Geep Chryst is in his second season as the tight ends coach at Cal in 2022 after having spent the majority of the previous three decades coaching in the NFL most recently as the tight ends coach with Denver (2017-18).
The tight end room has developed nicely under Chryst's guidance and will have a pair of talented sophomores looking to lead the way in 2022 in Jermaine Terry II and Keleki Latu after both got their feet wet behind a veteran group of tight ends in 2021. Terry, who was the nation's top tight end in the 2021 recruiting class according to ESPN, played in nine games, was a key blocker and special teams player, and caught one pass for 11 yards, while also earning Cal's Dink Artal Award as its Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year as a rookie. Latu contributed four receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown in 10 games in his first season with the Bears. They were two of the team's eight true freshman to see action in 2021. They will be joined at the position in 2022 by returnees Nick Alftin, Elijah Mojarro and Jake Muller, as well as a pair of former linebackers Andy Alfieri and Jeffrey Johnson who switched sides of the ball in the spring of 2022.
Jake Tonges, who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago Bears shortly after the 2022 NFL Draft, was the most productive receiver among Chryst's veteran tight ends in 2021 with career highs of 22 receptions, 278 yards receiving and two touchdowns over 12 contests. Alftin, Collin Moore (8 receptions, 32 yards) and Gavin Reinwald (4 receptions, 55 yards) each played in all 12 games as the Bears' continued to put more emphasis on the tight end position that began when Justin Wilcox became the team's head coach in 2017 and increased upon the arrival of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave in 2020.
"Geep is a highly respected football coach who has experienced success at the highest level of our game," Wilcox said upon Chryst's hiring on Feb. 23, 2021. "He has a strong understanding of what we are doing on offense, and he will do a great job of coaching and developing our tight ends to maximize their potential. We are pleased that we were able to attract Geep to our program."
"I'm thrilled to be part of Justin Wilcox's staff at Cal," Chryst offered. "With many of the challenges of the 2020 COVID season hopefully behind us, I look forward to representing this tremendous university. I know the great football tradition of the Golden Bears."
Chryst brought a wealth of NFL coaching experience to Cal including three seasons as an offensive coordinator in the league at San Diego (1999-2000) and in the final campaign of a five-year run with San Francisco (2011-15) after coaching 49ers' quarterbacks in the first four. He also tutored the tight ends at Carolina for five seasons (2006-10) and had two coaching stints with Arizona (1996-98, 2001-03), coaching the tight ends in his first season with the Cardinals in 1996 and quarterbacks in his final five. Chryst started his NFL coaching career in Chicago (1991-95) working in quality control and as the Director of Research.
Chryst coached previously in the collegiate ranks in 1987 as the quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin-Platteville. He was also an offensive graduate assistant at Wisconsin for one season in 1988 and spent two campaigns at Wyoming coaching the offensive line (1989) and quarterbacks (1990) before his first NFL position with the Bears in 1991.
Chryst comes a strong football and athletics family that includes his late father George (former Wisconsin-Platteville head football coach and athletic director, Wisconsin offensive line); brothers Paul (Wisconsin head coach) and Rick (former Mid-American Conference Commissioner); and sons Keller and Jackson (former college quarterbacks at Stanford/Tennessee and Oregon State/Wisconsin-Whitewater) with Keller now also in the coaching profession in his second season as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin in 2022.
