QBs Devin Brown, Jaron Sagapolutele will be among Cal's ACC Media Days representatives
Conference media days mark the on-ramp to the college football season. All taking place throughout July, they offer reporters and fans an opportunity to learn the latest about teams heading into training camp. ACC Media Days will comprised of three days in Charlotte beginning July 22.
Cal is headed into its second season in the ACC, and it is a crucial time. The Bears have not had a winning season since 2019. Last season, Justin Wilcox‘s team finished 6-7 with several close losses.
His goal again will be to have the team get over the hump in those types of contests. To do so, there have been sweeping changes made to the program and staff. Cal nearly completely refreshed its staff on offense including bringing in new offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin.
On defense, the Bears promoted Vic So’oto and Terrence Brown to the co-coordinator positions.
Devin Brown and Jaron Sagapolutele will both join Wilcox at ACC Media Days
The changes to the staff and urgency to win games will undoubtedly be among the topics addressed this month. However, one of the more intriguing storylines will be the ongoing quarterback battle. Harsin and Wilcox have not felt pressure to name a starting quarterback.
Ohio State transfer Devin Brown has been the presumed leader in the clubhouse. But, freshman Jaron Sagapolutele put together a strong showing in the spring creating a bit more of a competition. Returning second-year freshman EJ Caminong also had bright moments in the spring.
In an interesting move, Cal will bring two of those players to Charlotte to represent the team. Brown and Sagapolutele will serve as the offensive representatives at the event. They will get to field questions from reporters and discuss the development of the team this offseason.
Naturally, the topic of the competition is sure to come up during their stay in Charlotte. The Bears still have training camp to decide what to do at the position, but bringing both players provides insight.
Sagapolutele is a big name and was the top offseason addition for Cal. However, that alone doesn’t typically warrant a player serving as one of the team representatives. Usually, upperclassmen make the trip with their head coach.
The freshman gained plenty of praise from the staff for his work throughout the spring. It would be fair to say that Sagapolutele is ahead of schedule in his development. So much so, that the coaches did not him out as an option at the position back in the spring.
“He has done some really good things as a young player being in here,” Wilcox said. “He just got here midyear. He’s got some special arm talent. He’s growing as a football player. A lot of this is new for him. When you talk about, shoot, just breaking a huddle, calling a play. But, he has learned very quickly. He’s doing a great job. We just need him to stay on the track that he’s on.”
Brown had some bright moments during spring practice as well. His ability to guide an offense and work within Harsin’s scheme stood out. Meanwhile, Caminong was arguably the most consistent quarterback during the spring.
“They’ve all shown some really impressive things on the football field and in the meeting room,” Wilcox said. “… All of them have another step that they can take this May, June, July and fall camp before we get to the first game. Very, very pleased with that quarterback room.”
Still, bringing two quarterbacks to a media day is out of the norm. Colorado made some noise by doing something similar on Wednesday. The Buffaloes brought transfer newcomer Kaidon Salter and touted freshman Julian Lewis to Dallas for Big 12 media days in Dallas.
CU head coach Deion Sanders was open about why he brought both of the quarterbacks. He said that he is unsure of which one will start so that is why both were accompanying him to the event. Wilcox tends to choose his words wisely in such situations, but it is certainly an intriguing decision that sheds some light on the competition.
Uluave and Keanaaina will represent the defense in Charlotte
Each team will have four representatives at the event. Quarterbacks grab headlines, but two of Cal’s most important defensive players will be on hand as well. Inside linebacker Cade Uluave and defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina were two of the most productive players for the Bears last year.
Uluave is the top returning tackler after compiling 71 stops in his sophomore season despite missing time with an injury. Keanaaina stepped into a key role in his first season after transferring from Notre Dame. He is poised to be one of the top contributors this fall.
The Bears did not add many new faces to the defensive coaching staff. However, there is still some intrigue about who will call plays and what the latest iteration of the group will look like come Aug. 30.
Cal lost several key players after the season. Four of them were drafted by NFL teams including three in the secondary. There is a lot of production to replace, but both Uluave and Keanaaina should provide some stability at their positions.
ACC Media Days will take place from July 22-24 with the Bears slated to have their time at the event on Day 1.
