Cal Sports Report

Oregon Flips Top Cal Recruiting Target QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

The Bears got a commitment from the Hawaii prep star in July but could not hold off the top-ranked Ducks

Jeff Faraudo

Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
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Cal’s best recruiting efforts could not hold off top-ranked Oregon, which successfully flipped elite quarterback prospect Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on Wednesday as national signing day began, according to multiple sources.

Sagapolutele, rated a 5-star prospect by On3, had committed to Cal back in July. But he blossomed this fall with Ewa High in Hawaii, breaking current Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s state record for passing yards.

Georgia also got involved but Sagapolutele announced a couple weeks ago that he was still committed to Cal but considering the Ducks.

Justin Wilcox responds to a question about Sagapolutele's last-minute flip in the video above:

Sagapolutele gave the nod to Oregon Wednesday morning, a blow to Cal’s recruiting class. The Bears formalized the signing of 10 players who previously committed to Cal but Sagapolutele was to be the Bears’ headliner.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder passed for 3,404 yards and 46 touchdowns with just three interceptions this season. He completed his career with 10,653 yards and an impressive 64.3-percent completion rate.

The Bears wound up signing 12 players on Wednesday. Here's the list, but we'll have more on them later:

Beckham Barney, inside linebacker, Mesa, AZ

Kaden Cook, defensive back, Round Rock, TX

Tre Harrison, defensive back, Gardena, CA

Jake Houseworth, tight end, Fortuna, CA

Ben Howard, offense line, Levi, UT

Michael Kliisewicz, offensive line, Brentwood, CA 

Anthony League, running back, Long Beach, CA 

Ike Ofkafor, defensive line, Houston, TX

Odera Okaka, outside linebacker, Pittsburg, CA (College of San Mateo)

Meyer Swinney, wide receiver/tight end, Minneapolis, MN

John Tofi Jr., outside linebacker, San Francisco, CA 

Jae-on Young, defensive back, Chatwsorth, CA

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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics. 

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