Charlie Ragle spent five seasons as Cal's special teams coordinator from 2017-21 including his final three seasons exclusively in the role after also coaching tight ends in his first two campaigns. Ragle was the longest tenured coach on Justin Wilcox's staff before leaving the program to become the head coach at Idaho State. The hiring was announced on Dec. 10, 2021.
The Golden Bears compiled a long list of accomplishments and signature wins during Ragle's five seasons in Berkeley including landmark victories over Stanford and USC in the final month of his final season in 2021. The victory over the Trojans in Cal's 2021 season finale was the Golden Bears' first home win over USC since 2003 but it's second in the last four seasons with the Golden Bears also winning at USC in 2018. Cal also won back-to-back road contests in the Big Game at Stanford in 2019 and 2021 as Justin Wilcox became only the fifth Cal head coach to be victorious at least twice in a row on The Farm and one of only two in the last 70 years, along with Jeff Tedford, since Pappy Waldorf won three in a row from 1947-51. Cal also posted back-to-back winning campaigns and made trips to bowl games in 2018 and 2019 for the first time since 2008 and 2009, as well as produced four victories over teams that either won a Pac-12 title that season or were the league's defending champions. In 2018, the Bears knocked off USC (2017 champion) and Washington (2018 champion), then took down defending 2018 champion Washington again in 2019, and in 2020 beat an Oregon squad that won the Pac-12 crown in both 2019 and 2020. In addition to the road wins at USC and Stanford in 2018 and 2019 that ended droughts that dated back to 2000 at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2009 at Stanford Stadium, the Bears' 2019 victory over UCLA was their first over the Bruins in the Rose Bowl in a decade. Cal also took down a top-20 team in each of Ragle’s first four seasons with victories over No. 8/9 Washington State (2017), No. 15/13 Washington (2018), No. 14/12 Washington (2019) and No. 23/21/20 Oregon (2020). Cal was 10-2 in non-conference regular-season games including a 4-1 record against Power 5 schools with Ragle on the staff.
Ragle's development of a large group of specialists and returners during his five-year tenure played a significant role in the team's success with kick returner Ashtyn Davis, punt returner/kick returner Nikko Remigio, punters Steven Coutts and Jamieson Sheahan, placekickers Matt Anderson, Greg Thomas and Dario Longhetto, and long snapper Slater Zellers in the key roles. Coutts (Louisiana) and Thomas (City College of San Francisco, Arizona State) both came to Cal as transfers, while Sheahan was an Australian Rules Football player who had never punted in an American football game before his arrival at Cal prior to the 2020 campaign and Longhetto became the team's starting placekicker after beginning his career as a walk-on.
Ragle's special teams units put up strong numbers in his final season at Cal in 2021 with the Bears leading the Pac-12 and ranking fourth nationally in kickoff returns with a school-record average of 29.06 yards per return. In addition, the Bears were third in the conference in kick return coverage (20.18 ypr). Cal also shared the Pac-12 lead and ranked tied for 29th nationally with two blocked kicks (both punts). In addition, Cal was one of three teams in the Pac-12 and 30 in the country to not allow a blocked kick, as well as one of four in the conference and 63 nationally not to allow a blocked punt through the end of the 2021 regular season. Remigio, who brought back all 17 of the team's kick returns for 494 yards including a 99-yard touchdown, was second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally with his 29.06 average the fifth-best in school history. Nick Alftin, who had both of the team's blocked punts to share the Pac-12 lead and ranked tied for second nationally, earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition. Longhetto missed only three kicks all season and only one over his final seven games, going 11-of-14 on field goals while making nine of his last 10 attempts, and hitting on all 31 of his extra-point tries. Sheahan improved his punting average from 39.9 as a 2020 rookie in American football to a 43.1 output that is ninth on Cal's all-time single-season list with an updated 42.1 career average that is seventh on Cal's career list.
Remigio, a third-team preseason All-Pac-12 punt returner of Athlon and Phil Steele, highlighted the performance of the special teams units during the team's COVID-shortened four-game season in 2020 by finishing third in the Pac-12 and 33rd nationally with his average of 4.7 yards per punt return. Sheahan and Longhetto took over for Coutts and Thomas at punter and placekicker during a 2020 season that was shortened to four games by COVID-19 and held their own. Longhetto made 4-of-5 field goal attempts including a career-long 52-yarder at Oregon State that was the longest by a Pac-12 player in 2020 as well as by a Cal player since Anderson also had a 52-yarder against Arizona in 2017, while Sheahan averaged 39.9 yards per punt.
