Why Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s SI Quarterback Ranking Is So Impressive

On SI ranked the starting quarterbacks of all 68 Power Four Conference teams, and Cal’s Sagapolutele is in the top 20

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At first glance Cal fans may conclude that Bears sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is underrated in On SI’s ranking of the starting quarterbacks of all 68 Power Conference college football programs.  But if you consider how these rankings work, you should decide that Sagapolutele’s ranking at No. 16 really amounts to a level of respect for the Golden Bears’ signal-caller.

As we all know, a quarterback’s worth is generally based on the success of his team. So it’s no surprise that the top six quarterbacks on the On SI list all play for teams expected to contend for the national championship this season.

Quarterbacks ranked seventh through 15th all play for teams considered contenders for a conference championship if not a national title.

Then there’s Sagapolutele at No. 16.  The Bears were picked to finish 12th in the 17-team ACC in the conference media poll released Tuesday, and for a quarterback to be ranked in the top 20 on a team that is not expected to come close to a conference title suggests that his skills must be awfully impressive to be that highly ranked for a team expected to go nowhere.

ACC Network football analyst Max Browne is a big Sagapolutele fan:

Here we go again with these QB rankings. Every defensive coordinator in college football would rather face Julian Sayin (No. 2) or CJ Carr (No. 3) than JKS (No. 16).

But Cal's just not OSU or ND, I know I know. https://t.co/68Z7n5xJRP

— Max Browne (@MaxBrowne4) July 29, 2026

Of course, Cal fans are expecting the Golden Bears to finish a lot higher in the ACC standings than 12th, but that’s another story.

More significant is the fact that Sagapolutele is the second-highest ranked ACC starting quarterback, behind only Miami Darian Mensah, who is No. 5 overall.

Here’s how On SI ranked the ACC quarterbacks (with the overall ranking in parentheses):

--- 1. Darian Mensah, Miami (5)

--- 2. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal (16)

--- 3. CJ Bailey, North Carolina State (18)

--- 4. Kevin Jennings, SMU (20)

--- 5. Beau Pribula, Virginia (31)

--- 6. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech (32)

--- 7. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh (33)

--- 8. Steve Angeli, Syracuse (35)

--- 9. Lincoln Keinholz, Louisville (41)

--- 10. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech (42)

--- 11. Christopher Vizzina, Clemson (50)

--- 12. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest (55)

--- 13. Walter Eget, Duke (59)

--- 14. Ashton Daniels, Florida State (60)

--- 15. Billy Edwards Jr., North Carolina (61)

--- 16. Mason McKenzie, Boston College (64)

--- 17. Davis Warren, Stanford (68)

Cal will have the higher-ranked starting quarterback in every game the Bears play this season.

Cal does not face Miami and Darian Mensah this season, and the Bears’ three nonconference games are against UCLA on September 5 (quarterback Nico Iamaleava is ranked No. 26), UNLV on October 3 (the Rebels are still deciding whether Jackson Arnold or Alex Orji will be their starting quarterback), and Wagner on September 19 (Jack Stevens is expected to be this FCS team’s starting quarterback after throwing four times as many interceptions – eight – as touchdown passes – two – in 2025).

The Athletic ranks Sagapolutele even higher than On SI, putting him at No. 14 among all 138 FBS starting quarterbacks, but other preseason college football sites rank him considerably lower.