Cal Coach Tosh Lupoi's Whirlwind First Day to Keep Star QB

New Cal coach Tosh Lupoi flew to Hawaii in a suit to meet with QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and convince him to stay with the program.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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When Tosh Lupoi took over as the new head football coach at the University of California, Berkeley, his top priority was keeping star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from entering the transfer portal. After Sagapolutele missed the first team meeting, Lupoi hopped on a flight to Hawaii, without any luggage, to meet with the quarterback and his family in the middle of the night, making a passionate pitch to keep him in Berkeley.

Why it matters

Retaining Sagapolutele, a highly touted young QB, was crucial for Lupoi as he looked to rebuild the Cal program. With the coaching change, Sagapolutele was a prime target for other schools, so Lupoi had to act quickly to solidify his commitment to the Bears.

The details

Lupoi left the initial team meeting and rushed to the San Francisco airport, buying a ticket to fly to Honolulu to track down Sagapolutele, who had returned home to Hawaii. Lupoi reached out to Cal alumni and contacts to help arrange transportation and a meeting with the quarterback and his family, ultimately sitting down with them from around 12:30 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. local time to make his pitch for Sagapolutele to stay at Cal.

  • Lupoi took over as Cal's new head coach on December 5, 2025.
  • Lupoi flew to Hawaii in the early hours of December 6, 2025 to meet with Sagapolutele.
  • The transfer portal opened less than a month later, and Sagapolutele ultimately remained committed to Cal.

The players

Tosh Lupoi

The new head football coach at the University of California, Berkeley, who was previously the defensive coordinator at Oregon.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

The star freshman quarterback at Cal, who was a prime target for other schools after the coaching change.

Dan McInerny

A Cal graduate and one of the founding partners of the sandal company OluKai, who provided Lupoi with transportation in Hawaii.

Tyson Alualu

A Honolulu legend who played for Lupoi at Cal before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick, and who helped Lupoi connect with contacts in Hawaii.

Fernando Mendoza

The Indiana quarterback who had spent his first three seasons at Cal and was the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy that year, which Lupoi wanted to show Sagapolutele was possible at Cal.

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What they’re saying

“God is Good. Mahalo to #CoachLup for coming to visit me and my family in HI. I believe in Cal and what this football program is capable of. #ComeToCal #GoBears #SmartAndTough”

— Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele (Twitter)

What’s next

Lupoi still needed to finalize the details of any revenue share/NIL deal with Sagapolutele and hire his full coaching staff, but he felt confident he had done everything he could to keep his star quarterback committed to the Cal program.

The takeaway

Lupoi's whirlwind first day on the job, including his impromptu flight to Hawaii to meet with Sagapolutele, demonstrated his relentless commitment to rebuilding the Cal football program and keeping its top talent in place, even in the face of a coaching change.