Three Quarterbacks Duel for Cal's QB2 Assignment

Transfer Jackson Brousseau and returnees EJ Caminong and Dominic Ingrassia are competing to be Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele's understudy

Jackson Brousseau | Courtesy of Cal Football

It was just one year ago this week that Cal named freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele its starting quarterback. Until the games began, it was unclear JKS would emerge as the productive player we saw last season.

The quarterback question this fall camp is who will win the QB2 assignment?

Three players — redshirt junior Jackson Brousseau and redshirt sophomores EJ Caminong and Dominic Ingrassia — are involved in the competition that apparently remains up for grabs.

Quarterbacks coach and associate head coach Nick Rolovich said he likes the trio operating behind Sagapolutele and envisions capable depth that will compare with any team.

“One thing I’ve kind of said in quarterback rooms I’ve had is striving to be the best quarterback unit in the nation, top to bottom,” he said. “I really like this group and I like the way they’ve taken to that.”

Rolovich said the coaching staff should move closer to identifying No. 2 after the team’s second scrimmage, set for Saturday. He is confident the Bears will be in good hands at that spot “because of the reps they’re getting, the people they are and the talent they have.”

Here’s a look at the three candidates and what Rolovich had to say about each: 

— Jackson Brousseau came to Cal last spring as a transfer from Colorado State, where he was a part-time starter for a 2-10 team last season, completing 63.7% of his passes for 1,354 yards with nine touchdowns and just three interceptions, all of them in the same game.

Mostly because of his experience, Brousseau was presumed to be the frontrunner for the QB2 role when he arrived, and that may turn out to be the case. But it's not yet settled.

“Jackson, really happy with that acquisition in the portal,” Rolovich said. “Really kind human, really good for the (quarterback) room. Very smart. Brings great dialogue, maturity. I think he’s someone Jaron can lean on very much."

Rolovich later praised Brousseau’s communication skills and suggested he looks like a coach in the room, almost a quality control GA level contributor.  

“He asks excellent questions. He conceptualizes things in his brain. He knows a lot,” Rolovich said.

EJ Caminong | Courtesy of Cal Football

— EJ Caminong arrived at Cal in the fall of 2024 from Seattle’s Garfield High School. He has seen action in one game each of his two seasons on campus, most notably off the bench in Cal’s 24-13 loss to UNLV at the 2024 LA Bowl. He had served as the Bears’ third-string QB all season, and the lack of practice reps he likely received showed in his performance.

“EJ has quick release, accuracy, cares a lot,” Rolovich said. “I think he fits the offensive scheme really well. He’s had three really good days in a row right now.”

— Dominic Ingrassia came to Cal before last season on the heels of leading College of San Mateo to the California state JC championship. The Bay Area native saw no action last season.

“Dom has shown some athleticism where he may have a different role. He’ll play in this offense in a different way,” said Rolovich, alluding to the fact that neither Brousseau or Caminong provides much of a running threat.

First-year offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville has done a good job of identifying the strengths of each quarterback along with how they can improve their deficits, Rolovich said.

“The cool thing about quarterbacks, they don’t all have to be robots,” Rolovich added. “The offense gives us a lot of flexibility to allow different type of quarterbacks to have success.”

Rolovich also said first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi’s practice template gives backups plenty of chance to show what they can do and improve through reps.

“The way Coach Tosh has set up practice has made this very effective when you’re talking about a battle like that. The amount of reps everyone gets, including Dom, and Jackson and EJ, you get a huge piece of work you’re able to make decisions off of,” Rolovich said.

“And I haven’t really been around that. The way the practice is organized, it leads to everyone feeling a part of it, everyone feeling like they have a chance. It’s been really good for us to track numbers, decision-making. 

“Then you start seeing patterns: What is somebody maybe better at? What is somebody struggling with? You just get more banked reps and that is allowing to make an ever fairer evaluation.”

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