The California football program went through a rocky 6-7 2024 season, capped off with loss to the UNLV Rebels in the Art of Sport LA Bowl. Now, as they shift their focus to 2025, it's clear that the Golden Bears are looking to make a charge up the standings. Not too long ago, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox hired former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin to be his new offensive coordinator. Now, the duo has reportedly lured former five-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele back to Berkeley.

“2025 5-star QB and Oregon transfer Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele discusses his decision to commit to Cal with @SWiltfong_,” posted @On3Recruits on X, formerly Twitter. “Look forward to putting in work and getting on the field to compete!”

With his flip to the California football program, as well as Harsin and Wilcox, Sagapolutele is now the top player in their 2025 recruiting class. He could compete for the starting quarterback role next season, as Harsin and the coaching staff install a new system. This season's starter, Fernando Mendoza, transferred to Indiana, so a new signal caller will be needed for next season and beyond. Will it be Sagapolutele? That certainly is a possibility.

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This season was an improvement for the California football team, as Wilcox and his staff coaxed a 6-7 record out of the program. In 2022, they went 4-8. It was also the best season since 2019's 8-5 mark. The Independence Bowl loss to UNLV stung, but provided a lot of extra practice opportunities for a young team. This is a program ripe for improvement, which is something both Wilcox and Harsin hope for. If California football rises to the mid-upper tier of the ACC, and wins 7-9 games, that's the best season they've had since the aforementioned 2019.

Harsin should bring a fresh offensive approach, and Sagapolutele could be a big part of that change. The former 5-star has a strong physical skillset mixed with a high football IQ. Cal was able to flip him from the Oregon Ducks, the Golden Bears' former PAC-12 rival. The Ducks were 13-0 before losing in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal to fellow Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State. So, it's safe to say this is a big flip. Just how big? Well, that depends on how strong the relationship between offensive coordinator and quarterback can be. The stronger the bond, the broader the possibilities.