Cal Adds Stephen Paea as Assistant Defensive Line Coach

With the idea of getting more pressure on the opposing quarterback, Cal announced on Saturday that it has hired Stephen Paea as an assistant defensive line coach/pass rush specialist.

Cal had 35 sacks in 2024, which put the Golden Bears in the middle of the pack in the ACC.

Paea, who was born in New Zealand, was a second-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft out of Oregon State. He had 14 sacks in his three years at Oregon State. Paea played seven NFL seasons as a defensive tackle, and started 46 games and recorded 14 career sacks.

Paea was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year in 2010, and he turned heads at the 2011 NFL Combine when he pumped out 49 reps on the bench press.