Cal fires head coach Sonny Dykes
Cal is making a major change in the leadership of its football program, as the school announced Sunday that head coach Sonny Dykes has been fired.
"This was an extremely difficult decision and one that we take very seriously," athletic director Mike Williams said in a statement. "Ultimately it was a combination of factors that brought us to this outcome. We are continuously evaluating our program and looking for ways to make it better - whether that's through additional academic support, recruiting, facilities, staffing, culture, leadership, or anything else that can help our football program succeed. Primarily, we want what's best for our student athletes and have a head coach in place who is fully committed our program and our university."
It's no secret that Dykes, who is making almost $3 million per season, has interviewed for various head coaching jobs over the past few seasons while under contract with Cal, including Houston, Missouri, and Baylor, which reportedly didn't sit well with the players or the administration at the school. That is fairly evident with the last line in Williams statement regarding the firing.
After losing star quarterback Jared Goff to the NFL following the 2015 season, Dykes was unable to keep the Golden Bears competitive in 2016, finishing the season at 5-7.
In his four seasons with the program, Dykes has a disappointing 19-30 record, with a 10-26 mark in Pac-12 play. The Bears qualified for just one bowl appearance in his time with the school.
A search is expected to begin immediately to find Dykes' replacement, with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital taking over on an interim basis.