Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Credits Dillon Gabriel For Recruiting Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

The Oregon Ducks made waves on the first day of the Early National Signing Period by flipping five-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from Cal. Ducks coach Dan Lanning revealed that it was current Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel who first spotted Sagapolutele at the Elite 11 Finals and brought him to the coaching staff’s attention. With Sagapolutele and four-star Akili Smith Jr. now in the fold, Oregon secured two of the nation’s top quarterback prospects in a single cycle.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning talks to the media / Five-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele commits to the Oregon Ducks / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images (Lanning) / @jaron_keawe Instagram (Sagapolutele)

EUGENE- It was a successful day for the Oregon Ducks as Wednesday marked the beginning of the Early National Signing Period. Oregon coach Dan Lanning managed to flip several athletes from other programs in this recruiting cycle, but perhaps the most shocking was five-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. 

Lanning spoke about the process of recruiting the five-star out of Hawaii during his press conference on Wednesday night.

“[Jaron’s] broke high school records there with Dillon in Hawaii, has done an unbelievable job, and came down to the wire,” said Lanning. “Even for Jaron to win the Marcus Mariota Award there in Hawaii, most recently, there's just a lot of history that makes this make a lot of sense for him being able to join our program.” 

Five-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele flipped to the Oregon Ducks from the California Golden Bears on signing day. / @jaron_keawe / Instagram

Sagapolutele, a 6-foot-3 quarterback out of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, had been committed to Cal since July. However, on Early National Signing Day, Sagapolutele unexpectedly flipped to Oregon—not even Oregon's coaching staff knew if they would secure the young quarterback's commitment. 

“It's not very often that you, you know, get to this point, and you don't know which way it's leaning or where it's at. And we really didn't necessarily know where it was at. What I did know is where Jaron's heart was this whole time. And, you know, I think the process started a little bit later here for us, but, you know, his heart was wanting to be here at Oregon, and I'm really excited about him and what he'll bring to the table for us," said Lanning.

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talks to the media during the post game press conference following the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Sagapolutele emerged as a standout at the 2024 Elite 11 Finals in June and wrapped up his high school career at Hawai'i's Campbell High School last month as the state's all-time passing leader with 10,563 career yards. It was at the Elite 11 Finals where Sagapolutele caught the attention of someone who would change his future: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. 

“Dillon actually saw Jaron first and mentioned him to us when he saw him at the Elite 11,” revealed Lanning. “[Dillon Gabriel] brought him back and said, ‘Hey, this is a guy that you guys want to take a look at.’ So I think he deserves a lot of credit for us getting our eyes on Jaron first and being able to start that relationship and start building that relationship.” 

Sagapolutele was not the only quarterback the Ducks landed Wednesday. Oregon also signed four-star Akili Smith Jr., the son of former Oregon Duck Akili Smith, who went on to be drafted No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Nov 9, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) walks off the field after a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Smith Jr. joins Sagapolutele as the two quarterbacks Oregon secured in this recruiting cycle. While most programs across the country typically take just one, Oregon managed to land two of the top quarterback prospects in the nation. 

The Ducks signed many of the nation’s best prospects, including 247Sports’ No. 1 and No. 4 ranked wide receivers, Dakorien Moore and Dallas Wilson.

“I think you want to challenge yourself to go take the best players, and I think we've got some really talented ones coming in. We like competitiveness across the board,” said Lanning. “We got multiple good quarterbacks on our team right now, but you can't have one, right? Because when you have one, and one gets hurt, you don't have any. So it's really important that we continue to build, strengthen our program, and create competition throughout our program. And that really goes with every position.” 

By landing both Sagapolutele and Smith Jr., Oregon has shown it’s willing to push boundaries in building one of the nation’s most competitive rosters. The addition of two elite quarterbacks in one cycle reflects the program’s relentless pursuit of excellence under Lanning. With these signings, the Ducks are not just securing their future, but they’re also making a bold statement about their intentions on the national stage. 

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