'Anything's possible': Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele talks Cal journey at Pop Warner Ceremony

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — While Week 1 is nearly six months away, it was football season on Saturday night at the Grand Bay Hotel, 12 miles south of San Francisco International Airport. 

Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Stanford general manager Andrew Luck were honored in front of a packed crowd as Glenn “Pop” Warner Memorial Trophy recipients, a nod given to the best college football player in the West.

“It’s a blessing, receiving any award,” Sagapolutele told Bear Insider. “Credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus. (I’m) very blessed and very excited.”

“I'm honored and thrilled about receiving this award retroactively, especially considering Pop’s history with Stanford,” Luck added.

Sagapolutele, for his unreal freshman season with the Bears in 2025, and Luck, for his classic 2010 campaign with the Cardinal, are the first to earn the honor in nearly two decades. Much credit is due to former Stanford signal-caller John Paye for spearheading the revival of the annual tradition.

As one could imagine, Sagapolutele and Luck spent plenty of time taking pictures with admirers and chopping it up with other gridiron greats.

But in the middle of the madness, Cal’s prized quarterback offered his time to discuss his journey and team in an exclusive interview with Bear Insider.

“I mean, who could’ve imagined?” Sagapolutele, a native Hawaiian, said. “Just being so young — I mean, I guess I'm still young — but like a year ago (was) my first time ever living out in the mainland, at Cal. Who would've thought that this would be my reality now? So, God gets the glory.

“I'm just thankful that he helped me throughout the whole process, and now this is my reality. I'm just so thankful and so grateful that I get to show out for all the people that love Cal and that continue to support us.”

The past year has been quite a whirlwind for Sagapolutele.

Around this time in 2025, the then-18-year-old was an early enrollee, finding his way in Berkeley, well before starring for Cal as a true freshman. But as Sagapolutele said, this is his reality now.

Of course, Ewa Beach will always be the motherland. However, the rising sophomore has truly made — and continues to make — his mark in the Bay.

“Yeah, for sure,” Sagapolutele said about feeling at home at Cal. “I'm not going home for a while. Last year, I would get a little homesick, maybe in the first couple months; you know, I went home for spring break — but now I'm not. I'm staying up here. I'm really enjoying it.

“I'm surviving,” he added about his academic experience. “My grades are all good. I'll continue to make sure I'm eligible to play and not just be eligible, but to excel in academics, because football's going to end at some point; God willing, I'm going to have a long career, but I’m making sure that academics are taken care of.”

There is no more acclimating for Cal’s starting quarterback.

Besides being accustomed to living and learning in Berkeley, Sagapolutele is excitedly looking ahead to the 2026 season with new head coach Tosh Lupoi and new offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville. 

“It's a great blessing for sure,” Sagapolutele said. “We have a great bunch of guys that we just got, and I'm really excited to continue to build relationships and continue to grow the relationships I have with the guys still on the team.

“We're really excited that Coach Tosh came. He's building a great culture; we all believe in it, and we all love him. And I love Coach Somerville and what we're doing right now.”

The Bears completely retooled the program after their 7-6 finish in 2025, bringing in several new staffers, players and approaches to support the southpaw as the program strives for golden horizons.

So, what can Cal fans expect out of Sagapolutele and the new-look Bears?

“They can expect great things,” he said. “The real big thing that Tosh was hitting on was talent acquisition. So we got a lot out of the portal, and we got a lot of guys that stayed. Just being able to continue that … I think it's going to be a great year for us. 

“We're a sleeper team for sure.”

What about a College Football Playoff berth?

“I think we can,” Sagapolutele said. “I mean, anything's possible. And with the guys we have right now — it's possible.”

It would be wise to listen to the quarterback; all he has done is shatter expectations and raise the bar since arriving in Berkeley.

The 19-year-old literally has his own “JKS” apparel line dropping at the Cal Student Store on Monday; how many students have pulled that off?

“Hopefully, it's a good turnout,” Sagapolutele said. “I'm excited for it to release. It's just a blessing that I'm able to do these things. It should be good fun.”

While Saturday night at the Grand Bay Hotel had vibes that matched a Stanford home game, the hype is real behind Sagapolutele and Cal.

Week 1 in Berkeley can’t come soon enough.