[OutsiderFan]

I guess I'm still deluded because I don't think this contract does much if anything in terms of keeping him. Wilcox is going to have multiple opportunities if Cal has another good season, any of which will pay him more than this. Doubtful it will cost him anything to leave any time he wants, and if it does then his new employer will cover that.

My take is you are in wishful thinking mode. The evidence and the landscape bely your assumptions here. 

Everyone was convinced Cal couldn't keep Tedford when he was a hot commodity. Cal paid what it took to keep him. Now, the financial realities Cal faces make it imperative football be a legit program supported by donors. Given the catastraf*ck that Cal MBB is right now, with fans and donors both pulling the plug, Cal's admin knows it can't lose credibility with its highly skeptical fan and donor base by allowing a coach like Wilcox to walk. He has taken one of the least talented rosters in the conference and turned into a bowl team that was within couple plays of 9-3 or maybe even 10-2. They are seeing to it he is paid competitively and that the assistant coach budget is no longer the lowest in the conference. Wilcox is an asset donors will invest in.

Cal football isn't a Top-10 program, but it has shown on multiple occasions that it can be. Given how deep-pocketed Cal donors are, how badly they want to win, the new financial realities the whole Athletic Department faces, and that Chancellor Christ has thrown her support behind investing in football, the opportunity exists for Cal to keep Wilcox and sustain a commitment to the football program like it rarely has.

[OutsiderFan]

I guess I'm still deluded because I don't think this contract does much if anything in terms of keeping him. Wilcox is going to have multiple opportunities if Cal has another good season, any of which will pay him more than this. Doubtful it will cost him anything to leave any time he wants, and if it does then his new employer will cover that.

My take is you are in wishful thinking mode. The evidence and the landscape bely your assumptions here. 

Everyone was convinced Cal couldn't keep Tedford when he was a hot commodity. Cal paid what it took to keep him. Now, the financial realities Cal faces make it imperative football be a legit program supported by donors. Given the catastraf*ck that Cal MBB is right now, with fans and donors both pulling the plug, Cal's admin knows it can't lose credibility with its highly skeptical fan and donor base by allowing a coach like Wilcox to walk. He has taken one of the least talented rosters in the conference and turned into a bowl team that was within couple plays of 9-3 or maybe even 10-2. They are seeing to it he is paid competitively and that the assistant coach budget is no longer the lowest in the conference. Wilcox is an asset donors will invest in.

Cal football isn't a Top-10 program, but it has shown on multiple occasions that it can be. Given how deep-pocketed Cal donors are, how badly they want to win, the new financial realities the whole Athletic Department faces, and that Chancellor Christ has thrown her support behind investing in football, the opportunity exists for Cal to keep Wilcox and sustain a commitment to the football program like it rarely has.