how at his two earlier faculties as defensive coordinator he developed relationships with the quarterbacks that included Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts at Alabama underneath Nick Saban at Alabama, and Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and now Dante Moore at Oregon underneath Dan Lanning.
“We would challenge the quarterback to come into my office and to see things from the perspective that I do,” he defined. “To be able to offer that to the offensive players . . . how a quarterback can see that and how that can raise the level of play from him.”
Past that, he added, “Every one of those guys I just (mentioned) are going to be a part of JKS’s life moving forward.”
Lupoi stated he is not going to rush the method of hiring assistant coaches and didn’t rule out retaining anybody from the present workers, together with interim head coach Nick Rolovich, whom he referred to as “an excellent coach.”
However he additionally stated he’s heard from a number of “high-level NFL coaches and coaches at the best programs in the country who want to come work here,” he stated, including that he already has interviewed three candidates.
“I think JKS has something to do with that, I think Ron Rivera has something to do with that. I hope I have something to do with that.”
