After a three-year absence, Nick Rolovich has returned as a college football coach.
Rolovich, former head coach at Hawaii and Washington State, will join Justin Wilcox’s staff at Cal as a senior offensive assistant. As offensive coordinator and head coach, Rolovich favored run-and-gun and spread offenses, often out of the pistol formation.
the football program officially announced the hiring of Rolovich on Friday.
Rolovich and four of his assistant coaches were fired by Washington State in 2021 for refusing to comply with Washington’s mandate for state employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He said the vaccine mandate violated his religious beliefs.
He sued the university, then-athletic director Patrick Chun and Gov. Jay Inslee for wrongful termination, seeking $25 million in damages.
In August, a federal judge in Spokane ruled that Rolovich could not sue Chun or Inslee, but allowed the lawsuit against WSU to stand. The case was scheduled to go to trial in December. However, the judge removed the trial date from the calendar when both sides requested a ruling without trial, Spokane’s KXLY-TV reported. A hearing is yet to be held.
In total, Rolovich coached 11 games at WSU between 2020-21, finishing with a 5-6 record. In four seasons in Hawaii, he compiled a 28-27 record with three Hawaii Bowl appearances. He coached Hawaii to the Mountain West Conference championship game in 2019.
Jake Dickert replaced Rolovich as interim head coach and was hired for the position permanently after the 2021 season.
Since being fired by WSU, Rolovich coached as a volunteer at San Marin High School in Novato, California, and was hired as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL before the team was closed in a merger with the USFL. He reportedly spoke to Rice about the head coaching vacancy, but was never interviewed for the position. according to On3.
Rolovich, a Bay Area native, is the second former FBS head coach to join Wilcox’s staff at Cal. Earlier this week, former Auburn and Boise State coach Bryan Harsin was hired as offensive coordinator of the Bears. Harsin has spent the last two seasons away from college football.