Davis was one of the nation's top kick returners under Ragle over his last three seasons at Cal from 2017-19, combining for 1604 yards and one touchdown on 70 kick returns to finish his career ranked second on the school's all-time lists in both kick returns and kick return yards while he led the Bears in both categories all three seasons. He is also tied for third all-time at Cal with his single kick return touchdown. Davis earned Cal's J. Scott Duncan Award as the squad's Most Valuable Special Teams Player during both his 2016 freshman and 2017 sophomore seasons, ranking ninth nationally in kick return yards and 14th in combined kick return yards with 826 as a 2017 sophomore when he was credited with 39 of Cal's 46 kickoff returns with the 39 kick returns co-leading the nation. He scored his lone career kick return touchdown as a 2018 junior with a career-long 89-yarder against Idaho State and significantly improved his average to a career-high 26.2 yards per return mark that was third in the Pac-12 and 17th nationally on 24 kick returns for 629 yards, while helping the Bears rank third in the Pac-12 and 28th nationally with a 23.17 mark. Davis was used more sparingly as a kick returner as a 2019 senior when he blossomed into a second-team All-Pac-12 selection at safety and was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy given annually to the nation's top former walk-on, as well as the winner of Cal's Joe Roth Award for his courage, attitude and sportsmanship. He was Cal's first player selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
Remigio had his top season returning punts in 2019 when he recorded career highs of 12 punt returns for 138 yards including a 32-yarder against North Texas and a 28-yarder against UC Davis. Remigio's performance helped Cal finish 31st nationally as a team with an average return of 11.14 yards. Thomas also wrapped up his Cal career with the second of two consecutive solid seasons at Cal in 2019 by connecting on 11-of-17 field goals and 33-of-34 extra-point attempts to total 66 points and rank second on the team in scoring. Coutts was a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy also commonly known as the academic Heisman as a 2019 senior.
In his first campaign as Cal's placekicker during his 2018 junior season, Thomas made 12-of-17 field goals and all 32 of his extra-point attempts for a team-best 68 points. The Bears were also one of six teams in the Pac-12 and 55 nationally to not allow a blocked punt. Remigio had a career-long 46 yarder in his first collegiate contest against Idaho State as a 2018 true freshman, while Coutts had a strong junior season when he claimed Cal's J. Scott Duncan Award after Davis had won it the previous two campaigns and was also an honorable mention All-Pac-12 choice who helped the Bears to a tremendous field position advantage on numerous occasions, pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line 37 times to lead the nation while having only two touchbacks.
In Ragle's first season at Cal in 2017, Anderson was the Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, in addition to earning CoSIDA Academic All-District® and second-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors, both for a second straight season. Anderson ranked second in the Pac-12 and tied for 11th nationally with his 1.67 field goals made per game in his final collegiate campaign, making 20-of-27 field goals and finishing his career with a flurry by converting 9-of-11 field goals in his final three contests. He finished with a team-high 95 points, adding 35-of-36 extra points. In addition, Anderson's longest career field goal came in his final campaign when he connected from 52 yards out late in the fourth quarter against Arizona to send the contest into overtime. Anderson is Cal's all-time career leader in points (316) and field goals (60), picking up the points mark in the third to last game of his career and the field goals number in his final collegiate contest. Ragle also coached Dylan Klumph, who posted the 10th-highest single-season punt average under his tutelage in 2017 with a 43.0 mark and finished his Cal career second on the school's all-time list at 43.9. In addition, Cal was also one of 26 teams in the country not to have a kick blocked and one of 70 to not give up a blocked punt.
In addition to his duties as special teams coordinator, Ragle coached Cal's tight ends for each of his first two seasons with the Bears in 2017 and 2018. His pupils included Ian Bunting, Ray Hudson and a trio of players in Jake Tonges, Collin Moore and Gavin Reinwald that would become the team's top three tight ends on the depth chart as fifth-year seniors in 2021.
In addition, Ragle was also instrumental in Cal's recruiting efforts that improved in each of his seasons in Berkeley and ranked as high as No. 3 in the Pac-12 and No. 20 nationally according to ESPN for the 2021 class with the rankings Cal's highest since 2011 when the Bears were No. 15 according to 247Sports and No. 18 vy Rivals. Prior to the 2021 recruiting results, Cal had improved in 2020 to No. 5 in the Pac-12 and No. 30 nationally according to Rivals. Ragle also played a key role in helping the Bears sign six players from Arizona in its 2019 class. Ragle also recruited Zellers to come to Cal in 2018 when the Scottsdale native was widely considered to be the top long snapper in that year's class, ranking No. 1 by Kohl's Professional Camps and ESPN as well as in the top three nationally according to several other organizations. After redshirting as a 2018 true freshman, Zellers has been the team's long snapper for the past three campaigns from 2019-21.
Prior to joining the Bears, Ragle worked in the state of Arizona for much of his career including five collegiate seasons at Arizona from 2012-16 with the final four also spent as the Wildcats' special teams coordinator and tight ends coach after joining the Arizona staff as the assistant director of operations in 2012. Arizona reached bowl games in each of Ragle’s first four seasons and also picked up a trio of post-season victories. During his tenure in Tucson, Ragle was instrumental in the development of both 2014 Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-American and two-time second-team All-Pac-12 punter Drew Riggleman, as well as a trio of reliable placekickers in Josh Pollack, Casey Skowron and Jake Smith.
