Carlos Alvarado is in his second season working in quality control for defense at Cal in 2016. He works in all phases of assisting the linebackers.
Alvarado arrived at Cal after spending two seasons at Murray State. In 2014, he coached all of the defensive backs, as well as a standout kickoff return team that returned four kickoffs for touchdowns to tie for the most in the nation and ranked 13th nationally with an average of 22.8 yards per return. He helped Pokey Harris earn first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors after he brought back three of the team’s four kick return touchdowns to lead the nation and averaged 28.8 yards per kick return, which ranked sixth.
In his first season at Murray State in 2013, Alvarado coached a group of cornerbacks that recorded five interceptions and had 22 pass breakups including a team-high 10 from Darian Yahyavi while fellow corner Josh Manning led the Racers with three picks. The cornerbacks were part of a defensive unit that held three opponents to under 120 yards passing.
Alvarado spent one season as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2012 working with the linebackers when current Cal defensive coordinator Art Kaufman was the Red Raiders' defensive coordinator. Alvarado helped Kaufman turnaround a defense that ranked 114th nationally in total defense (485.58 ypg) the season before he inherited it and improve it to 38th (367.31 ypg) nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference, while leading the league in passing defense (195.8 ypg).
Alvarado spent the 2011 season as a graduate assistant working with the linebackers at New Mexico, and helped tutor Carmen Messina to All-Mountain West Conference honors after leading the league in tackles for the third straight season and rank tied for sixth nationally with 142 stops. Messina ended his career as the conference’s all-time leader in tackles with 454.
Alvarado began his coaching career with three seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville, coaching the tight ends in 2008 before moving to the defensive backs in 2009 and 2010 for a team that made back-to-back appearances in the Division II playoffs his final two seasons, adding a Lone Star Conference title in 2009. The Javelinas set a single-season school record in 2010 by allowing only 57 yards rushing per game and led the LSC in points allowed (16.0 ppg), total defense (252.1 ypg), pass defense (195.1 ypg), pass defense efficiency (107.0) and opponent first downs (14.7).
Alvarado was a four-year starter as a defensive back at New Mexico Highlands and received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the school in 2008 before adding a master’s degree from Texas A&M-Kingsville 2010.
He was a three year starter and team captain at  Farmington High School and was first-team all-state from 2002-03
