February 19, 2026
By Andy Staples, On3 Sports: Because he was still pulling double duty as Oregon’s defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi had only a few minutes with his new team on Dec. 5. He wanted to make those precious seconds count. At the top of the new Cal coach’s mind? Retaining lefty, laser-beam slinging quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who had the sport buzzing as a true freshman and who — because of the coaching change — was a prime target for other schools seeking a high-ceiling QB.
As he entered that first team meeting in Berkeley, Lupoi planned to explain how working for Jeff Tedford, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Dan Lanning and other standout coaches had helped him craft a philosophy that would guide Lupoi as he led his alma mater. Lupoi also planned to call first-team All-ACC linebacker Cade Uluave and Sagapolutele to stand before their teammates. Lupoi would then start the sales pitch to make sure the best players stayed at Cal. As he addressed the team, Lupoi realized his plan had a glaring flaw.
Uluave wasn’t there. (He would transfer to BYU.) “Jaron wasn’t there, either,” Lupoi said. “I’m thinking, ‘Don’t these guys have school? What are we doing?’”
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