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CFB

Ron Rivera Joins Cal as CFB GM: 'Belichick Has Made Going Back to School Cool'

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 5, 2025

LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 07: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders looks on against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of the game at FedExField on January 7, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Ron Rivera became the newest tenured NFL head coach to try his hand at the college game.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported Wednesday that Rivera is expected to assume a "general manager-like role" for the Cal football program.

Rivera confirmed he's returning to his alma mater, adding that Bill Belichick "has made going back to school, cool."

Ron Rivera @RiverboatRonHC

Coach Belichick has made going back to school, cool. Stay tuned I am coming home. <a href="https://twitter.com/CalAthletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CalAthletics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UCBerkeley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UCBerkeley</a> @Cal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBears?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBears</a>🐻

It doesn't matter the sport or the level, administrators and executives are always quick to jump on what they consider to be the newest trend.

Hiring former NFL head coaches isn't unprecedented in college football, but Belichick's decision to take the North Carolina job is almost without parallel. The Tar Heels are betting that his experience and plan to turn them into "an NFL program at a college level" helps attract talent that otherwise wouldn't have looked at Chapel Hill.

Others were bound to try the same blueprint.

In the case of Rivera and Cal, his duties will involve far less coaching. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported the 63-year-old will "be involved in oversight of the program and its big-picture needs, including budget, coaching staff and the student-athlete experience."

Ghost @GhostofGarbers

Ron Rivera as GM is the first Cal Football decision in a long long time I have high conviction on that we got right, and the clearest marker to date that Football is a priority under this new administration. <br><br>We're taking things seriously for first time since the mid 2000's

Ron Rivera Joins Cal as CFB GM: 'Belichick Has Made Going Back to School Cool'
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Cal had a pair of 10-win seasons under Jeff Tedford in the 2000s, and the Golden Bears saw some of their top stars from that era thrive in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson all spent time in Berkeley.

That kind of success has proven elusive after Tedford was fired in 2012, though. Cal has yet to finish a season ranked in the Top 25 since then and has only been ranked whatsoever in three separate years.

The fanbase might've been a little disappointed when the school chose to retain head coach Justin Wilcox, who has posted five straight losing records.

Bringing Rivera into the fold is a sign of ambition that's going to resonate positively with any disenchanted fans.

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