Cal was able to keep coach Sonny Dykes, even as he was reportedly looking around at other jobs, but the Bears lost offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to ... Middle Tennessee? Cal released a statement saying Franklin had resigned.
Cal OC Tony Franklin leaves for the same position at ... Middle Tennessee?
A move from the Power 5 to Conference USA is not common.
Cal Athletics
“I appreciate all of the contributions that Tony has made over the last three seasons to make our football program successful and all that he has accomplished throughout his career including the last six years we have spent working together at Cal and Louisiana Tech,” Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said. “I will miss him both as a colleague and a friend, but at this point in his career he has decided that this is the best move for him and his family. I respect and honor that wholeheartedly, and I wish both Tony and his family nothing but the best.”
Cal will have a lot of change on offense next year, without Franklin and without quarterback Jared Goff, who left for the NFL Draft.
On the surface, this is an odd move, as not many coaches voluntarily move from the Pac-12 to Conference USA. However, it appears to be a family decision. Franklin said he “wanted this to be the final stop of my coaching career which began in 1979 and has enjoyed parts of five decades. However, it wasn’t meant to be.”
Franklin is from that part of the country, having grown up, played football and coached high school in Kentucky, and he was previously MTSU’s offensive coordinator in 2009. He said he wanted to go back to where his family lives:
When Laura and I made this decision to leave Cal and move back closer to our family we were very fortunate to have an opportunity arise soon after. The new opportunity allowed me to continue to coach football as well as have a closer relationship with our parents, children and grandchildren.
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