California has hired Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes, Athletic director Sandy Barbour announced Wednesday night. Dykes will be formally introduced at a news conference on Thursday. Dykes told ESPN on Wednesday night after meeting with his former team...

quote:

---

"We think what we will do on offense will put a charge into the program and give a spike in recruiting," "We want excitement. I want to sell it to the alumni, boosters, players, families, fans and high school coaches. I want to hit the ground running."

Dykes said the combination of California's academic reputation and financial investment to facilities and athletics made it impossible to pass up.

"The Rose Bowl is the standard every team in the league should aim for," Dykes said. "We were a two-overtime game away from playing for it when I was (an assistant) at Arizona."

---