Cal targeting Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as next coach

It looks like the Oregon Ducks will see both of their coordinators leave for head-coaching jobs at the end of their College Football Playoff run, as Tosh Lupoi is on the verge of returning to his alma mater to be the next coach at Cal, sources told CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer. Lupoi, the defensive coordinator for Dan Lanning ever since he took over at Oregon in 2022, has emerged as the top target of Cal’s search after the school fired Justin Wilcox. 

Lupoi, 44, played defensive line at Cal from 2000-05 and began his coaching career as Cal’s defensive line coach from 2008-11. From there, he worked as a defensive assistant at Washington and Alabama before stints as the defensive line coach for three NFL teams — the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. 

At Alabama, Lupoi worked his way up from an analyst in 2014 to defensive coordinator in 2018 under Nick Saban, earning a reputation as a strong recruiter. His defense at Oregon has been among the best in the country, finishing the 2025 regular season eighth nationally in scoring defense at 14.8 points per game allowed. 

Should the deal be finalized, Lupoi will head back down the coast to Berkeley to take over a Cal team that finished 7-5 this season, but general manager Ron Rivera fired Wilcox after nine seasons at the helm following an embarrassing 31-10 rivalry loss to Stanford on Nov. 23. Wilcox had a 48-55 overall record at Cal, including a combined 12-12 (5-10 ACC) mark in two seasons since the program transitioned from the Pac-12 to the ACC. 

The first order of business for Lupoi will be attempting to keep star freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from entering the transfer portal. Sagapolutele completed 63.6% of his passes for 3,116 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a true freshman starter, at times putting a tantalizing display of talent on the field that points to an extremely bright future. 

If Lupoi can keep Sagapolutele as a Golden Bear, he’ll have a great chance to hit the ground running with a team that can compete in the ACC. Cal will expect Lupoi to be able to improve their defense that finished the season 76th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 26.5 points per game. 

Lanning now faces the challenge many top programs do after finding consistent success, as he has to replace both of his coordinators. Along with Lupoi’s looming departure to Cal, offensive coordinator Will Stein is returning to his home state of Kentucky to coach the Wildcats, and Lanning will have to identify two new coordinators to take over for the Ducks in 2026.