The coaching carousel at Cal continues to spin, and the latest move plucks a rising offensive mind directly from the NFL sidelines. With a 7-5 record and whatever hopes the Golden Bears had to salvage their last season were drowned. The new HC, Tosh Lupoi, is not wasting any time and is bringing in a new offensive coordinator.

According to the latest report, Cal is landing straight from the NFL, Jordan Somerville, who is set to be the new offensive coordinator, calling plays at Cal, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Over his three-year tenure as an assistant quarterbacks coach, Jordan mentored QB Baker Mayfield to the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nomination and more honors. Yes, the same Mayfield who arrived in Tampa, signing a 3-year, $100 million deal.

Somerville has never been an offensive coordinator during his college and pro coaching career, so play-calling will be new for him. But before joining Tampa, Somerville gained collegiate coaching experience as an assistant QB coach at Oregon. Working alongside the then-offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, he helped develop Bo Nix as the program’s all-time leader in completion percentage.

Lupoi is familiar with Somerville because Somerville was an offensive analyst at Oregon in 2022, which was Lupoi’s first year as the Ducks’ defensive coordinator.

Somerville presumably would work closely with Nick Rolovich, who is currently Cal’s interim head coach, but reportedly will be Cal’s quarterbacks coach next season. Throughout the season, Cal’s offense has struggled. Although freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele churned out 3,117 yards for 17 touchdowns, sacks remained a glaring issue.

So far, he has been sacked 29 times, and the most he endured in a single game was five against Stanford. Moreover, the run attack has remained limited throughout the whole season. With 357 carries, the ground attack accumulated 918 yards, chipping in 18 touchdowns. Although it looks decent on paper, upon further analysis, they averaged barely 2.6 yards per carry. Third- and fourth-down conversions (at 39.88% and 54.55%) need improvement. So, it makes sense why Cal is looking forward to a new face, coaching the offense.

Will Jordan Somerville coach Cal in the bowl game?

Although Cal’s 2025 season ended on a bittersweet note, with seven wins, the Golden Bears are heading towards the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24, with Lupoi as the new head coach. It will be a while before he steers the command at Cal. As the Ducks’ defensive coordinator, he will help Oregon through the playoffs. Meanwhile, offensive analyst Nick Rolovich has taken over the interim head coach duties.

According to Matt Zenitz’s report, Jordan Somerville is set to be the new OC. But will he take the lead ahead of the Bowl again? It is highly unlikely. When head coach Wilcox was fired, instead of OC Harsin, the offensive analyst became the interim head coach. It was a puzzling move, one which analyst Jeff Faraudo believes is related to retaining stability in the program.

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“Cal did not specify why Rolovich was elevated, but it makes sense that lifting him from the analyst role would be less disruptive to the staff than altering Harsin’s assignment as OC,” he wrote.

If that were the case, it seems unlikely that Jordon Somerville will take a step up to his new role before the bowl game. Somerville’s resume already boasts developing two elite quarterbacks to brilliance. He will work to develop QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. After Wilcox’s firing, the freshman QB reiterated his commitment to the Golden Bears, saying that he will return to Cal for the 2026 season.

“Jaron is not only a great quarterback with a bright future, but he is also a leader,” GM Ron Rivers stated. “He’s respected in the locker room, and he exemplifies everything about what it means to be a California Golden Bear.”

It would be interesting to note what the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl game brings for the Golden Bears. The game will take place in Honolulu, Hawaii.