Geep Chryst, Cal Tight Ends Coach
- Had his most productive run in the NFL as the quarterbacks' coach during the first three seasons of a five-year stint in San Francisco from 2011-15 working under head coaches Jim Harbaugh (2011-14) and Jim Tomsula (2015) with the 49ers reaching the NFC Championship Game three straight seasons (2011-13) including a victory in 2012 that landed San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVII, winning a pair of NFC West titles (2012-13) and compiling a 36-11-1 regular-season record
- Oversaw the transition of the starting quarterback job from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick during the 2012 season when Kaepernick led the 49ers to the first of two straight NFC West titles and a Super Bowl appearance while also being a major factor in a running game that ranked fourth in the NFL (155.7 ypg) with Kaepernick rushing for 415 yards in only 13 games and seven starts
- Both Smith (104.3) and Kaepernick (98.3) had career-best passer ratings in 2012
- Kaepernick rushed for a combined 1834 yards and 11 touchdowns as a quarterback during Chryst's final four seasons in San Francisco
- San Francisco ranked third in the NFL in rushing in 2013 (137.6 ypg), fourth in 2014 (136.0 ypg) and eighth in 2011 (127.8 ypg)
- Promoted to San Francisco's offensive coordinator for the 2015 season
- Spent two seasons as the tight ends coach with Denver (2017-18), where he worked with head coach Vance Joseph and current Cal offensive coordinator and quarterbacks' coach Bill Musgrave as he helped tight ends Jeff Heuerman (31) and Matt LaCosse (24) both record career highs in receptions and combine for 55 catches in 2018
- Highlighted a five-year stint as the tight ends coach at Carolina (2006-10) under head coach John Fox with a 12-4 team in 2008 that won the NFC South and reached the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs
- Carolina's offense ranked third in the NFL in rushing (152.3 ypg) and seventh in total offense (349.7 ypg) in 2008
- Had two stints with Arizona working for three seasons each under head coaches Vince Tobin (1996-98) and Dave McGinnis (2001-03)
- First three-year tenure at Arizona was highlighted by a 1998 team that finished 9-7 overall and won its final three regular-season contests and a Wild Card playoff game to reach the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs in his second season as the club's quarterbacks coach after being the tight ends coach in his first season
- Arizona's 1998 squad ranked eighth in the NFL in passing with quarterback Jake Plummer throwing for 3737 yards to rank fourth in the NFL and throwing for 17 touchdowns while running for another 217 yards and four scores
- Landed his first offensive coordinator position with the San Diego Chargers (1999-2000) under head coach Mike Riley where he worked with quarterback Jim Harbaugh in his final two campaigns as an NFL player
- Served in quality control and was the Director of Research for five seasons in his first NFL job in Chicago (1991-95) under head coaches Mike Ditka (1991-92) and Dave Wannstedt (1993-95)
- Credited with developing the original NFL Draft Value Chart while working for the Bears in 1993
- Coached wide receivers and running backs in the Orlando Thunder's inaugural season in the World League of American Football in the spring of 1991 and took a 15-day coaching hiatus in the spring of 1992 to long snap for the Thunder in the playoffs on their way to the World Bowl
- Also worked at Chicago's training camp prior to the 1987 season before beginning a four-season stint in college football at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville (quarterbacks, 1987), Wisconsin (offensive graduate assistant, 1988) and Wyoming (offensive line, 1989; quarterbacks, 1990)
- Has coached Pro Bowlers Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, Jake Plummer, Alex Smith and Joe Staley, with Davis and Staley both also second-team All-Pro selections under Chryst
- Co-founder of Sports Analytics, Inc., in 2015, providing advanced analytics of college football teams
- Played college football (1980-83) and baseball (1981-82) at Princeton before graduating from the Ivy League school with a bachelor's degree in history in 1984
- Received a master's degree in educational administration from Wisconsin in 1990
- An All-State football and baseball selection from the class of 1980 at Edgewood High School (Madison, WI)
Geep Chryst Coaching History
Season: Team – Coaching Position (Postseason)
1987: Wisconsin-Platteville (NCAA Division III) – Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
1988: Wisconsin (NCAA Division I FBS) – Offensive Graduate Assistant
1989: Wyoming (NCAA Division I FBS) – Offensive Line
1990: Wyoming (NCAA Division I FBS) – Quarterbacks (Copper Bowl)
1991: Orlando Thunder (WLAF) – Wide Receivers/Running Backs
1991: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control (NFC Playoffs Wild Card)
1992: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control
1993: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control
1994: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control (NFC Playoffs Divisional Round)
1995: Chicago Bears (NFL) – Director of Research/Quality Control
1996: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Tight Ends
1997: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks
1997: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks
1999: San Diego Chargers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2000: San Diego Chargers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2001: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks
2002: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks
2003: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) – Quarterbacks
2006: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends
2007: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control
2008: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control (NFC South Champions, 2008 NFC Divisional Round)
2009: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control
2010: Carolina Panthers (NFL) – Tight Ends/Offensive Quality Control
2011: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC Championship Game)
2012: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC West Champions, Super Bowl)
2013: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks (NFC West Champions, NFC Championship Game)
2014: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Quarterbacks
2015: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Offensive Coordinator
2017: Denver Broncos (NFL) – Tight Ends
2018: Denver Broncos (NFL) – Tight Ends
2021: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Tight Ends
2022: California (NCAA Division I FBS) – Tight Ends
Geep Chryst File
Birthdate: June 25, 1962
Hometown: Madison, WI
High School: Edgewood HS (Madison, WI)
College: Princeton, 1984, BA, History; Wisconsin, 1990, MA, Educational Administration
Family: Wife – Shelley; Sons – Keller, Jackson; Daughter – Gillian
Pronunciation: jeep krist
Last Updated
June 25, 2022
