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Garret Chachere spent four seasons on the coaching staff at Cal from 2013-16 working with the versatile coach working with the running backs in his final campaign with the Golden Bears after serving his first three campaigns in Berkeley on the defensive side of the ball. Chachere, who also served his last two seasons at Cal as the team's associate head coach, has coached several positions on both sides of the ball during his first 25 seasons as a collegiate coach and six different positions for teams that have reached postseason play.
“Having Garret returning to coach our running backs was a natural move and made a lot of sense," head coach Sonny Dykes said after Chachere's move to offense. "He is a terrific addition to our offensive coaching staff and will do a great job. It’s a position he coached at Arizona and the position he played in college. He’s got a lot of experience coaching in this offense and he feels really good about coming back to coach in it. I know the players responded to him very well this spring.”
“Garret is an outstanding teacher who will do a fantastic job as our running backs coach," Dykes added. "He has a tremendous amount of expertise with this offense from his time on the coaching staff at Arizona and that was critical to us being able to make this move. Garret is quite comfortable with this offense. He speaks the same language as the rest of the staff, and I am extremely confident that he will fit right in and be on the same page with Jake Spavital and all of our coaches on the offensive side of the ball."
Dykes' prediction proved true as Cal improved its rushing yards per game average with Chachere in his first season as the running backs coach in 2016. Khalfani Muhammad and Tre Watson led the effort combining for 1,536 yards for the most by a Cal duo since 2012. Both posted posting career-high rushing totals with Muhammad picking up a team-high 827 yards and Watson adding 709. Cal's top five rushers each had an average of 5.0 yards per rush or better.
Under Chachere's guidance Cal achieved a pair of noteworthy accomplishments for the first time in 12 years. Cal rushed for over 300 yards in back-to-back contests at Oregon State (317) and against Oregon (311) with the back-to-back 300-yard rushing games the first for Cal since the 2004 team ran for 300 yards in each of the final three regular-season contests. Muhammad and Watson also each ran for over 100 yards at both Oregon State and against Oregon to make them the first two Cal players to post back-to-back 100-yard rushing games together since J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch in the ninth and 10th games of 2004.
Muhammad earned an invitation to the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl following his 2016 senior season while Watson is expected to be one of Cal's top running backs in 2017 along with fellow senior Vic Enwere, who was having a strong season in 2016 before suffering a season-ending injury in the sixth game of the campaign at Oregon State.
CAL RUNNING BACKS ON GARRET CHACHERE
“Coach Chachere has done an excellent job as our running backs coach. He brings a unique perspective to the job having experienced things on the other side of the ball as our linebackers coach.”
– Vic Enwere
“Coach Chachere gets the best out of all of us. Everyone brings a little something different to the table in terms of what we do, but it is still important that we all operate on the same page within the offense.”
– Khalfani Muhammad
“Having Coach Chachere as the running backs coach has been fantastic. He understands each of our strengths and weaknesses, and he focuses on strengthening those every day so that our weaknesses become our strengths. Cal fans can expect a huge show this year on the ground.”
– Tre Watson
Chachere was Cal's linebackers coach in 2014 and 2015 after working with the defensive ends in his debut season with the Bears in 2013.
In his third season on the defensive staff at Cal in 2015, the team's defense made significant improvements to help the Bears to an 8-5 record, giving Cal its first eight-win season since the 2009 team was also 8-5 with only 29 teams since the beginning of Cal football in 1882-83 winning eight or more and only 17 either nine or 10. Cal capped its 2015 season with its first bowl victory since 2008 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl with the spot in postseason play its first since 2011.
Much of Cal's improvement in 2015 was because the Bears' defense continued to get better at a rapid rate, allowing 9.1 less points per game than the previous season and 15.8 points fewer than the 2013 campaign.
Cal was one of the nation's top teams in categories related to caused turnovers during the 2015 season as the Bears finished the campaign tied for 11th nationally in fumbles recovered (12), tied for 13th in turnovers gained (27), tied for 23rd in passes intercepted (15) and tied for 25th in defensive touchdowns (3). Cal tied for first in the Pac-12 in fumbles recovered, tied for second in turnovers gained and passes intercepted, and tied for fourth in defensive touchdowns. All of the 2015 numbers and rankings were improvements from the previous season.
