Cal Football Coaches Clinic

Camp Coaches

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  Tosh Lupoi

  Cal Head Football Coach

  Tosh Lupoi, a former California defensive lineman and assistant coach known for his dynamic recruiting ability and who has enjoyed extensive success both in college and the NFL, was named the 35th head coach in program history on December 4, 2025.

  View Tosh's Bio
  

  Tosh Lupoi

  Cal Head Football Coach

  Lupoi comes home to Berkeley after spending the past four seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oregon. He also won a pair of national championships during a five-year stint at Alabama, where he served as outside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Lupoi has additionally spent time on the coaching staff at the University of Washington and in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.

  Lupoi was a defensive lineman for the Golden Bears from 2000-05 and earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors as a senior. He went on to coach Cal's defensive line from 2008-11, making him the youngest full-time coach in California football history when he joined the staff at age 26 in 2008. Lupoi proved to be a strong recruiter and talent developer, helping the Bears bring in two highly touted recruiting classes and producing two first-round NFL Draft picks on the defensive line.

  "We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Tosh and his family back home to Berkeley as our head football coach," Rivera said. "Tosh is a true Golden Bear, and he understands and embraces the challenges and privileges of being a Cal student-athlete. His strong character, tireless work ethic, coaching acumen and recruiting talents all make him the perfect fit to lead us into the next great chapter of Cal football."

  Lupoi directed one of the top defenses in the country during his time at Oregon. The Ducks finished the 2025 regular season ranked third nationally in total defense (251.6 YPG), passing defense (144.3 YPG) and passing yards allowed (1,732), while ranking eighth in scoring defense (14.8 PPG) and 20th in rushing defense (107.25 YPG). On Tuesday, he was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award - given to the nation's top assistant coach - for the second consecutive season.

  "After extensive conversations with Tosh, and consultation with many other people, I'm convinced he has the skillset, experience and personal qualities needed to build a best-in-class football program at UC Berkeley - one that operates in a manner consistent with our university's values and unwavering commitment to excellence," UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said. "Tosh knows firsthand, and embraces the importance of, our culture that supports outstanding experiences for our student-athletes in the classroom, in competition and in our community. I look forward to partnering with Ron and Tosh as they and the team chart a new course and this new future for Cal football."

  At Alabama, Lupoi worked under legendary head coach Nick Saban and spent two seasons as co-defensive coordinator and his final year as the team's sole defensive coordinator. He coached the outside linebackers during his entire time with the Tide while helping Alabama reach four straight national championship games. In Lupoi's one season as the Tide's sole defensive coordinator, Alabama finished 12th nationally in scoring defense (17.8 PPG) and 16th in total defense (319.5 YPG). Lupoi helped develop All-Americans Quinnen Williams and Dieonte Thompson, with Williams winning the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman. Both were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, with Williams going third overall to the New York Jets and Thompson chosen in the fifth round by the Arizona Cardinals.

  "I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to come home," Lupoi said. "Cal is a special place that shaped me, and it's an incredible honor to return to Berkeley and lead this football program. I'm energized by the challenge ahead and excited to unite our players, alumni, and supporters. We will build a tough, disciplined, and relentlessly competitive team that represents Cal with pride, while always committing to academic excellence. I can't wait to get to work and compete every single day for this program and this community. It's time!"

  While in the NFL, Lupoi worked with multiple All-Pros and Pro Bowlers while elevating the defensive line play in each of his three stops. In Jacksonville, he worked with Dawuane Smoot, who put together a career year with 7.5 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss for Jacksonville. Prior to his one-year stint with the Jaguars, Lupoi served as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator in Atlanta. During his time with the Falcons, Atlanta allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL (1,677) and tied for seventh-fewest first downs on the ground (97). In his first NFL stop in Cleveland, Lupoi helped develop All-Pro Myles Garrett into a defensive force during his lone season with the Browns. Garrett racked up 10.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss while playing in 10 games during the 2019 season.

  Lupoi accepted his first coaching job outside of Berkeley with the University of Washington, where he served as the defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator in 2012 and 2013. The Huskies went 16-10 during his two seasons, making the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl and the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl.

  Prior to his arrival, Washington's scoring defense ranked 108th in the country and its total defense was ranked 106th. In his first season, the Huskies improved to 31st in the nation in total defense (357.4 YPG) and 39th in scoring defense (24.2 PPG). Lupoi also helped Washington land its highest-ranked recruiting class in a decade with the No. 18 class in the nation, according to 247Sports.

  During his first coaching job with the Bears, Lupoi proved to be a strong recruiter and talent developer, helping bring in two highly touted recruiting classes and producing two first-round NFL Draft picks on the defensive line in Cameron Jordan and Tyson Alualu. The Bears led the Pac-12 in total defense twice during his tenure at Cal and Lupoi helped the Bears sign the No. 11 class in the nation in 2011, according to Rivals. Lupoi was named the 2010 Rivals Recruiter of the Year while helping the Bears reel in the nation's 14th-best recruiting class. Cal played in three bowl games during his time on the coaching staff.

