Cal taps Sonny Dykes as next football coach

The California Golden Bears football team needed a new voice, a new direction and a new passion.

And it appears they’ve found it.

Multiple reports state that Cal will name Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes as their new coach.

At the moment, Louisiana Tech’s Athletic Director is denying that report — though it’s not like he was going to confirm it until Cal made an announcement:

Dykes just completed his third season with Louisiana Tech, where he led the team to a 9-3 record and an NCAA-leading 51.5 points per game.

The 43-year-old Dykes runs the fast-paced spread offense, which led to the Bulldogs averaging 577.9 yards per game in 2012 (350.8 yards through the air and 227.2 yards on the ground).

Dykes will be put in charge of rebuilding a Cal program that has fallen off a football cliff in the last few years. Under Jeff Tedford, Cal finished with a losing season in two of the last three years, including an ugly 3-9 record in 2012.