California fires head coach Sonny Dykes
California fired coach Sonny Dykes in a surprise move Sunday after four seasons that produced just one bowl appearance.
The Golden Bears were 5-7 this season, 3-6 in the Pac-12. Dykes was 19-30 in four years at Cal (10-26 in the Pac-12) and 41-45 overall with the Golden Bears and Louisiana Tech (22-15).
The Bears ranked fourth nationally in passing offense and 10th in total offense, but were 125th in total defense and 127th in scoring defense.
"This was an extremely difficult decision and one that we take very seriously," athletic director Mike Williams said in a statement. "There was no rush to judgment; we wanted to be thorough and thoughtful. 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 to our program and our university.
"Coach Dykes clearly built up our program — both on the field and in the classroom — and he leaves Cal in a stronger position than when he arrived. For that alone, he deserves credit and our thanks. After our bowl win last season, we showed our commitment to him with a contract extension. But after looking at a number of factors after the end of this season, I felt that we needed a change of direction for the good of our student-athletes and our program."
Dykes said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the move and called Cal a special place.
“I am comforted, however, that I leave this program in much better shape than when I arrived four years ago,” he said in a statement. “I am confident Cal will find a great coach to lead these great young men, they deserve nothing less. As for me, change is unfortunately a constant in this profession. I have great passion for what I do and how I do it. I look forward to the next chapter.”
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will serve as interim coach.
Dykes interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs after the 2015 season, despite having the contract with Cal. He was given a four-year contract extension in March and had just started the second year of that deal on Jan. 1. According to the terms of his contract, he is owed $5.88 million.
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately with the idea that a new coach could be in place by the end of the week as recruiting heats up. College football signing day is Feb. 1.
Speculation will now turns to Dykes’ successor, with former Oregon and San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly’s name likely to be linked to the job. After a dominant run at Oregon, Kelly had less success in the NFL and was fired earlier this month by the 49ers, a year after being dismissed by the Philadelphia Eagles.