James Campbell High School’s former star quarterback, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, has been making waves as starting quarterback for the University of California, Berkeley’s football program during the team’s 2025 season, their second after transferring to the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC).
The Campbell alumnus initially committed to Cal in July of 2024 before he decided to flip his commitment, signing on to the University of Oregon. Sagapolutele had begun training with the Oregon Ducks for a brief period during the team’s Rose Bowl preparations. However in January of 2025, Sagapolutele decided to transfer back to Cal. So far, Sagapolutele has played two games with the Golden Bears, the first against Oregon State and the second against Texas Southern.
August 30th, 2025 saw Sagapolutele’s collegiate debut with a 34-15 victory against the Oregon Beavers at Reser Stadium. During the game, he completed 20 out of his 30 passes, with an impressive total 234 passing yards. Sagapolutele had also put up three touchdowns with a clean zero interceptions. Sagapolutele is only the second true freshman starting quarterback for Cal ever since Jared Goff in 2013. The freshman’s performance during this game earned him the title of ACC Rookie of the Week.
The alumnus’ second collegiate game against Texas Southern University on September 6th was another win for the Bears. This time around, Sagapolutele was unable to throw a touchdown the entire game. Though, he was able to run the ball in the second quarter, scoring a touchdown for the team. After a two point conversion, California was up 11 – nothing by halftime. The bears were off to a poor start, “It all starts with me, I came out flat, y’know, I wasn’t hitting the passes that were wide open.” The freshman admitted in a post-game press conference. “I could’ve made it easier on myself, by not trying to play hero ball.” By the second half, the team found their footing and secured a few more rushing touchdowns, eventually ending the game with a 35-3 victory.
In the following week, the Bears would face off against the University of Minnesota. “There’s a lot of things that, myself, I can work for sure,” Sagapolutele said in the same interview. When the time came, Cal showed up and defeated Minnesota 27-14.
While the whole nation has their eyes on Sagapolutele and the Bears victory in the ACC, the impact of his fame is felt most here at home. Tamahere Collins, a former player on James Campbell High School’s football team has this to say in regards to the hometown hero, “Jaron was a hard working boy from the island and seeing how far he’s going is super motivational that us boys from the island can also make it far too.”
From OC16 to ESPN, Sagapolutele continues to be a force to be reckoned with. As the college football season goes on, it’s clear that many will be tuned in, watching and cheering for the Ewa Beach standout.
