July 31, 2025; Berkeley, CA, USA; Cal Football Headshots at Memorial Stadium. Keith Heyward (Photo credit: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos)

Keith Heyward

  • Title
    Defensive Backs

Keith Heyward enters the first season of his second stint at Cal. He served as the outside linebackers coach in 2021. This time, Heyward will serve as a defensive backs coach.
 

  • Before rejoining the Golden Bears, Heyward served as the defensive coordinator at his Alma Mater, Oregon State.

  • Heyward has spent 17 of his 18 seasons as a collegiate coach on the West Coast.

  • Over the course of his career, Heyward has made an appearance in 14 bowl games.

  • Prior to his position in Corvallis, he spent a season as a defensive quality control coach for the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2023 season

  • Before his lone NFL coaching season, he spent the 2022  season as UNLV’s defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

  • While at UNLV, the Rebel’s defense intercepted 15 passes, most in the Mountain West and 14th nationally and  ranked in the top half of the Mountain West for red zone defense, third down defense and sacks.

  • In 2021, Heyward began his first stint in Berkeley, he was the outside linebackers coach for Cal.

  • That season, Cal’s defense finished fourth in the Pac-12 in total defense at 366.3 ypg and in sacks at 25.

  • He coached future NFL Draft pick Cameron Goode while at Cal.

  • Before Berkeley, he coached safeties at Oregon from 2017-20. In addition to safeties, he served as co-defensive coordinator for his last three seasons and assistant head coach for the last two.

  • Heyward spent 2016 as the defensive backs coach at Louisville. 2016 was his lone collegiate coaching season away from the west coast.

  • Before Louisville, he made stops at USC, Washington, Oregon State and Cal Poly. 

  • As a player, he was a four-year letterman at Oregon State (1997-2000).

  • Part of professional rosters with the British Columbia Lions, Scottish Claymores and Los Angeles Avengers. Also saw action in preseason NFL camps with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

Year-By-Year Coaching Positions
Season: Team – Coaching Position

2005-06: Oregon State – Graduate Assistant, Defense
2007: Cal Poly – Linebackers Coach
2008-11: Oregon State – Secondary Coach
2012-13: Washington – Secondary Coach
2014-15: USC – Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2016: Louisville – Defensive Backs
2017-20: Oregon – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2021: California – Outside Linebackers
2022: UNLV – Defensive Coordinator
2023: Las Vegas Raiders – Defensive Quality Control
2024: Oregon State – Defensive Coordinator
2025: California – Defensive Backs