Ragle’s top recruits at Arizona included Keenan Walker and Michael Eletise, who ranked as ESPN’s No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 9 offensive guard in the 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes. Walker was also ESPN’s No. 91 player overall while Eletise checked in at No. 161. In addition, Ragle recruited Trevor Wood, who ranked as ESPN’s No. 13 tight end in the class of 2014 and later signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as current Miami Dolphins' safety Will Parks, who was a sixth-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos out of Arizona, and in addition to the Broncos has been on NFL rosters in Philadelphia, Kansas City and San Francisco.
In his final season at Arizona in 2016, Ragle’s unit ranked in the top 35 nationally in kickoff return defense for the third time in four seasons and also did not allow a blocked kick or punt for the second straight campaign as one of only 10 teams to accomplish that feat.
Arizona’s 45-37 victory over New Mexico at the 2015 New Mexico Bowl was the Wildcats’ fourth straight bowl appearance and also capped off a fourth consecutive winning campaign. Riggleman was second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally with a 45.3 yards per punt average, while Arizona was second in the conference and 12th nationally in net punting (40.56 ypg). Skowron connected on 18-of-22 field goal attempts for an 81.8 field goal percentage that was the second-best in Arizona history and included an impressive 7-of-9 (77.8%) showing between 40 and 49 yards while scoring a team-high 113 points.
Special teams were crucial to the Wildcats’ success in 2014 when Arizona won 10 or more games for the first time since 1998, finishing with a 10-4 overall record, winning the Pac-12 South title and playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Arizona led the Pac-12 and ranked 27th nationally in kickoff return defense (18.95 ypr) while also placing among the nation’s top 30 in net punting (39.79 ypp, No. 20) and punt returns (10.24 ypr, No. 28). Riggleman was second in the Pac-12 and fourth nationally with a 46.1 yards per punt average that was the second-highest in school history. Skowron made 20 of his 28 field goal attempts and was successful on all 57 of his extra points to set a school record while also adding a rushing touchdown on a fake field goal against Washington for a kicker school-record 123 points that led the Pac-12 and ranked seventh nationally. In addition, Cayleb Jones (kickoff) and Davonte’ Neal (punt) both had touchdowns in the return game.
In his first season as Arizona’s special teams coordinator in 2013, the Wildcats ranked tied for 11th nationally in punt return defense (3.33 ypr) and 27th in kickoff return defense (19.54 ypr) with numbers that were second and third in the Pac-12.
Prior to his five-year run in Tucson, Ragle was the head coach and shared Director of Athletics duties at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale for five seasons from 2007-11, where he coached future NFL players Taylor Lewan, Wes Schweitzer and Kyle Williams. Chaparral won state championships during each of his final three campaigns while compiling a remarkable 63-7 record over the span including an unbeaten 14-0 mark in 2010 when the Firebirds finished No. 24 in MaxPreps’ final Xcellent 25 rankings.
Ragle was also the defensive coordinator at Chaparral for one season in 2005 before serving for one campaign as a graduate assistant at Arizona State for a team featuring Williams that played in the 2006 Hawai’i Bowl.
Ragle started his coaching career with a five-year stint (2000-04) as the defensive coordinator at Moon Valley High School in Phoenix highlighted by an unbeaten 14-0 team that won the state 4-A title in his final campaign in 2004.
Ragle was a three-year starting running back and kick returner at Eastern New Mexico before graduating from the school in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in history. He was a two-time All-State selection at Animas High School as both a running back and safety as well as New Mexico’s 100 and 200-meter champion in track and field.
Ragle and his wife, Carrie, have one daughter, Caylee, and one son, Chas.
Charlie Ragle File
Birthdate: May 30, 1976
Hometown: Playas, NM
High School: Animas HS
College: Eastern New Mexico, 1998, Bachelor’s in physical education
Family: Wife, Carrie; Daughter, Caylee; Son, Chas
Pronunciation: ray-GULL
Coaching History
*Season: Team – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2000: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator
2001: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator
2002: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Playoffs)
2003: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Playoffs)
2004: Moon Valley HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A State Champion)
2005: Chaparral HS – Defensive Coordinator (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2006: Arizona State – Graduate Assistant, Offensive Line/Special Teams (Hawai’i Bowl)
2007: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2008: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (4A Division I State Playoffs)
2009: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA 5A Division II State Champion)
2010: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA 5A Division II State Champion)
2011: Chaparral HS – Head Coach (AIA Division II State Champion)
2012: Arizona – Assistant Director of Operations (New Mexico Bowl)
2013: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (Independence Bowl)
2014: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (Fiesta Bowl)
2015: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (New Mexico Bowl)
2016: Arizona – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2017: California – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2018: California – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California – Special Teams Coordinator (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California – Special Teams Coordinator
2021: California – Special Teams Coordinator
*Season in which postseason games were played
Last Updated
December 11, 2021
