NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
Last season’s Golden Bears had their flaws and finished 7-5, 7th in the ACC. They landed a spot in the Hawai’i Bowl, a game they were supposed to win. Hawai’i pulled off a 21-point comeback in the second half and scored a touchdown in the final ten seconds for the win.
But that was last season. This season is brand new, with a new head coach, new offensive and defensive coordinators, and plenty of new top talent.
The Golden Bears parted with Head Coach Justin Wilcox after nine seasons and a 48-55 (.465) overall record. A month later, the Bears announced they were hiring Bay Area native Tosh Lupoi, a former Golden Bear defensive lineman, coming off a successful season as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oregon.
Lupoi signed two new coordinators to join his team shortly after—Jordan Somerville as first-time offensive coordinator and Bay Area native Michael Hutchings as defensive coordinator. Somerville was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons as the assistant quarterbacks coach working with Baker Mayfield. Hutchings spent three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, whose defense ranked fifth in the NFL in 2025 (16 games).
To close out their busy offseason, the Bears were aggressive in the transfer portal, signing 34 new players to the roster, including two high schoolers. In February, 247Sports ranked Cal’s transfer portal class second in the ACC and 14th nationally.
From Cal PR: The eight Cal newcomers listed below ranked in the top 25 at their position in the 2026 transfer portal, while Hendricks (No. 61) and Strong (No. 97) were also among the top 100 players overall. (247Sports and/or On3)
- Mohammed, No. 6 RB
- Thomas, No. 6 TE
- Lopa, No. 8 S
- Harris, No. 13 CB
- Hendricks, No. 16 WR
- Bird, No. 18 LS
- Johnson, No. 18 DL
- Strong, No. 22 WR
Head coach Lupoi is familiar with recruitment. He has recruited some of the top defenses throughout the country and made it clear that that type of recruiting is essential to this program’s growth.
“We came together as a staff, and it was made very clear that it’s all going to start with our talent acquisition. We are going to attack that exactly how we attack coaching and game planning and the emphasis and the details of everything we put into this program, and try to do the best as possible.”
With so much new, one person gratefully remained the same. Quarterback Jaron-Keawa Sagapolutele chose to return to Cal for his second year, and with much promise.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s Sophomore Season
JKS shined in his freshman season, which led to him attracting eyes from all over the nation. Lupoi wanted Sagapolutele to feel secure in the Cal football program, so he immediately flew to Hawai’i to learn what mattered most to him. They shared the same goal: winning. Lupoi shared his commitment to making the proper improvements to the football program, and JKS appreciated his honesty.
“That was one more great statement,” Lupoi said. “We’re not going to be a feeder school here. We’re going to be a developmental school and start changing things here. I think Jaron made a huge statement for us by reaffirming his commitment to Cal Berkeley.” (Antonio Morales, The Athletic)
Sagapolutele has big goals for himself in his second season. He feels more confident, and he said he understands the playbook far better than in his first season. He feels comfortable, and it shows in the way he carries himself. JKS also shared that the vibes are great with this team, and they are ready to hit the field to show how much work they’ve done in the past nine months.
“[With the offense] we’ve been finding our stride; we’ve been really rolling in practice. We’re really ready to show what we can do on Saturday. The defense is always putting in the work, challenging us to get better, and it’s great vibes all around.”
