Jahvid Best hired as assistant RBs coach for California Golden Bears
Jahvid Best (44) during mini camp at Detroit Lions training facility. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Tedford, who is now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator under Lovie Smith, produced a lot of great running backs while he was the head coach of the California Golden Bears, including Marshawn Lynch, Shane Vereen, and Jahvid Best. It wasn’t too long ago when Best was regarded as one of the most promising rookie running backs in the league, and it’s a sad story to look back and think about what Best’s career could have been had he not suffered even more debilitating concussions as a pro. Best’s playing days are over due to the injuries despite his young age, and we were robbed of watching a talented, elusive, all-around back on Sundays.
But Best’s career in football definitely isn’t over, and there’s a chance that we end up cherishing a talented head coach. Per two sources close to Rivals’s GoldenBearReport.com’s Grant Marek, Cal alumn and former Detroit Lions back Jahvid Best has been hired to the team’s 2014 coaching staff. It sounds like he will be their assistant RBs coach.
It’s a great move for the Cal program that will attract interest, add a famous alumni to the coaching staff with plenty of experience, and Best will command the respect of all the running backs who end up committing to play for the program. I bet adding Best will also do wonders for recruiting, and Sonny Dykes could afford to do a better job of attracting talented RBs even if he’s famous for his “Air Raid” offense and has a great QB in Jared Goff at the helm.
Best had an incredible career with the Golden Bears, and this is an exciting hire that is bound to drive up interest in the program. I’m sure Best will have his coaching struggles at first, but this is a move that is worth the risk. I mean, he’s just an assistant RBs coach, after all and would be able to focus on his forte. And since he is wisely finishing up his degree at Cal, Best is a student assistant coach, which is definitely a win-win for all parties involved.