Cal general manager Ron Rivera confirmed Monday that he can recommend staff hiring and firing decisions to the school’s chancellor as part of the wide-ranging duties he has assumed since becoming the football program’s GM.
During a news conference to discuss his role and recent developments with the Bears’ roster, Rivera said he reports directly to Cal chancellor Rich Lyons and that Rivera, a Cal alumnus, has his hands “in every facet of Cal football.”
“I will be involved in every facet of Cal football, which means I will have operational decision-making on specific things that deal with the football team, talking about players, player growth and development, player acquisition,” Rivera said. “I have decision-making as far as what’s best as far as the coaching staff is concerned and how all that works.”
Rivera’s authority came into focus recently after a report from SFGate indicated that major Cal donors, including board members of the program’s name, image and likeness collective, intended to withhold donations until Rivera, the former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach, was given the type of power over the football program that GM Andrew Luck has at rival Stanford. Cal officially announced Rivera’s hiring in March.
Luck, who was hired as Stanford’s GM in November, oversees the entire football program while reporting to the school president. Luck fired Stanford coach Troy Taylor last month. Luck is the only GM in college football with that power. Most GMs report to the head coach and are primarily in charge of roster management, high school recruiting, the transfer portal and the school’s personnel staff. Some schools are tweaking that structure as GMs rise in profile. Oklahoma, upon hiring Jim Nagy as its GM, made it clear that Nagy works “alongside” coach Brent Venables rather than in the traditional college GM structure. Nagy oversees roster management and works in tandem with Venables.
When Rivera was pressed to clarify Monday whether he would be the “ultimate authority” in hiring and firing decisions, he said: “I am going to tell you I do have that other than the chancellor. That’s who I answer to. Every major decision that he and I will always talk about, I’m not making these things willy nilly. I’m gathering as much information as I can and if that means going to the chancellor, sitting down and saying, ‘Look, this is something that’s very vital. It’s very important,’ I’m going to bring it to him. He and I will have that conversation.”
Amid Rivera’s assertions, he emphasized multiple times that he is working closely with head coach Justin Wilcox to improve the program in a collaborative fashion.
“He and I are here to work together and striving to make this football team one of the best,” Rivera said. He later added, “You don’t have to have reporting lines when you have great communication and collaboration.”
Rivera also discussed the departure of key players who entered the transfer portal this month, including star running back Jaydn Ott, who signed with Oklahoma. Rivera, without getting into financial specifics, said he believed that “we gave Jaydn Ott a great shot” to stay with the program through negotiating NIL compensation, but “sometimes an athlete just thinks, ‘I’ve accomplished all I can here, it it’s potentially time to move on.’ … If that’s what the young man decides, we just want to wish him the best.”
Rivera said he’ll be involved in roster management and conversations about revenue sharing and NIL compensation for players and what Cal can afford. He admitted that at some other programs, “their resources were a little bit more,” but he expressed optimism about the Bears’ chances to be competitive in the ACC and beyond.
“It’s very important that everybody thinks realizes it’s not the end of the world either,” Rivera said. “We have a plan of action that’s why I’m here.”
Rivera added: “We’ve got to become relevant again. We’ve got to go out and make the type of impact as a football team that we’re making right now academically.
“And so we’re going to work towards that with the goal and the idea of becoming a very relevant program that’s going to compete in the ACC for ACC championships, which give us an opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship. … That’s why I’m here. I would not come here if I didn’t have that opportunity.”
(Photo: Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)
