Atlanta Falcons Assistant Coach Named Cal's Wide Receivers Coach

Ike Hilliard, who has been the Atlanta Falcons wide receivers coach the past two seasons, was named Cal’s wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator under new Golden Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi.

Cal made the announcement on Friday.

The 49-year-old Hilliard will assist new Cal offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville with the Bears’ offensive philosophy and approach. Hilliard replaced Kyle Cefalo, who was Cal’s wide receivers coach this past season and is now at Southern Mississippi.

Hilliard has a long history of coaching in the NFL after being a wide receiver at the University of Florida from 1994 to 1996 under head coach Steve Spurrier.

Hilliard was a first-round NFL draft choice (seventh overall) in the 1997 draft, and he played 12 seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He recorded 546 career receptions for 6,397 yards. His best season was 1999, when he had 92 receptions for 996 yards.

He then was an assistant coach for six NFL teams, always working with wide receivers.

His only previous stint as a coach at the college level came in 2022 when he was the wide receivers coach at Auburn, also serving as interim offensive coordinator for Auburn after Bryan Harsin was fired as the Tigers head coach.

Harsin served as Cal’s offensive coordinator his past season, when the Bears finished with a 7-6 record.

Hilliard was out of coaching in 2023 before being hired by the Falcons in 2024, serving as Atlanta’s wide receivers coach in 2024 and 2025.

Former Cal receiver DeSean Jackson was one of the wide receivers Hilliard worked with in the NFL while he and Jackson were with Washington.

Hilliard's 13 seasons as an NFL assistant coach started in 2011 with the Miami Dolphins.

Lupoi remains the defensive coordinator at Oregon and will remain in that role until the Ducks are eliminated from the College Football Playoff. Oregon plays Indiana in a CFP semifinal game on January 9.

Once Oregon had been eliminated Lupoi will devote his full attention to the Cal football program.