Cal finished dead last in the NCAA in pass defense last year. But help is on its way.
Bears head football coach Sonny Dykes announced Tuesday that Greg Burns has agreed to join the his coaching staff as the team’s defensive backs coach.
The 17-year veteran coach has been a member of 10 bowl game staffs, including four BCS bowls during his time at USC, and was part of the Trojans’ coaching staff for their back-to-back Associated Press national championship teams in 2003 and 2004. Burns has spent eight of the last 12 seasons working in the Pac-12 with four campaigns each at USC and Arizona State.
“I’m excited to be on the coaching staff at Cal and returning to the Pac-12,” Burns said. “I had a great experience in the league previously and feel like my skill sets both in recruiting and on-field coaching work well in this conference. I have always admired the tradition and excellence of Cal football, and I am looking forward to being part of a staff that has us heading in the right direction to be able to add to the program’s storied tradition.”
Burns might’ve picked the perfect situation by coming to Cal. There’s literally nowhere for the Bears secondary to go but up and he’ll get the credit for even modest improvement.
Photo courtesy umassathletics.com.