Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Will Factor into Cal Coach Search

Cal’s players aren’t available for interviews this week in the wake of coach Justin Wilcox’s firing.

But their voices will be heard during the process of hiring his replacement, football general manager Ron Rivera promised.

In particular, Rivera said he will have conversations with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, the Bears’ talented freshman quarterback.

“Knowing who he is and what he means to us, there’s going to be a lot of thought in who’s next and what that staff’s going to look like as well,” Rivera said Tuesday while meeting with reporters.

Rivera understands Cal fans are nervous about the program’s ability to keep Sagapolutele from exploring a football home elsewhere.

Rivera said he hasn’t decided yet whether to create a committee of players to help in the process or ask serious candidates to address the entire roster. But he is eager to get feedback from the players.

“I think it’s important they have a voice in this as well because whoever becomes head coach is going to lead these young men,” he explained. “So they deserve to have a say in it as well."

It’s not lost on Rivera, a former All-America linebacker and two-time NFL coach of the year, that retaining Sagapolutele could also curb an exodus of other players into the transfer portal.

A year ago, quarterback Fernando Mendoza announced plans to transfer to Indiana, perhaps playing a part of running back Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma) and tight end Jack Endries (Texas) also leaving Berkeley.

Rivera intends to lay out how the new coach and staff will help Sagapolutele pursue the goals he has for the team and for his long-term aspirations to play in the NFL.

“Part of it will be about his growth and development as a football player and as a student-athlete,” Rivera said. “This is very, very important, making sure he understands that we are looking in his best interests as well. We’ve got him in mind, as we do his teammates.”

Sagapolutete came to Cal from his high school in Hawaii, won the starting job in fall camp and leads all true freshman quarterbacks with 2,518 passing yards. He has earned praise from the coach of virtually every team the Bears have faced.

Nick Rolovich, who will serve as interim head coach for the Bears' regular-season finale against SMU at home Saturday and their still-undecided bowl assignment, got to know Sagapolutele well in his role as senior offensive analyst.

Asked about Cal’s ability to retain Sagapoutele while many of the nation’s top programs are expected to come calling, Rolovich says there are reasons to feel optimistic.

“I think he’s very happy here. I think he’s a wonderful young man, I think he wants to win. I think he’d like to make everybody at this university, including the fans, proud of the football team,” Rolovich said.

“But he’s still a 19-year-old young man who needs somebody there for him. Being there for him if he wants to talk about it, he wants to cry, laugh, whatever, that’s what I would like to do.”

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