Cal Sports Report

Will Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Be the Next Great Cal Quarterback?

Pro Football Focus says ‘JKS could leap to superstar status as a sophomore’
Jake Curtis|
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

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California Golden Bears

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s promising freshman season has led to some mighty high expectations for him as a Cal sophomore.

A week ago, Pro Football Focus stated “JKS could leap to superstar status as a sophomore.”

It leads to four questions:

---Are we expecting too much?

---Can he handle the pressure of those elevated expectations?

---Is his surrounding cast and coaching staff at Cal good enough to enable Sagapolutele to shine?

---Will he be the next quarterback from Cal to become a star in the NFL?

Deeg Sports recently calculated the production of quarterbacks over the past 10 years and determined that Cal quarterbacks have been more productive in the NFL than quarterbacks from any other college.

That reflects the production of Aaron Rodgers, who won two of his four MVPs during that period, and Jared Goff, who had a typical season statistically in 2025, finishing third in the league in passer rating, second in touchdown passes, second in passing yards per game and second in TD-to-interception margin.

Previously, Joe Kapp, Craig Morton and Steve Bartkowski came from Cal to become standout NFL quarterbacks as well.

Is Sagapolutele next?

Sagapolutele cannot enter the NFL draft until after the 2027 season, but the hype is already beginning.

Earlier this month, while predicting the 2026 starting quarterback for every ACC team, Pro Football Focus had this to say about Sagapolutele:

Sagapolutele is coming off a terrific freshman season, posting a 79.4 PFF passing grade that led all true freshmen. His 28 big-time throws were also tied for seventh among all quarterbacks in the country. JKS could leap to superstar status as a sophomore.

PFF added more impressive information about Sagapolutele with this tweet:

An outfit known as College Football Alerts named Sagapolutele as one of 15 players fans will fall in love with in 2026.

The addition of three talented receivers through the transfer portal – wide receiver Ian Strong from Rutgers, wide receiver Chase Hendricks from Ohio and tight end Dorian Thomas from New Mexico –and the possible return of wide receiver Jacob De Jesus (the court decision in which he is one of many plaintiffs should come soon) should give Sagapolutele some trustworthy targets in 2026.

However, we need to slow the hype train just a little. Sagapolutele was not named to the first-, second, or third-team all-ACC squads in 2025.  And he wasn’t one of the two additional ACC quarterbacks who earned honorable mention. Sagapolutele was not on ESPN's list of the top 100 players in 2025, which was posted last month. But another ESPN report posted a week ago listed Sagapolutele as one of 18 early candidates for the 2026 Heisman Trophy.

The Bears need to improve their offensive line to provide adequate pass protection. Cal allowed 32 sacks last season, and although Sagapolutele has demonstrated mobility in the pocket, he’ll never be considered a dual-threat quarterback.

Cal also needs to improve its running game. The Bears ranked 133rd of 134 FBS teams in rushing offense in 2025, and few quarterbacks can be productive without a running threat.

Cal has a new coaching staff, led by head coach Tosh Lupoi. Will they use Sagapolutele effectively, and how will Sagapolutele respond to new offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville and the other  passing-game coaches? Retaining Nick Rolovich to the staff should provide a measure of comfort.

Then there is the question of how Sagapolutele will react to the predictions of stardom.

Sagapolutele won’t turn 20 for several months, and loading him with unattainable expectations could be tough to handle.

So far he has shown remarkable maturity. He has never backed away from tough media questions and has never wilted in the clutch.  In fact, his best moments have come in the most pressurized situations.

Ultimately a quarterback's worth is measured by his team's win-loss record. Can Cal provide the type of success in 2026 that will bring fame to Sagapolutele? The 7-6 record Cal had in 2025 might not be enough.

Cal fans are expecting a lot from Sagapolutele in 2026. So is the college football world. But the proof will come on the field.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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