Cal football coaching search: Air Force's Troy Calhoun rumored as candidate

The California Golden Bears have "reached out to an intermediary" of Air Force Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun as the search for Jeff Tedford's replacement moves along, according to CBS college football insider Jeremy Fowler.

Calhoun's name has been linked in the past to the Tennessee and Colorado openings, Fowler reports, but he has maintained his loyalty to Air Force, where he played and first worked as an assistant head coach.

After quarterbacking at the academy, Calhoun earned his first assistant position there in 1989 before going on to coach at Ohio and Wake Forest. Calhoun then moved to the NFL, where he was an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos and later an offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans in 2006.

This year, Calhoun has led Air Force to a 6-6 regular season record and for the fifth time in a row his team has qualified for a bowl game. Calhoun, 46, holds a 47-29 record with Air Force since taking over in 2007.

Fowler reports that Calhoun would fit Cal's need for a head coach that places priority on academics. He added that Cal has hired search firm DHR International to help with the hiring process.