Justin Wilcox Discusses GM Ron Rivera's Role at Cal

Justin Wilcox spoke on Saturday about the role football general manager Ron Rivera plays, and Wilcox said he talks to Rivera frequently on nearly every matter pertaining to Cal football.

“I talk to him all the time,” Wilcox said. “It’s fantastic. “It’s been amazing for us. Such a great resource.

“There’s a lot of different things that we talk about, things that are directly football-related, and indirectly football-related.”

Rivera reportedly will be paid an annual salary of $700,000 in a contract that runs through the 2027 football season, and Cal noted in its official March 20 announcement of Rivera’s hiring that his salary will be paid through private philanthropy.

The announcement also noted that much of Rivera’s focus will be on revenue generation and fundraising. That makes sense because Rivera and his wife have been intimately involved in fundraising for Cal athletics for some time. It was also implied that Rivera would oversee Cal’s football budget to a large degree.

Rivera added at the time of the announcement his job is more than that.

“For the most part I’ll be involved with the football team, every aspect of it,” he said.

And Wilcox confirmed that.

“We talk about everything,” Wilcox said. “Roster management. Practice structure.”

Game planning?

“A little bit, but I think it’s more big-picture things. Probably not as specific. We talk about some situational football that comes up. And then how the NFL is similar and/or different [in certain game or play situations].”

Would Rivera be involved in the revenue-sharing and direct payment to players expected to start this summer?

“He’s going to be involved in all that,” Wilcox said.

More so than you?

“It’ll be a collaborative effort with everybody in football,” Wilcox said.

And his involvement in transfer portal decisions?

“He’ll be involved in that as well,” Wilcox said.

The degree to which Rivera will be involved in transfer portal acquisition and retention presumably will evolve over time, but he has demonstrated expertise in player evaluation. He was twice named NFL coach of the year in his 13 seasons as an NFL head coach.

The general manager role is a new creation for college football, and many schools are adding general managers for football because the obligations for a football coaching staff have become so complex the past few years. The frequency of players coming and going through the transfer portal and the financial issues regarding NIL (name, image and likeness) and the future direct payments needed to acquire and retain players have become a fulltime job. It’s similar to the job of an NFL general manager, who is the head of operations for an NFL team.

Cal made a point of stating that Rivera will report to Cal chancellor Rich Lyons, while Wilcox will continue to report to director of athletics Jim Knowlton.

That chain-of-command statement rankled some Cal donors who believe Wilcox should report directly to Rivera, much like the Stanford model in which the Cardinal head football coach reports to general manager Andrew Luck.

Rivera’s playing days at Cal, where he was an All-American linebacker in 1983, as well as his nine-year NFL playing career and 13 years as an NFL head coach give him name recognition and credibility.

It will be interesting to see how Rivera’s role evolves over the next three years and beyond.

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