  As a player, Lupoi was a defensive lineman for the Bears from 2000-05. He led the Bears' defensive line in tackles in 2003 and earned Pac-10 All-Academic recognition in 2005. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in American studies in 2005 and completed coursework toward a master's in education.

  Championships

  • 2X National Champion, Alabama (2015, 2017)
  • 5X Conference Championship, SEC (2014-16, 2018, Alabama); BIG 10 (2024, Oregon)

  NFL Draft Picks

  • 16 First Round
  • 71 Total Picks

  Notable Players Coached and Recruited

  • Myles Garrett (Browns)
  • Cameron Jordan (California)
  • Keenan Allen (California)
  • Tyson Alualu (California)
  • Derrick Harmon (Oregon)
  • Christian Gonzalez (Oregon)
  • Quinnen Williams (Alabama)
  • Rashaan Evans (Alabama)
  • Patrick Surtain (Alabama)
  • Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
  • Najee Harris (Alabama)
  • Danny Shelton (Washington)
  • Shaq Thompson (Washington)

  Awards/Accolades

  • 2025 Broyles Award Semifinalist (Oregon)
  • 2024 Broyles Award Semifinalist (Oregon)
  • 2017 247Sports Recruiter Of The Year (Alabama)
  • 2010 Rivals Recruiter Of The Year (California)

• Austin Clark

  Miami Dolphins Defensive Line Coach

  Austin Clark joined the Miami Dolphins as outside linebackers coach in 2020 and was promoted to defensive line coach in 2021, helping the team post four consecutive winning seasons from 2020–23, one of only four NFL franchises to do so during that span, while earning playoff berths in 2022 and 2023, marking the organization’s first back-to-back postseason appearances since 1997–2001.

  View Austin's Bio

  Austin Clark

  Miami Dolphins Defensive Line Coach

  In 2023, Miami ranked 10th in total defense (318.3 yards per game), its first top-10 finish since 2010, and led the NFL in quarterback hits (131) while ranking third in sacks (56.0)—a franchise record—sixth in yards per rush allowed (3.8) and seventh in rushing defense (97.1). Under Clark’s guidance, Zach Sieler recorded a career-high 10.0 sacks in 2023, the most ever by a Dolphins defensive tackle and third-most among NFL defensive tackles that season, adding 63 tackles and becoming the first Miami player since 2000 with multiple sacks in a playoff game, while Christian Wilkins developed into one of the league’s premier defensive linemen, posting 9.0 sacks and 63 tackles in 2023 and amassing 353 career tackles since being drafted in 2019, the most among NFL defensive linemen in that span, after recording 98 tackles in 2022, the highest single-season total by an NFL defensive lineman since at least 1994. The Dolphins ranked fourth in rushing defense in 2022 (103.0 ypg) and recorded seven sacks in the AFC Wild Card game at Buffalo, the most in franchise postseason history, while Clark’s 2021 defensive line finished second in the NFL in quarterback hits (121) and fifth in sacks (48.0), highlighted by strong performances from players including Emmanuel Ogbah. In 2020, Miami improved from 32nd to tied for 10th in sacks (41.0), ranked sixth in scoring defense (21.1 ppg), and led the league in takeaways (29) and third-down defense (31.2%), with linebackers such as Jerome Baker, Kyle Van Noy and Andrew Van Ginkel each recording at least 5.0 sacks. Prior to joining Miami, Clark spent two seasons (2018–19) as defensive line coach at the University of Illinois, where he helped the program earn a bowl appearance in 2019 and guided Oluwole Betiku Jr. to a nine-sack season and third-team All-Big Ten honors. Clark mentored defensive end Bobby Roundtree in 2018 at the University of Illinois, where Roundtree led the nation’s defensive linemen with seven pass breakups and ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 7.5 sacks. Prior to Illinois, Clark spent two seasons (2016–17) at University of Southern California, coaching defensive linemen and outside linebackers, helping the Trojans win the Pac-12 Conference in 2017 while totaling 46 sacks, tied for the most in the nation. He tutored Uchenna Nwosu, a second-round pick (48th overall) of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2018 NFL Draft, and Rasheem Green, a third-round pick (79th overall) of the Seattle Seahawks, with both earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors and finishing among the top 15 nationally in sacks—Green with 10 and Nwosu with 9.5. Another future NFL player Clark mentored at USC was defensive tackle Stevie Tu'ikolovatu, who was selected in the seventh round (223rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2016 and being named Rose Bowl Defensive MVP in the Trojans’ victory, the program’s first Rose Bowl win since Jan. 1, 2009. Clark began his coaching career in 2015 as a recruiting assistant at University of California, Berkeley, his alma mater, helping the team win the Armed Forces Bowl, after playing six seasons (2009–14) there as a defensive tackle, starting 11 games as a sixth-year senior in 2014, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition and receiving the Joe Roth Award, presented annually to the player who best exemplifies courage, sportsmanship and attitude. Clark earned his bachelor’s degree in American studies from California and is a Tampa native who played at Plant High School, helping the program capture the 2008 state championship; he and his wife, Alyssa, have a son, Bear, and a daughter, Rylee.