Cal’s star QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele commits to staying after new coach hire
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BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele committed on Saturday to staying with the program following the hiring of coach Tosh Lupoi.
Sagapolutele’s future was one the big questions hovering over the Golden Bears after his stellar debut season and the firing of coach Justin Wilcox last month.
Lupoi went to Hawaii to meet with Sagapolutele shortly after his introductory news conference on Friday and then Sagapolutele announced his intention to remain at Cal.
“After spending time with my family, a lot of prayer and many discussions, I have come to realize that Cal is the best place for me,” Sagapolutele said in a statement. “I am grateful to be surrounded by so many supportive people who can help me achieve the goals that I have on and off the football field. I am excited to finish this season with a group of guys who have put in so much work and effort and I look forward to the 2026 season.”
Sagapolutele expressed his belief in Cal’s future and urged others to join the program.
Sagapolutele is a big reason for optimism for the Bears after he threw for at least 200 yards in all 12 games this season — the only power conference player ever to begin a career with 12 straight games with at least 200 yards.
Sagapolutele threw for 3,117 yards with 17 TD passes and nine interceptions on the season. He was picked as ACC Rookie of the Week four times, the ACC’s Quarterback of the Week twice, and the Davey O’Brien award’s national QB of the week twice.
“We are very excited about having Jaron return,” said Cal general manager Ron Rivera, who has been working all season to raise the money to upgrade the roster, including retaining Sagapolutele.
“Jaron is not only a great quarterback with a bright future, but he is also a leader, he’s respected in the locker room and he exemplifies everything about what it means to be a California Golden Bear.”
Cal went 7-5 in the regular season with wins over No. 14 Louisville and No. 25 SMU in November. In between those two wins, the Bears also lost 31-10 to Stanford in the Big Game, leading to the immediate firing of Wilcox.
Nick Rolovich took over on an interim basis and led the team to the win over the Mustangs and will coach the team in an upcoming bowl game while Lupoi finishes his job as defensive coordinator at Oregon.
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