Font ResizeBERKELEY -- New Cal football coach Sonny Dykes announced the hiring of two key former Louisiana Tech aides. Meanwhile at least four of Cal's five holdover assistants have been let go.
Coming to Berkeley from Dykes' staff at Ruston, La., are offensive coordinator Tony Franklin and assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Rob Likens.
Gone from the previous staff are running backs coach Ron Gould, an assistant at Cal for 16 years, along with Wes Chandler (wide receivers), Ashley Ambrose (defensive backs) and Marcus Arroyo (passing game coordinator/quarterbacks).
Among the five assistants who were retained when head coach Jeff Tedford was fired on Nov. 20, only Jim Michalczik remained on the staff as of early Tuesday afternoon, according to a Cal spokesman. But Gould and Chandler both said Tuesday that all five holdover coaches were let go.
Franklin's addition was no surprise. He worked all three seasons at Louisiana Tech with Dykes, running the offense and calling plays. The Bulldogs were 9-3 this fall and led the nation in scoring.
"Tony Franklin is an innovative and creative mind who is one of the top offensive coaches in the nation," Dykes said in a statement. "He's had a tremendous amount of success producing some of the most prolific offenses in college football."
Franklin, 56, was a 2012 nominee for the Broyles Award given annually to the nation's top assistant coach and one of four finalists for the
"I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to come to the No. 1 academic institution in the country and try to also make it the No. 1 football program in the country. That's our goal," Franklin said. "To be able to do that with Sonny is kind of like a fantasy that started years ago."
Likens coached 2012 second-team AP All-American and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist Quinton Patton, who caught 104 passes including 13 touchdowns this season.
"I have known Rob Likens and admired his coaching abilities for a long time," Dykes said. "When I had the opportunity to hire him three years ago at Louisiana Tech, I jumped at the chance, and he was everything that I believed he would be and more."
Dykes still has much of his staff to assemble, including the entire defensive side.
For more on Cal sports, see the Bear Talk blog at ibabuzz.com/beartalk. Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter at twitter.com/CalBearsBANG.
