California is sporting a host of different looks this season between the Under Armour jerseys, the change to a 3-4 defensive scheme and, most importantly, the leadership from first-year head coach Justin Wilcox.
 
Wilcox, who previously spent three seasons as the linebackers' coach for the Golden Bears from 2003-05, is the first Cal football head coach with a defensive pedigree since 2001 following offensive gurus Jeff Tedford (2002-12) and Sonny Dykes (2013-16).
 
For Cal defenders like senior cornerback Darius Allensworth it has been a pleasure experiencing all that Wilcox has to offer.
 
"It feels so great having coach Wilcox around," Allensworth said. "This is a brand new experience for me, personally, even in high school my head coach came from an offensive background. Just to be able to see your head coach in the defensive meeting rooms and coming over to lend knowledge to our schemes in the defensive backfield is truly a relief, and I'm so glad he's our coach."
 
Cal football will switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme under Wilcox and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who previously served as head coach at Fresno State after coming up coaching on the defensive side of the ball.
 
The new scheme means several players will be in different positions including junior outside linebacker Cameron Saffle. The former defensive end has been transitioning smoothly from spring ball through the first couple weeks of training camp.
 
"The defense that coach Wilcox has brought over from Wisconsin is something very new to us, but we've been embracing the challenge," Saffle said. "This transition has been a group thing as most of us former defensive ends have been moved to outside linebacker. It was definitely a change for most of us, but coach Wilcox, with his defensive knowledge, has done a great job of hiring a terrific coaching staff that has really helped us all learn this new 3-4 defense."
 
Wilcox believes the 3-4 scheme will be a welcomed change.
 
"There are plenty of reasons, both in the run game and the pass game, why we think it's the best," Wilcox said. "It fits our players and we feel it's the best way to defend many of the offenses you see these days."
 
Junior safety Derron Brown is in agreement with his head coach.
 
"I like it," Brown said. "I think the entire defense is picking it up pretty quickly. I love the different rotations and packages the coaching staff has put in. Sometimes we're in the box, other times we're rotating out and showing different looks. It really allows us to be very aggressive on the back end."
 
But even with his defensive background, Wilcox certainly offers his thoughts on the offensive side of the ball as well.
 
"Just naturally I'm looking at the defensive side of things structurally, so I'm a little more involved on that side," Wilcox said. "But, it's fun being over with the offense and talking with them, too. It's just good to offer up some things that I know give defenses issues. It's really exciting to be able to go back and forth. I root for both sides."
 
Wilcox's energetic personality, as well as the 3-4 scheme, will debut at North Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 2 (9:20 a.m. PT).