Cal Hires First-Time Coordinators With NFL Pedigree

Head coach Tosh Lupoi explains why he's comfortable with the new offensive and defensive coordinators despite their lack of prior experience.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 12:19am

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Cal's new head football coach Tosh Lupoi has hired two first-time coordinators, Jordan Somerville and Michael Hutchings, both 30 years old with NFL experience but no prior coordinator roles. Lupoi says he has long tracked these coaches and believes their work ethic, intelligence, and ability to lead will translate well to the college level, even without coordinator experience. The new coordinators will lean on Lupoi's expertise as a former defensive coordinator to help with the transition.

Why it matters

Hiring first-time coordinators is a risky move, but Lupoi is banking on their NFL pedigree and his own mentorship to help them succeed. The success or failure of these coordinator hires will be crucial in determining how Lupoi's tenure as Cal's head coach starts off.

The details

Somerville comes to Cal after three seasons as assistant quarterbacks coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he worked with two-time Pro Bowl QB Baker Mayfield. Hutchings spent the past three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the latter two as safeties coach. Both have college coaching experience as well. Lupoi says he has long tracked these coaches and believes their work ethic, intelligence, and ability to lead will translate well to the college level.

  • Cal's first spring practice is on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

The players

Tosh Lupoi

Cal's new head football coach who is hiring the first-time coordinators.

Jordan Somerville

Cal's 30-year-old offensive coordinator, previously an assistant quarterbacks coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Michael Hutchings

Cal's 30-year-old defensive coordinator, previously a safeties coach with the Minnesota Vikings.

Nick Rolovich

Cal's associate head coach and quarterbacks coach, who will provide mentorship to the new offensive coordinator.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Cal's starting quarterback, who passed for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman last season.

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What they’re saying

“Person first, everything that is said about him is 100 percent accurate. He is awesome to be around. Obviously, super-talented young man. His competitive edge is one thing you get a feel for more being around him.”

— Jordan Somerville, Cal Offensive Coordinator

“Rolo has been awesome. Just a wealth of knowledge and information to sit in the room and lean on. I haven't been a coordinator before. Don't be naive to the fact that I haven't done it before. So to surround myself and the whole unit with wisdom, so to speak, and guys with a lot of experience (is) critical to our future going forward.”

— Jordan Somerville, Cal Offensive Coordinator

“I think anytime you're doing something for the first time, you know there's always going to be a learning curve. But at the same time, you've got Tosh in the room. He's led a top defense the last three or four years and obviously that's going to be a huge help. There's some stuff you can't simulate or replicate when you're not in that seat. So, really leaning on Tosh, asking about his time coming back from the NFL, going into college coordinating, what were his challenges? He's an open door and we've had plenty of great conversations about that and how we're going to go forward.”

— Michael Hutchings, Cal Defensive Coordinator

What’s next

The new Cal coordinators will lead the Bears through their first spring practice on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 as they look to implement their systems and get the team ready for the upcoming season.

The takeaway

Lupoi is taking a risk by hiring first-time coordinators, but he's banking on their NFL experience and his own mentorship to help them succeed. The success of these hires will be crucial in determining how Lupoi's tenure as Cal's head coach starts off.