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Tosh Lupoi's contract at Cal is not finalized.
The Cal Bears hired Tosh Lupoi as their head football coach on December 4, 2025. He will have completed 33% of his debut season after hosting Clemson on Friday. He’s led the program to a 2-1 start.
Despite having been on campus for nearly a year, his contract with the university has not been finalized. Why?
The status of his five-year deal made headlines on Thursday thanks to a report from Matt Brown of Extra Points. The lengthy process is actually somewhat typical for highly paid staff in Berkeley.
Cal hired Tosh Lupoi to be their new head football coach on Dec 4, 2025.
Today, the school informed me that they STILL have not yet finalized a contract or term sheet with Lupoi.
I know the UC system moves slowly on everything, but STILL. That’s weird!
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) September 24, 2026
Who is Tosh Lupoi?
The 45-year-old coach was targeted as Cal’s replacement for Justin Wilcox, who was fired last November after a 6-5 start. Wilcox had held the position for nearly a decade after being hired in 2017. He posted a 48-55 overall record across nine seasons.
Cal paid Wilcox $10 million to stop coaching. The athletic department moved quickly to hire a familiar face.
Lupoi is a former Bears defensive lineman, suiting up for the program between 2000-2005. He got into coaching in 2008, accepting a role with his alma mater as an assistant.
Since, he’s held jobs at Washington, Alabama, and Oregon, as well as three roles in the NFL with the Falcons, Browns, and Jaguars.
From 2022-2025, he was a defensive assistant with the Ducks earning nearly $2 million per season. He jumped at the opportunity to return home for his first head coaching gig.
Lupoi made an instant impact on the recruiting trail by stalking starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele across state lines to keep him from entering the transfer portal.
He hopped on a flight to Hawaii despite not having the passer’s phone number or home address. The pursuit worked. After tracking Sagapolutele down, he convinced him to stay with the team rather than gauge interest from other suitors.
“Tosh just said, ‘I’m going…’ We got him a plane ticket, and he flew out there. He basically figured out where he needed to be to be in contact with Jaron and the family, and basically just recruited him all over.”
-Cal Football GM Ron Rivera
With Sagapolutele under center in 2026, the Bears have won two of their first three contests. After dropping a season opening matchup with UCLA, the team has reeled off wins over Syracuse and Wagner. Cal is one of 10 ACC programs still unbeaten in conference play, and one of seven that’s already won a league contest.
The Bears formally introduced their new coach in December of 2025. Ten months later, his contract remains unfinalized. Here’s why.
Tosh Lupoi’s contract has not been finalized.
Contract dealings often move slowly in Berkeley for highly paid staff members. The athletic department cannot simply sign off on contract terms.
Instead, approvals must also move through various groups within the university.
Big-money deals have to go through system-wide legal reviews, campus compliance officers, and often the UC Office of the President or Board of Regents for final approval.
That process is not uncommon at most universities, though waiting nearly a year is probably longer than what most college football coaches experience.
When the Bears announced the five-year deal, reports said the sides had agreed “in principle” to the agreement. The status is still pending.
General Manager Ron Rivera went through a similar wait after being hired in 2025. He was officially brought on in March of last year. He did not have his contract finalized until mid-June of 2026. Up until that time, he was working off a letter of intent signed in February.
Tosh Lupoi is now dealing with that process firsthand. His deal will get done at some point. For now, it’s a waiting game. At this point, he does not seem concerned about his contract status.
Instead, his focus is on the football field where the Bears will soon host Clemson in their fourth game of the season. A win will push the team to 2-0 in ACC play as it pursues a conference title.