Why Not Cal? Patrick Laird on Alignment, NIL, and the Moment Facing Berkeley Athletics

4 min read

Former Cal running back Patrick Laird explains why leadership alignment, institutional belief, and cultural clarity could redefine the future of Cal football and the university as a whole.

Cal GM Ron Rivera with starting quarterback, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele following their final regular season game of 2025, vs. SMU. Photo courtesy of Morgan Garcia.

Patrick Laird is careful with absolutes. But when he talks about the current moment in Berkeley athletics, his tone sharpens.

“This feels like the time,” he says. “Why not Cal?”

For Laird, that optimism is rooted in alignment — something he believes has been missing for much of the past decade, both institutionally and culturally. 

Football as the Front Porch

“Football is the front porch of your athletic department,” Laird says, echoing a phrase often used by Ron Rivera. “If that porch looks neglected, outsiders assume the whole house is.”

The current moment, Laird says, is defined by leadership alignment: Chancellor Rich Lyons, a Cal alumnus; Ron Rivera, a former Bear now serving as the program’s general manager; and head coach Tosh Lupoi, who also played at Berkeley.

Cal’s Olympic sports — swimming, water polo, golf, rugby — have long dominated nationally. But football shapes perception.

“That clouds how people see the entire program,” Laird says. “Fair or not.”

NIL, Timing, and the Wilcox Era

Laird is quick to defend former head coach Justin Wilcox.

“He was never aiming for six-and-six,” Laird says. “People forget that.”

Wilcox’s early seasons showed progress. Then came COVID.

“Cal football probably faced more restrictions than any program in the country,” Laird explains. “You can’t just restart where you left off.”

When NIL arrived, the gap widened.

“Other schools had alumni ready to throw cash immediately,” he says. “Cal was behind the ball.”

Laird is careful not to frame NIL as a cure-all. The system, he notes, has introduced volatility across college football, rewarding programs with established donor bases while straining others. At Berkeley, the challenge has been finding a model that preserves academic identity while remaining competitive in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Wilcox, Laird says, focused on culture-building — leadership councils, team-building sessions, and football education that prioritized long-term cohesion.

“That stuff takes years,” Laird says. “And the transfer portal compresses that timeline.”

Why Alignment Matters Now

With donor investment increasing and NIL infrastructure beginning to stabilize, Laird sees the current moment as a rare convergence — one where institutional belief may finally match ambition.

He frames it not as a guarantee of success, but as an opportunity  Cal has rarely had in recent years.

“Donors want to invest when they see a clear plan,” he says. “Alignment gives them confidence.”

At Cal, he argues, difficulty is not a flaw but a differentiator.

“At Berkeley, nothing is handed to you,” Laird says. “But if you make it here—academically and athletically—you’ve got a story no one else has.”

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

Berkeley’s academic rigor has long been framed as a recruiting obstacle. Laird sees it differently.

“If you want easy, Cal isn’t for you,” he says. “But if you want to grow—this place shapes you.”

That’s why leadership matters.

“You need people who lived it,” Laird says. “Who understand the challenges and reframe them as strengths.”

Closing

Laird doesn’t promise championships. He doesn’t guarantee wins.

But he believes in moments.

“This is the time to invest,” he says. “In people, in culture, in belief.”

For Laird, the question isn’t about guarantees, but about whether Berkeley is finally willing to bet on itself.

“Why not Cal?”