Cal also put up significantly better numbers in 2015 from the previous season in sacks (2015 – 28, 2.15 spg; 2014 – 1.33 spg), team passing efficiency defense (2015 – 135.49; 2014 – 154.54), tackles for loss (2015 – 62.0, 5.2 tflpg; 2014 – 55.0, 4.6 tflpg), total defense (2015 – 453.7 ypg; 2014 – 511.8 ypg) and scoring defense (30.7 ppg, 39.8 ppg).
Linebacker Hardy Nickerson was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection for the first time in his career playing for Chachere in 2015. Nickerson was named Cal's Defensive MVP after he recorded 112 tackles to become the program's first player to register 100 or more stops in a single-season since Mychal Kendricks registered 107 in 2011 and the most since Mike Mohamed also had 112 in 2009. Nickerson ranked third in the Pac-12 in total tackles as well as fourth in the league and 48th nationally with 8.6 stops per game.
Chachere coached three of the team’s four top tacklers in 2014 in linebackers Michael Barton (80), Nickerson (69) and Jalen Jefferson (58). The trio were major factors in the Cal’s one-year improvement of 48 spots and 44 yards per game in rush defense to No. 38 nationally (144.6 ypg). Barton and Nickerson recorded new career bests in tackles in 2014 that Nickerson would break in 2015 while Jefferson was just shy of the career-best 64 stops he picked up as a 2013 sophomore. Before he took over Cal’s linebackers in 2014, Chachere worked with a group of defensive ends in his first season at Cal in 2013 that came into the campaign lacking a single start at the position at the collegiate level and helped develop the likes of Kyle Kragen, who would later have a breakthrough campaign as a 2015 senior and sign an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Broncos following his playing career at Cal.
Chachere spent one season as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Southern Miss in 2012 after spending three campaigns on the offensive side of the ball at Arizona from 2009-11. Chachere tutored the running backs in his final season in Tucson when the Wildcats had the 16th-ranked team nationally in total offense (465.25 ypg) during his single season as the team's running backs coach. One of his pupils was Ka’Deem Carey, who evolved into a two-time consensus first-team All-American and rushed for a combined 3,814 yards over his final two collegiate seasons. Carey was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in his final campaign in 2013 two years after a strong freshman season under Chachere’s tutelage. Carey would later become a fourth-round pick of his current NFL team the Chicago Bears in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Chachere was the wide receivers coach during his first two seasons with the Wildcats playing in bowl games each of those two campaigns at the Holiday Bowl and Alamo Bowl. Arizona was the nation’s ninth-ranked passing offense in 2010 (307.69 ypg) with David Douglas catching 52 passes for 515 yards and five touchdowns, while fellow receiver David Roberts contributed 44 catches for 487 yards.
Prior to his arrival in Tucson, Chachere spent two seasons as the special teams coordinator at Memphis (2007-08), with the Tigers advancing to play in the New Orleans Bowl in 2007 and the St. Petersburg Bowl in 2008.
In 2008, Chachere helped the Tigers rank 22nd nationally in punt return defense (5.68 ypp), while also being listed among the national leaders in net punting (38th, 36.30 ypg) and kickoff return defense (42nd, 20.01 ypg). Placekicker Matt Reagan was 8-of-11 on field goals and also converted 31-of-32 extra points to lead the Tigers in scoring (55 points) for the second consecutive season. Reagan earned two Conference USA Player of the Week honors.
Returner Michael Grandberry set nearly every school record for kick returns in 2007, including single-game yardage (168 vs. Southern Miss), single-season returns (59), single-season yardage (1,286) and career 100-yard return games (8). He also set the Tigers’ all-time records for combined kickoff and punt returns (112) and yardage (2,401).
Chachere spent eight seasons at his alma mater Tulane from 1999-2006, where he coached the Green Wave linebackers throughout his tenure and was also the team’s punt return coordinator for his first five seasons. In 2002, the Green Wave defeated host Hawai’i in the Hawai’i Bowl.
During his stint at Tulane, Chachere helped develop linebacker Anthony Cannon, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Cannon earned first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2005 and logged four straight 100-tackle seasons en route to ranking third all-time in Conference USA in tackles at the end of his collegiate career.
