Travers Family Head Football Coach Tosh Lupoi announced Thursday that several coaches will remain on the California Golden Bears football staff for the 2026 season. The retained coaches are 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 will return for his second year as Cal’s offensive line coach. He joined the team in 2025 after coaching at schools including BYU, Virginia, Dixie State, Texas A&M Commerce, Campbell, and New Mexico. During his time at New Mexico in 2024, Anae’s unit led the nation in sacks allowed per game and was among the top teams in rush offense.
Bob Gregory will continue as inside linebackers coach following a previous role as senior defensive assistant. With over four decades of experience, Gregory has coached at multiple universities and served as defensive coordinator for five programs. He has been part of seven conference championship teams and coached dozens of players who advanced to the NFL.
Keith Heyward returns for his second consecutive season at Cal as defensive pass game coordinator after coaching defensive backs last year. In 2025, he helped Hezekiah Masses achieve national recognition for passes defended and interceptions. Heyward’s career includes positions at Oregon State, Cal Poly, Washington, USC, Louisville, Oregon, UNLV, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jeff McDaniels moves into an assistant quarterbacks coaching role after previously assisting with offensive line and tight ends during his first year at Cal in 2025. Before joining Cal, McDaniels worked with various college programs such as Texas State, Davidson, Boise State, Auburn, and Eastern Washington.
Jason Novak will continue as head athletic performance coach into his second season at Cal. Novak brings experience from both collegiate programs and the NFL’s Tennessee Titans where he spent over a decade on their strength staff.
Nick Rolovich remains on staff as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach. Last season he was promoted to interim head coach for two games which included an upset win against SMU and leading the team in the Hawai’i Bowl. Rolovich has held head coaching roles at Hawai’i and Washington State prior to joining Cal.
Mike Saffell enters his third campaign as a full-time member of the coaching staff while continuing work with tight ends. As both a former player and coach at Cal since 2017, Saffell has contributed to developing top-performing tight ends over recent seasons.
Sione Ta’ufo’ou will serve again as assistant inside linebackers coach after working with defensive line and outside linebackers last year. Ta’ufo’ou previously served as defensive coordinator at UAB following a successful tenure coaching high school football teams to state championships.
These returning coaches bring experience from collegiate football programs across the country along with professional backgrounds that include development of players who have advanced to careers in the NFL.
