Travers Family Head Football Coach Tosh Lupoi announced Thursday a group of coaches who have been retained on the California staff. The list includes Famika Anae (offensive line), Bob Gregory (inside linebackers), Keith Heyward (defensive pass game coordinator), Jeff McDaniels (assistant quarterbacks), Jason Novak (head athletic performance), Nick Rolovich (quarterbacks/assistant head coach), Mike Saffell (assistant tight ends) and Sione Ta'ufo'ou (assistant inside linebackers).

Famika Anae, Offensive Line
Anae returns for his second season as the offensive line coach at Cal in 2026. He began his coaching career as an assistant offensive line coach at BYU (2014-15) and also had stops at Virginia (2016-17), Dixie State (2018), Texas A&M Commerce (2019-21), Campbell (2022-23) and New Mexico (2024) before joining the Golden Bears in 2025, helping an inexperienced unit incorporate four new starters and improve throughout the season. In their final two games, the Golden Bears allowed just a single sack. Anae's signature coaching season came in 2024 as the offensive line coach at New Mexico when his group put up incredible numbers, leading the nation in sacks allowed (0.42 per game) and tackles for loss allowed (2.17 per game), while ranking fourth nationally in rush offense (253.6 ypg). At Virginia, Anae coached future NFL offensive linemen Chris Glaser and Eric Smith.

Bob Gregory, Inside Linebackers
Gregory will coach the Bears' inside linebackers in 2026 after serving as a senior defensive assistant in the first season of his second stint at Cal a year ago. Gregory has been one of the nation's top assistant coaches over a career that has spanned more than four decades and included a pair of stops each at Oregon (1998-2000, '22), Boise State (2001, '10-13) and Cal (2002-09, '25 - present). Gregory started his career at Washington University (1987-88) and also had stints at Willamette (1991-97), Washington (2014-21) and Stanford (2023-24). He has spent 16 of his seasons as a defensive coordinator for five different programs (Washington University, Willamette, Boise State, California, Washington), while coaching on seven teams that have won conference championships and 22 that have played in bowl games. A total of 46 players who Gregory has been directly responsible for coaching either as a defensive coordinator or position coach at the collegiate have gone on to play in the NFL.

Keith Heyward, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
Heyward returns for the second season of his second stint at Cal in 2026 and will work in the role of defensive pass game coordinator after coaching defensive backs in 2025, when he helped Hezekiah Masses earn Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC honors after sharing the national lead in passes defended (18) and ranking in a tie for seventh in interceptions (5). Heyward, who spent the 2021 campaign working with the outside linebackers in his first tenure at Cal, has also had coaching stops at Oregon State (2005-06, '08-11, '24), Cal Poly (2007), Washington (2012-13), USC (2014-15), Louisville (2016), Oregon (2017-20), UNLV (2022) and the Las Vegas Raiders (2023). His teams have played in 13 bowl games and won two conference championships, as well as a share of another regular-season title. A total of 35 of players who Hewyard has been directly responsible for coaching either as a defensive coordinator or position coach at the collegiate level have gone on to play in the NFL. 

Jeff McDaniels, Assistant Quarterbacks
McDaniels is back for a second season at Cal in 2026 and will move into the role of assistant quarterbacks coach after working as an assistant with the team's offensive line and tight ends in his first season in Berkeley in 2025. McDaniels helped develop Mason Mini into one of the nation's top pass-catching tight ends a year ago and worked with an inexperienced offensive line that incorporated four new starters and improved throughout the season, allowing only a single sack in its final two contests. Prior to his arrival at Cal, he was on staffs at Texas State (2015-16), his alma mater Davidson (2017-19), Boise State (2020), Auburn (2021-22) and Eastern Washington (2023-24). He has coached 13 players who have gone on to the NFL headlined by current Denver starting quarterback Bo Nix and Buffalo's top receiver Khalil Shakir.

Jason Novak, Head Athletic Performance Coach
Novak returns to Cal for a second season as the head athletic performance coach in 2026 to continue a three-decade career that has given him extensive experience at the NFL, collegiate and elite prep levels. Novak spent 11 campaigns on the strength and conditioning staff of the Tennessee Titans (2014-14) and has a combined 19 seasons of experience at the collegiate and elite prep levels (Alabama State, Baylor, California, Central Michigan, IMG Academy, James Madison, Michigan State, Stephen F. Austin, Yale). Novak made an immediate impact in his first season at Cal in 2025, as the Bears got off to a strong 3-0 start and then had comeback wins against ranked teams in two of their final three regular-season contests at No. 15 Louisville in overtime and against No. 21 SMU. Novak coached three Pro Football Hall of Famers and 29 Pro Bowlers with the Titans, while he has worked with 41 players during his collegiate and high school stops who have gone on to play in the NFL.

Nick Rolovich, Quarterbacks/Assistant Head Coach
Rolovich returns to Cal for a second season in 2026 as the Bears' quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach. Rolovich served as a senior offensive assistant in 2025 before being elevated to interim head coach for the team's final two games - an upset of No. 21 SMU in the regular-season finale and the Hawai'i Bowl. Rolovich worked closely with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in 2025 and helped the true freshman develop into one of the nation's top signal callers and an early 2026 Heisman Trophy candidate. Rolovich was previously a head coach at Hawai'i (2016-19) and Washington State (2020-21), as well as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for prolific offenses at Hawai'i (2008-11) and Nevada (2012-15). In addition, Rolovich was the quarterbacks coach at City College of San Francisco (2006-07) and helped the Rams capture the 2007 junior college national title. He has coached 30 players who have gone on to play in the NFL.

Mike Saffell, Assistant Tight Ends
Mike Saffell returns for his 10th season at Cal as a player or coach and his third campaign as a full-time member of the coaching staff in 2026. Saffell, who will continue to work with the tight ends, helped Jack Endries (2024) and Mason Mini (2025) become the nation's top pass-catching tight ends over the last two seasons, with Endries also leading all Cal players in both receptions and yards receiving. At the age of 24, Saffell was promoted from a second-year graduate assistant to the team's tight ends coach between the 2023 regular season and the Bears' appearance in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. He started his coaching career in 2021 as a student assistant with a pair of tight ends - Keleki Latu and Jake Tonges - from his tenure as a graduate or student assistant going on to play in the NFL. Saffell also played four seasons at Cal as an offensive lineman (2017-20). He was a team captain and the Pac-12's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a 2020 senior. 

Sione Ta'ufo'ou, Assistant Inside Linebackers
Ta'ufo'ou will be Cal's assistant inside linebackers coach in his second season with the Bears in 2026 after working with the defensive line and outside linebackers last year. Ta'ufo'ou spent two campaigns as the defensive coordinator at UAB (2023-24) following a successful career as a prep coach, most recently at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville (2020-22), where his teams reached three state title games with wins in the last two. He also served as an assistant head coach in 2022 when his defense allowed only 5.5 points per game. In three seasons at Lipscomb, Ta'ufo'ou's squads posted a 37-4 record and 14 shutouts. He was previously a high school head coach at Menlo Atherton (2010-14) and Archbishop Mitty (2017-19) after beginning his coaching career with two campaigns as an assistant at Menlo School (2008-09). Four players who Ta'ufo'ou has been directly responsible for coaching - Desmond Little, BJ Mayes, Dacarrion "Mac" McWilliams, Joseph Vaughn - have gone on to play in the NFL.