There’s something distinctly blue and orange echoing through the halls of California’s football program these days—and no, it’s not a shift in school colors. It’s the unmistakable influence of Boise State, and it’s making its presence felt not just in the coaching staff, but in the very way the Golden Bears are preparing their quarterback for the 2025 season.
The connection between Cal and Boise State isn’t incidental. It’s deeply rooted in relationships, shared history, and a football philosophy that helped transform Boise State into one of college football’s most respected programs. At the center of this cross-pollination are two men: Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and his new offensive coordinator, Bryan Harsin.
Wilcox, a former Boise State defensive coordinator, has been steering the Cal ship since 2017. This offseason, he brought in Harsin, a familiar face and former Boise State offensive coordinator and head coach, to serve as Cal’s offensive coordinator. Their connection goes back decades—they were both graduate assistants at Boise State in 2001 and reunited on the Broncos’ coaching staff from 2006 to 2009. Now, in 2025, the two are working in tandem once again, this time with the goal of revitalizing the Golden Bears’ offense.
But the Boise influence doesn’t stop with titles and resumes. It extends all the way to the film room. According to multiple reports, the new Cal coaching staff has been using archived Boise State game footage as teaching tools for their quarterbacks. That includes the infamous trick plays, precise execution, and dynamic schemes that defined Boise State’s climb to national relevance. For a new-look Cal offense trying to find its identity, this legacy could offer both inspiration and practical guidance.
This strategy highlights just how much faith Wilcox and Harsin have in the Boise State model. At its peak, the Broncos were not only winning games—they were doing it with style and innovation. That kind of creativity is something Cal fans have long been hungry for. And while the Golden Bears have traditionally leaned on defense and grit, the arrival of Harsin signals a potential shift toward a more balanced—and perhaps more exciting—style of play.
The quarterback room will be the first to feel this change. With new quarterbacks learning under Harsin’s system, they’ll be trained not only in the current playbook, but also with a foundation built on past Boise State concepts. It’s a unique melding of past success and present potential—one that could yield big results if everything clicks.
Of course, Cal remains Cal—still a proud Pac-12 (now ACC-bound) program with its own identity and tradition. But with Wilcox and Harsin at the helm, the fingerprints of Boise State football are all over this new era. Whether it results in a transformation remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the California Golden Bears are tapping into a proven blueprint. And if the past is any indicator, that could mean big things are on the horizon.