Cal football just made a stunning move that’s guaranteed to get people talking.
Cal has tapped Nick Rolovich, one of the most outspoken and polarizing COVID-19 vaccine critics in college sports, to step in as interim head coach — even if it’s only for a game or two. He will lead the Bears against SMU on Saturday, temporarily replacing Justin Wilcox, who was fired by general manager Ron Rivera after a crushing rivalry loss to Stanford in this year’s Big Game, ending Wilcox’s nine-season tenure in Berkeley. But here’s where it gets controversial: Cal is putting its program in the hands of a coach whose last major job ended in a firestorm over vaccine mandates.
Rivera did not publicly explain why Rolovich, who had been serving as Cal’s senior offensive assistant, was selected to take over on an interim basis. One straightforward football explanation is that this choice keeps the rest of the staff’s game-day responsibilities intact, while handing the top job to someone who has already spent six seasons as a college head coach. That kind of experience can be invaluable in a sudden transition week, especially with a game looming. And this is the part most people miss: stability on the sideline can matter as much as scheme when a locker room has just gone through a major shakeup.
What Cal did not highlight in its announcement — and what is conveniently absent from Rolovich’s official staff biography — is the reason he lost his previous head coaching position. Rolovich’s story begins locally: born in Daly City and raised in Novato, he played high school football at Marin Catholic in nearby Kentfield before starring at City College of San Francisco and the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a quarterback. His strong college play led to a stint in the Arena Football League, but he moved quickly into coaching, climbing the ladder at schools that knew him well. Hawaii hired him as head coach before the 2016 season, and he transformed his alma mater into a consistent threat, guiding the team to three bowl appearances in four years and a 10-win campaign in 2019.
That success drew attention from bigger programs, and Washington State hired him away in January 2020. Then, before he could even settle in, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the country and reshaped college sports entirely. Rolovich first landed in hot water when wide receiver Kassidy Woods released a recording of a conversation in which Rolovich appeared to threaten his roster status if he joined a player advocacy group; Woods later sued Rolovich and Washington State, alleging retaliation and disregard for his rights, although he eventually dropped the case after a few years. Rolovich still coached through the shortened 2020 season, with Washington State managing to play only four of its seven scheduled games amid the chaos and cancellations.
As the 2021 season approached and COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, the Pac-12 adopted a policy requiring all coaches, players, and media attending its in-person media day to be vaccinated. Everyone complied — except Rolovich. About a week before media day, he posted on social media that he had chosen not to get vaccinated, saying only that he had his reasons and that they would remain private. He declined to provide further explanation for months, even during a virtual media-day press conference, leaving the public and many within the sport to speculate about his motivations and beliefs.
A few weeks later, the stakes grew much higher when the state of Washington imposed a vaccine mandate on all state employees, including public university coaches, requiring them to be vaccinated by October 18 or lose their jobs. Rolovich publicly said he intended to follow the mandate but repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether that meant he would get the shot or pursue an exemption. Roughly a week before the deadline, he confirmed reports that he was seeking a religious exemption, a move that immediately intensified the debate around him. For supporters, this was about personal and religious freedom; for critics, it was about a public figure refusing what they viewed as a basic public-health responsibility.
On the field, Rolovich guided Washington State through the first seven games of the 2021 season, sparking a three-game winning streak that put the Cougars at 4–3. However, when October 18 arrived, Washington State announced that Rolovich was being terminated because he was “no longer able to fulfill the duties” of head coach under the state mandate. Four of his assistants, who also did not comply with the vaccination requirement, were fired as well. In one decisive day, a promising season collided with a political and public-health controversy, and the coaching staff was dramatically reshaped.
Rolovich responded by suing the university, arguing that Washington State had violated federal civil-rights protections under Title VII, as well as Washington’s anti-discrimination law, and that it had breached his contract and withheld wages. The case stretched on for years as it moved through the legal system, keeping his name in headlines long after he had left the sideline. Then, in January of this year, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice issued a summary judgment in favor of Washington State, ruling against Rolovich on all four of his claims. The ruling included pointed observations that, across thousands of pages of evidence, Rolovich had frequently expressed non-religious concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine but did not substantively document a sincere religious objection — a detail that many saw as highly damaging to his exemption argument.
While the lawsuit wound its way through court, Rolovich returned to his roots in Novato and reconnected with San Marin High School, where he had first tried his hand at coaching in the early 2000s. Beginning in 2022, he started assisting the program in a “volunteer” capacity and stayed through the 2023 and 2024 seasons as his son, Daniel, climbed the depth chart and eventually became the starting varsity quarterback. Daniel’s progress paid off: he committed to play college football at San Jose State this past April, continuing the family’s connection to the sport at the collegiate level and offering a human, relatable side to a coach who has often been discussed primarily through controversy.
Rolovich’s path back to major college football opened up again when Cal hired him in December, bringing him from the high school ranks back into the national spotlight. While he is not expected to be a serious candidate for the permanent head-coaching position, reports suggest that he may still have an important long-term role in Berkeley. In particular, he is said to have a strong relationship with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal’s freshman quarterback sensation from Hawaii, and his presence could help Cal retain its young star in the era of NIL deals and intense transfer-portal pressure. Adding to that Hawaii pipeline, Cal’s top recruit, tight end Taimane Purcell, is also from the islands, giving the program another reason to value Rolovich’s connections.
For now, though, Cal has effectively handed the keys of its football program — at least for one game — to one of the most contentious figures in recent college football history. Some will see this as a pragmatic football move that prioritizes stability, player relationships, and on-field results. Others will view it as an unnecessary gamble on a coach whose public stance on vaccines and clash with a state mandate made him a symbol in a much larger cultural fight. So what do you think: is Cal simply making the best short-term football decision available, or is it sending the wrong message by elevating such a divisive figure, even temporarily? Share whether you agree or disagree with this move — and why — in the comments.
