California’s Sandy Barbour will be stepping down from her post as athletics director after a disappointing 1-11 football season and the worst-ranked recruiting class in the past decade, according to reports by the AP.
The source for the story also claims a prominent alum and former student athlete will be named interim athletic director. Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has decided it’s time for a “change in leadership.” The San Jose Mercury News first reported the move.
Under Barbour’s guidance, California won multiple national titles and especially excelled in Olympic sports and other non-revenue programs. However Cal also had the lowest graduation rate for football players among major conference teams, according to data released by the NCAA last fall.
The news comes amidst an array of coaching changes, including Cuonzo Martin to lead men’s basketball and Sonny Dykes for football. Martin brought with him most of his coaching staff from Tennessee, telling USA Today recently that it ‘helps’ with the big move:
“It makes the transition easier. You still have to get to know your current personnel when it comes to players. You’ve got to learn the lay of the land as far as the campus is concerned, getting to know people.”
Betsided
With a bottom-of-the barrel defense, the Bears’ football team also welcomes defensive guru Art Kaufman for 2014, who left Cincinnati after building the no. 9 nationally ranked defense. He was a nominee for the 2012 Broyles Award, given to the top NCAA assistant coach in the country, after turning the Red Raiders’ 114th-ranked defense into no. 39.
California is set to hold a news conference regarding the staff shakeup on Friday.