{"id":8162,"date":"2026-09-01T12:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8162"},"modified":"2026-09-01T12:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:07:02","slug":"qb-sagapolutele-driving-force-to-cal-football-and-hes-just-getting-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8162","title":{"rendered":"QB Sagapolutele ‘driving force’ to Cal football, and he’s just getting started"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BERKELEY \u2014 Tiki and Setema Sagapolutele will make the trip from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, to the Bay Area again this week to visit their son at college.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes September 1, 2026: Zendaya, be open to suggestions<\/a><\/p>\n

The weekend includes a Saturday night outing at Memorial Stadium where Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele will quarterback the Cal football team against UCLA in the Golden Bears\u2019 season opener.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really just a bonus for mom and dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so amazing. We don\u2019t live there so we don\u2019t get to experience a lot of the things he does, which helps us to just focus on him,\u201d Tiki said in a phone interview. \u201cWhen we go there, we really don\u2019t know the pressure he\u2019s dealing with. He doesn\u2019t talk about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo all we do is visit, go and watch the game and spend time with him. When we get together, just us three, we go have lunch somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tiki Sagapolutele and his wife do what they can to keep life as normal possible for their son, but most of their work in that area is already done.<\/p>\n

The left-hander from the island of Oahu won the starting job in fall camp as a true freshman last year and passed for at least 200 yards in every game. In all, he passed for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. Because he meshes a big arm, accuracy and an ability to throw with anticipation, the 20-year-old is considered a near sure-thing for the 2028 NFL draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never played with anyone like JKS,\u201d said Bears junior tight end Dorian Thomas, a transfer from New Mexico.<\/p>\n

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No one on the coaching staff works more closely with Sagapolutele than Nick Rolovich, the Bears\u2019 associate head coach who also leads the quarterback room. He\u2019s impressed by more than Sagapolutele\u2019s physical tools.<\/p>\n

Asked how JKS keeps his head above the waves of attention coming his way, Rolovich responded, \u201cI kind of felt like he had a lot of attention last year. Is there more this year? Oh, look at the eyebrows up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that keeps Jaron in a good place is his faith and his humility. His upbringing in Hawaii really does him well when these things come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sagapolutele says he doesn\u2019t feel any different this season. \u201cI\u2019m the same as always.\u201d He gives credit to his parents for providing him a foundation built on a faith in God that steadies his confidence in big moments.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s definitely helped me in just how well I process things and go through things,\u201d he said. \u201cJust the way my parents raised me, to always be humble, put others before myself, always lend a hand when others are in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing I can do all things through Him just strengthens me. That\u2019s really where I find my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Alameda County considers legal challenge to new rules for millions in nonprofit awards<\/a><\/p>\n

Sagapolutele certainly has the confidence of Tosh Lupoi, who made a midnight flight to Hawaii on the day he was introduced as Cal\u2019s new head coach last December to make sure he didn\u2019t lose his quarterback to the lure of the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankful that he\u2019s here. An incredible part of our future,\u201d Lupoi said. \u201cAs good a player as he is, from a character standpoint, his commitment . . . he\u2019s a driving force in our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sagapolutele was attending his former high school\u2019s state championship game when he got a call from his father saying Lupoi was on his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t met him until that day. That was crazy. I couldn\u2019t believe that he was flying here,\u201d Tiki Sagapolutele said. \u201cIt was an awesome experience to meet Tosh and listen to his plans for Jaron. It was amazing. Great guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s going to propel Cal to be a better team each and every year. Jaron loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sagapolutele also embraces life on campus, where fellow students often now recognize him. \u201cI don\u2019t mind at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just who he is, his father says. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t changed at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

His circumstances certainly have. In the current landscape of NIL payments and revenue sharing, Sagapolutele earns an estimated $3 million, according to multiple media reports. His father said the family has hired a team to help oversee the financial component, but that Jaron also enjoys treating teammates to dinner.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been really great on his own,\u201d Tiki Sagapolutele said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019d be able to handle all that pressure, being 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sagapolutele seems not to be affected by the expectations. He suggested \u201cthe sky\u2019s the limit\u201d for the Cal offense and is excited to get back on the field Saturday night with his teammates in front of what Cal officials are projecting could be a capacity crowd.<\/p>\n

New offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville is eager to see how it unfolds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy is playing fast, he\u2019s playing free, playing with love for his brothers next to him, and his energy\u2019s contagious right now,\u201d Somerville said recently. \u201cWe\u2019re in the dog days of training camp and this guy is still bringing a smile on his face, understanding that when you\u2019re the quarterback guys are going to feed off that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been super-cool to see him grow, taking on the challenge. That he\u2019s able to lead the charge is really cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Brownstein: The real reason moderates keep losing to progressives<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cal’s Sagapolutele emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in collge football last season as true freshman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nQB Sagapolutele ‘driving force’ to Cal football, and he’s just getting started - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8162\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"QB Sagapolutele ‘driving force’ to Cal football, and he’s just getting started - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cal's Sagapolutele emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in collge football last season as true freshman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8162\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-01T12:07:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"QB Sagapolutele ‘driving force’ to Cal football, and he’s just getting started\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-01T12:07:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162\"},\"wordCount\":938,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/c972f9575a52a62284216810a1f703ab-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8162\",\"name\":\"QB Sagapolutele ‘driving force’ to Cal football, and he’s just getting started - 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