Two days after the Cal football team became bowl-eligible with a 54-24 win over Oregon State, Cal Athletics announced that it has begun contract-extension talks with head coach Sonny Dykes, who took over the program in December of 2012.

In a statement, Cal athletic director Mike Williams commended Dykes’ contributions to the team’s improvement on the field, along with its steady improvement in the classroom. After an all-time low multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 921 in 2009-10, the program’s multi-year APR was announced to be 941 this past May and is expected to be even higher when the APR is released next spring.

“He has changed the culture within the program and it is where it needs to be. And the team’s performance on the field has improved significantly. We have gone from 1 to 5 to 6 wins (and counting) and are now bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011. Sonny is our guy and we plan on him being here,” Williams said in the statement. “Within the UC system, coaching contracts are a process and they require the approval of the president. We are engaged in that process now and cooperating with all parties involved as we move through it.”

Rumors that Dykes was looking to leave the program after this season began to circulate several weeks ago, but they were vehemently denied by the Cal athletics department.

Dykes is currently in year three of a $9.7 million, five-year contract that lasts through the 2017 season.

Michelle Lee covers football. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @michelle_e_lee.