Report: Cal in negotiations to hire Wisconsin's Justin Wilcox as HC

The search for Cal's head coach might be a short one, as a source told Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports that the school is in contract negotiations with Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox for the job.

The Cal opening became available when the school suddenly fired Sonny Dykes last week, and Wilcox was one of the first names mentioned for potential replacements.

In his only year with the Badgers, the 40-year-old led the nation's fourth-ranked defense, holding opponents to just 15.5 points per game. Wilcox is no stranger to the Pac-12, having served as defensive coordinator at Washington and USC from 2012-2015.

He also has previous experience with the Golden Bears, serving as their linebackers coach from 2003-2005.

If the move goes through and Wilcox is officially hired, he will certainly have his work cut out for him in turning around the Cal defense. The Bears ranked second-last of all teams at the FBS level in scoring defense, allowing a whopping 42.6 points per contest.