After spending nearly six years at San Jose State, Kenwick Thompson ventured a little further up north to take over as linebackers coach with the California Golden Bears in January. Thompson coached the defensive tackles at San Jose State in 2006 and helped the Spartans advance to the New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated host New Mexico. It was the program's first bowl victory since 1990. SJSU ranked third in the WAC in both scoring defense and overall defense.
Thompson is currently in the middle of his first spring football drills at Cal, and while he has embraced being the new face on the staff, it did not stop him from fitting in quickly. "I felt like we hit the ground running because of the kind of guys who are here," said Thompson. "They (the players) made it an easy transition and their attitudes are outstanding. That was half the battle right there. With the coaches, I knew several of them before I came here, so that made it easy. I've been blessed with how it's been going so far."
Kenwick Thompson Brings Coaching Experience and Art to the Golden Bear Linebackers