Cal reportedly targeting Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to replace Justin Wilcox

California is trying to turn to a former Bears football player to replace Justin Wilcox.

Cal is in negotiations with Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to make him the program's next head coach, according to The Athletic. Specifics of that deal, or when it will be finalized, are not yet known. Lupoi, 44, was a defensive lineman for Cal in the 200s and got his coaching start with the school as their defensive line coach for four seasons.

Lupoi has been in charge of Oregon’s defense for the past four seasons. He came to Oregon in 2022 when the school hired Dan Lanning from Georgia.

The Ducks have had one of the best defenses in the country in 2025 as they have gone 24-2 across their two seasons in the Big Ten. Oregon is allowing just 15 points per game as it heads to the College Football Playoff. Just three teams — Penn State, Indiana and USC — have scored more than 16 points against the Ducks all season and Indiana is the only one to score 30 points.

Wilcox was fired with one game to go in the 2025 season after Cal lost at Stanford. Former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich is currently serving as the team’s interim coach. Cal finished the regular season 7-5 after upsetting SMU in the final week of the regular season to deny the Mustangs a chance to play for the ACC title for the second straight season.

Lupoi spent three seasons for three franchises as a defensive line coach in the NFL before Lanning hired him at Oregon. His last stop came in Jacksonville in 2021. Before he went to the Cleveland Browns under Freddie Kitchens in 2019, Lupoi was an assistant at Alabama for five seasons where he worked his way from defensive analyst to defensive coordinator.

Lupoi is also the second Oregon coordinator to get a job during this hiring cycle. Offensive coordinator Will Stein, a Kentucky native and former Louisville QB, is taking over at UK after the season. Kentucky fired longtime coach Mark Stoops after a 5-7 season in 2025. Stein is expected to keep calling plays at Oregon throughout the postseason, so it's likely that Lupoi would get to continue in his role with the Ducks until they are eliminated in the playoffs, too.