This is a notably step-up at QB. Just need our OL to be solid.
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Cal Football
The Football Roster Post Spring - The Quarterbacks (FREE)
It’s often called the single most important position in all of sports - Quarterback. Even without any hyperbole, it’s certainly the single most important variable outside of the head coach in predicting the success of a college football team. QBs set the tone in the locker room, they can lift or deflate an entire teams belief in itself and they can both overcome deficiencies on offense to raise a team up as well creating a fixed lower ceiling to an otherwise talented offensive unit.
Cal lost RS Sophomore Fernando Mendoza in what can only be described as a soap opera style parting of the ways. Mendoza went from unheralded recruit to a very solid college quarterback in a few short years. He was a gamer, who was tough and unafraid, gifted with a plus arm and good accuracy. He was also limited by a lack of pocket mobility, a tendency to hold the ball too long and more than a few mental gaffes (the sliding on a sure TD vs Wake Forest may still go down as the single most “interesting” decision of the 2025 season).
To replace him comes one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2022 class, a player who battled for the starting role at Ohio State the past two seasons only to find himself as the backup to two very productive players. Joining him is Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, one of the most heralded QB recruits in this most recent, 2025 class. Returning to the Bears is EJ Caminong, fresh off a RS Freshman bowl game disaster. The final piece is JC transfer Dominic Ingrassia, a 2024 recruit who won a JC State Championship at the College of San Mateo last Fall.
All four played this Spring, giving the staff and fans a head start on evaluating this room.
Departures:
Fernando Mendoza
Chandler Rogers
CJ Harris
Returners
EJ Caminong: 6’2, 210, RS Sophomore (6 of 19 for 57 yards in 2025)
Newcomers via Transfer
Devin Brown: 6’3, 215, RS Junior (27 of 48 for 331 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions at Ohio State over two seasons)
Dominic Ingrassia: 6’4, 200, Sophomore (CSM JC 3 Star Recruit)
Newcomers via High School*
Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele: 6’2, 210 (5 star by On3, Elite 11 Finalist)
*JKS was technically a portal transfer from Oregon after committing their in the December signing period
Projected Depth Chart entering Fall Camp
Brown
JKS
Caminong
Ingrassia
Observations
This Spring showed that this battle will be more interesting than may have been obvious given Brown’s pedigree both as a recruit and as key backup for the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Brown has good size, a plus arm, is a very capable runner and displayed the leadership and football acumen of a potential high level starter. However, he struggled at times in 11v11 this Spring with his consistency and accuracy and he will need to take a meaningful step forward early in Fall Camp to make himself the outright QB1.
JKS was as advertised in terms of his arm talent. His mechanics are messy, he had a steep learning curve adjusting to the pre and post snap reads needed in Bryan Harsin’s offense and his decision making at times was very much in line with a player that should have been attending HS classes in Hawaii. Yet, he can make throws both on and off platform that were startling in their velocity and accuracy. He made more big plays than the other QBs in the room combined and he has a natural charisma and low key style that resonated with his teammates. He got better as the Spring progressed but there’s a lot of work to do before he has a true command of this offense.
Ej Caminong looked like a completely different player from the overwhelmed Freshman playing in the LA Bowl. He’s taken to Harsin’s offense like a duck to water, making quick and correct reads, getting the ball out on time and showing off decent athleticism when its his turn to tuck it and run. His raw arm talent is clearly below that of JKS and Brown and he’s not a dynamic athlete so the question will be around his ceiling but if Spring was a real indicator of progress, he’s got a very solid floor and appears to be immediately capable of coming off the bench and having success.
Ingrassia got very few snaps in live drills given the three players ahead of him. You can see his natural accuracy and good poise and his arm is good enough. Hope to see more of him in Fall Camp.
Harsin really likes JKS and if he continues to progress and Brown doesn’t find enough consistency, don’t be surprised to see Cal play both early in the season.
Others in this series:
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