Chachere also recruited current New York Jets' running back Matt Forté to Tulane. Forté was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and has recorded 9,415 rushing yards in nine NFL seasons with the Bears (2008-15) and New York Jets (2016). Forte had over 1,000 yards rushing in five of his eight seasons with Chicago and has never had less than 813. He played in the NFL’s Pro Bowl following the league’s 2011 and 2013 seasons.
Chachere was a member of the 2005 Tulane coaching staff that endured Hurricane Katrina, providing leadership throughout the team’s evacuation from the New Orleans area and return to campus facilities.
In 2002, Tulane’s defense led the nation in turnovers gained (43) and Chachere was also the punt return coordinator for a group that finished second nationally in punt returns (17.29 ypr). Lynaris Elpheage earned first-team All-Conference USA honors as a punt returner, ranking fifth nationally in punt returns with a 16.5 yard average.
Chachere spent the 1998 campaign at Northeast Louisiana as the tight ends coach after a three-year run at Nicholls State as the linebackers coach from 1995-97, where the Colonels earning a spot in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 1996 when they posted an 8-4 overall record after being winless the previous season to mark the biggest turnaround in Division I history at the time. One of his top players at the Nicholls State was Darnell Small, who would go on to play in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League.
Chachere began his coaching career in 1992 at Cheyney (defensive backs/running backs), followed by subsequent one-season stops in 1993 at Bloomsburg (defensive backs) and 1994 at Bucknell (defensive backs/special teams coordinator).
Chachere has also been active throughout his coaching career with the American Football Coaches Association. He served as the organization’s program committee chairman at the 2007 AFCA National Convention, while providing his expertise on linebacker play by speaking at the 2008 convention and publishing several articles on the subject in the AFCA coaches handbook.
A native of New Orleans, La., Chachere played two seasons of college football in his hometown at Tulane in 1987 and 1988, and was a member of the Green Wave’s 1987 Independence Bowl team under then-head coach Mack Brown. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication from Tulane in 1992.
Chachere prepped in New Orleans at Brother Martin High School, where he was his team’s MVP and a captain as a senior in 1986. He earned the New Orleans Sports Foundation Leadership Award in his final prep campaign.
Chachere is married to the former Lauren Duplessis and they have three sons – Grant, Noah and Jackson.
Garret Chachere File
Birthdate: March 17, 1969
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
High School: Brother Martin HS
College: Tulane, 1992, Bachelor's in Communications
Family: Wife, Lauren; Sons, Grant, Noah and Jackson
Pronunciation: sash-er-RAY
Collegiate Coaching History
Season: School – Position
1992: Cheney – Defensive Backs/Running Backs
1993: Bloomsburg – Defensive Backs
1994: Bucknell – Defensive Backs/Special Teams Coordinator
1995: Nicholls State – Linebackers
1996: Nicholls State – Linebackers
1997: Nicholls State – Linebackers
1998: Northeast Louisiana – Tight Ends
1999: Tulane – Linebackers/Punt Return Coordinator
2000: Tulane – Linebackers/Punt Return Coordinator
2001: Tulane – Linebackers/Punt Return Coordinator
2002: Tulane – Linebackers/Punt Return Coordinator
2003: Tulane – Linebackers/Punt Return Coordinator
2004: Tulane – Linebackers
2005: Tulane – Linebackers
2006: Tulane – Linebackers
2007: Memphis – Special Teams Coordinator
2008: Memphis – Special Teams Coordinator
2009: Arizona – Wide Receivers
2010: Arizona – Wide Receivers
2011: Arizona – Running Backs
2012: Southern Miss – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2013: Cal – Defensive Ends
2014: Cal – Linebackers
2015: Cal – Associate Head Coach/Linebackers
2016: Cal – Associate Head Coach/Running Backs
Bowl (6 Games)/NCAA Playoffs (1 Game) History
*Season: School – Bowl
1996: Nicholls State – NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs First Round
2002: Tulane – Hawaii Bowl
2007: Memphis – New Orleans Bowl
2008: Memphis – St. Petersburg Bowl
2009: Arizona – Holiday Bowl
2010: Arizona – Alamo Bowl
2015: Cal – Armed Forces Bowl
*Season in which bowl/playoff game was played
Last Updated
February 17, 2017
