Cal mega-donors want Justin Wilcox answering to GM Ron Rivera, will withhold NIL money until change is made

Two of Cal's largest athletics benefactors will no longer contribute to the California Legends Collective, the program's large third-party NIL establishment, until new general manager Ron Rivera is given full control of the football program, according to SFGATE. As things stand, Cal coach Justin Wilcox still answers directly to athletic director Jim Knowlton, while Rivera's role is focused more on helping Cal adjust to the modern landscape of college football.

The belief among Cal's donors is that Rivera, given his experience as a head coach at the NFL level, would be better suited in a quasi-executive role, similar to Stanford's Andrew Luck.

"You don't hire Mario Andretti and ask him to sit in the passenger seat, right?" Kevin Kennedy, the president of California Legends Collective, told SFGATE. "There's a reason that you bring someone like that on staff: In order to give him control."

Kennedy is one of the major donors that has withdrawn his financial support, for the time being. On the surface, handing Rivera more power does make some sense. There's no doubting his football acumen. A former linebacker at Cal, he led the Carolina Panthers from 2011-19, where he was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and the Washington Commanders from 2020-23. He had continued interest from NFL teams as a defensive assistant before he assumed his current role at Cal.

With more than a decade of NFL head coaching experience under his belt, he understands the financial side of football, a boon for a college program as it navigates NIL reform and pending revenue-sharing legislation that simultaneously increase the bargaining power of a collegiate athlete.

But handing Rivera complete dominion over the football program would be a largely radical move, even if arch-rival Stanford has moved in that direction with Luck, who was hired under special circumstances. He joined the program in November 2024, amid a second straight 3-9 season under coach Troy Taylor. Luck was informed, at the time of his hiring, of an investigation into Taylor for bullying female staff members while threatening to have a compliance officer removed.

Taylor was fired -- by Luck -- as a result of that investigation in March. Luck quickly hired former Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich on an interim basis to guide the program through the 2025 season while Stanford and Luck conduct a national search for a more permanent replacement.

Prior to Taylor's firing, Stanford had not had a winning record in a full 12-game season since 2018. Stanford has also lost each of its last four "Big Games" against Cal, something that has not happened since 2002-06. The Cardinal's instability and subsequent need for a guiding light necessitated the consolidation of power under Luck.

No other university at the Power Four level has given its general manager significant sway over its entire football program. That doesn't mean general managers lack in utility -- they can be invaluable resources for roster management and recruiting, alleviating those significant burdens for the head coach.

Rivera can do that without the keys to the proverbial city. Unlike Stanford, Cal isn't in a position where it needs radical change. Though fans may clamor for more, the Golden Bears have acquitted themselves well under Wilcox.

He and Jeff Tedford are the only coaches since Pappy Waldorf (who led the Bears from 1947-56) to guide Cal to at least three bowl appearances. Cal went 6-7 in its first year with the ACC despite adjusting to a rigorous new travel schedule, and it came a combined three points short of upsetting a pair of ranked opponents in No. 8 Miami and No. 22 Pittsburgh.

There's no telling what effect the shift in dynamics, were Rivera to become Wilcox's direct boss, would have on Wilcox. He has drawn interest from other schools before -- he interviewed for the Oregon vacancy in 2021 byt remained at Cal -- and there's no doubt that, if he wanted to, he would have his pick of defensive coordinator appointments.

Prominent coaches like Chip Kelly have left sitting head coaching jobs to become an assistant at places like Ohio State. Granted, Wilcox is still young (48) and has the energy to keep up with the pressure of leading a college football program.

Though it would be wise to utilize Rivera to his fullest extent, Cal football is not in a position where it needs to completely shake things up.

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