Special-teams coordinator brings charisma to job
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said it’s hard to board a flight on time with Charlie Ragle, because when the Bears’ special-teams coordinator and tight-ends coach walks into an airport, everyone is attracted to his infectious personality.
That’s after just 1½ years in the Bay Area.
Imagine what the reaction is going to be like this week in Arizona, where Ragle was beloved in the football community for the better part of two decades.
“You invest in them, they invest in you, and you build relationships that last for a lifetime. I’m going to see some guys on the other sideline that I recruited and coached, and that’s always emotional,” Ragle said as Cal prepped to play Saturday night at Arizona, where he was the special-teams coordinator from 2013 through ’16. “You care about those guys, but now I wear a different hat and different colors. We’ve got a job to go there and win. …
“It’ll be different going back and seeing people on the other side and being in Tucson, but we’ve got to find a way to make sure it’s not about me. This is about us going there, playing well and trying to win a football game.”
Ragle did a lot of winning in Arizona, helping the Wildcats to four bowl games, including 2012 when he was the program’s assistant director of operations. Before that, he went 63-7 and won three state championships as the head coach from 2007 through ’11 at Chaparral High in Scottsdale.
Ragle, 42, was also a graduate assistant at Arizona State when the Sun Devils played in the 2006 Hawaii Bowl and the defensive coordinator at Moon Valley High in Phoenix from 2000 through ’04 — a run that ended with a 14-0 state championship team.
“He’s the best, man,” said Wilcox, who has known Ragle since working a camp together in 2000 and hired him in February 2017. “He’s just a guy who brings a lot of energy to the program. He’s a humble, hardworking guy.”
Ragle has one of the most comprehensive reaches in the Cal program, regularly meeting with linemen and skill players and specialists, and possessing the personality to relate to all of them.
He is an abstract thinker who combines a rare mix of loud, hard-nosed coaching with the ability to get to know players off the field.
Senior tight end Jake Ashton considered giving up football this offseason to focus on his master’s degree work. Ragle convinced him that he could contribute on special teams, if not working his way into the offensive rotation.
Ashton returned. He earned a scholarship right before the season and caught his first career touchdown pass last month.
“My heart swells when I see him running around with such confidence after not being sure a year ago,” Ragle said. “That’s a life changed. When you’re doing those things, it’s hard not to get up and have a passion for what you’re doing.”
Ragle stalks the field during 11-on-11 sessions, not only chiming in guidance for the tight ends, but also evaluating all of the position groups in search for players who can bolster the special-teams units.
He has turned Josh Drayden, who is stuck behind cornerbacks Camryn Bynum and Elijah Hicks, and Alex Netherda, who can’t get many carries behind running back Patrick Laird, into key members of Cal’s kick coverage.
“If there’s a guy who thought he’d be playing more and I see that he can help on special teams, I’m going to tell him he’s my guy,” said Ragle. “I’m going to build that guy up, take extra time with him, get in his ear to pump him up and watch him grow.”
Cal’s coverage teams for kicks (18 yards per return) and punts (4.67 yards per return) are among the nation’s top 35. Ashtyn Davis leads the Pac-12 and is 11th in the country in return yards (308), Jeremiah Hawkins had a 54-yard kick return against Oregon on Saturday, and Vic Wharton III and Nikko Remigio each have punt returns of at least 35 yards this season.
Greg Thomas, whom Ragle found after the kicker thought his career was over after he transferred from City College of San Francisco to Cal, has made 3 of 4 field-goal tries and all 15 extra-point attempts. Punter Steven Coutts booted one 73 yards against Oregon — the third-longest punt in the nation this season.
“You have to be a little different to want to coach special teams,” said Ragle. “A lot of people hire offensive and defensive coordinators as head coaches, because they call good plays, but how many of those guys really have experience running a whole team?
“I’m passionate about people and finding ways to relate to them. I’m passionate about the game of football. I think when kids watch you work and recognize those passions, they realize it’s genuine and get excited.”