Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is about to be the big man on campus, again.
As first reported by CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones on Wednesday afternoon, Rivera is set to take a “general manager-like” position at his alma mater of the University of California. Per Jones, the 63-year-old will undertake a role similar to that of Stanford University’s Andrew Luck—helping guide the program through the new landscape of college athletics.
Rivera played at UC Berkeley from 1980 to 1983. The ex-linebacker was named the Pac-10 Football Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in his final season for the Golden Bears.
The Seaside, Calif. native would then be selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, for whom he’d spend his entire nine-year pro career with.
His first head-coaching gig came with the Panthers beginning in 2011. Rivera went on to lead Carolina to 76 regular-season wins, the most by a head coach in franchise history, along with three NFC South titles and the organization’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance.
He last coached for the Washington Commanders, whom he led from 2020 to 2023.
Before taking his new job at UC Berkeley, Rivera interviewed for three head-coaching vacancies (New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders) and a senior defensive assistant role (Jacksonville Jaguars) this offseason.
