It was 6:57 a.m. when Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele conferred with his parents one last time.
The National Letter of Intent signing period would begin three minutes later in the gym at Campbell High School. While four of his classmates were set on their future destinations, the record-breaking, 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback still had two hats on his table: Cal and Oregon.
“It’s really emotional for me, especially with the people that have helped me along the way. We all had our say and our opinions in it, but I just really love the people that helped me,” he said.
He hugged mom and dad. Wiped away the tears. There was no doubt lingering. Chin up. Shoulders square. At 7 a.m., the Oregon Ducks cap covered his bleached-blonde ’do. By 7:10 a.m., he and his classmates — Aisiah Paogofie and Jordan Kernaghan (Hawaii football), Kayla Whaley (Cal State Bakersfield softball) and Lynea Kelsey (Northwest Nazarene golf) — finished thank-you speeches.
No more tears. In a few weeks, Sagapolutele finishes high school as an early graduate. Then it’s off to Eugene, Ore., to enroll in January and begin the next chapter, one that involves financial education in the new world of NIL. As he tries to absorb the football system quickly for one of the nation’s top teams, Sagapolutele’s choice of Oregon over his earlier commitment to Cal came down to simple economics.
“I just want to shout out and thank Mori (Sue‘sue) and the team (at The Standard). He’s been a big part of this. He’s my coach from my NIL team. He’s been a big help with me all the way. I’m so blessed that he helped me,” Sagapolutele said.
According to Sports Illustrated, Oregon’s NIL valuation is roughly $23 million. Oregon’s most established and successful players are raking in up to $486,000. The change in major sports wealth distribution for student-athletes boggles the mind, especially as the first Hawaii football player to land an NIL deal of this magnitude entering college. Though he felt strongly about his relationships with coaches and players in Eugene and Berkeley, the number of digits offered through the NIL collective with Oregon were too much to ignore. Through his NIL collective, Sagapolutele secured a deal with “six figures” by signing with the green team in Nike town.
“It’s quarterly,” he said of the income.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oregon had signed the No. 1- and No. 4-rated wide receivers (Dakorien Moore, Dallas Wilson), as well as the second-, fifth- and eighth-rated cornerbacks in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports’ Oregon beat writer, Erik Skopil. He also rated the Ducks’ signing class as the fifth best in the nation, with room to rise.
Sagapolutele’s visit to Oregon three weeks ago during a bye week made a major difference, but there was no finality until Tuesday, the eve of signing day. The Golden Bears fired offensive coordinator Mike Blosch on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing a change of direction for Sagapolutele.
“The decision came late last night, honestly. I love Cal. It’s a great place, but with the OC change, it was something I wasn’t sure of. I was leaning a lot on Oregon, but I just really love my day ones from Cal. They’re all great people,” he said. “Coach (Oregon’s Dan) Lanning and Coach (Oregon’s OC Will) Stein, it’s a great place over there. Oh man, they’ve been showing me love every day.”
The communication channels were put on hold on Monday and Tuesday.
“The past two days I haven’t answered anyone’s calls. It’s just faith, family and decisions,” he said.
Part of the package for some NIL student-athletes is travel for parents to and from games.
“There’s a lot that goes into the discussion about a contract,” he said. “That’s all I’ll say for now.”
His older brother, John-Keawe Sagapolutele, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal and leave Hawaii. John-Keawe graduated from Punahou, where he was an All-State second-team selection by coaches and media. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele shattered the state career passing yardage record this season, making every type of throw imaginable on the gridiron.
Until the OIA final, he sparked Campbell to its first No. 1 ranking and an unbeaten record. The loss to Kahuku in the OIA title game, then the bad luck — a rib injury — in the state-tournament semifinals, left the Sabers with a memorable, if bittersweet, memory of the 2024 campaign.
Former Mililani, UCF and Oklahoma standout Dillon Gabriel is in his final season at Oregon.
“He’s been a big help in making my decision. He talked about the relationship with coaches. That goes a long way. Dillon followed his heart when he went from UCF to Oklahoma, just following his coach. I really like that. I’m just following my coaches right now to a place where I know I’m going to be great, a place where I can make my family happy and provide for them,” Sagapolutele said.
“We’re relieved,” said his mother, Setema. “He made his decision. It’s a tough decision, but all we can do is be grateful, be thankful, be blessed and be happy for him. This is the next chapter, the next phase of his journey, so we’re here to support him.”
Like mom, Tiki Sagapolutele will miss his son.
“As a father, that’s what you try to do — encourage your kids to try their best and work hard,” he said. “We want to say thank you to the team at The Standard.”
Sagapolutele completed his senior season with 3,409 passing yards and 46 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He completed 212 of his 302 attempts (70.2%) and tallied a passer rating of 213.30, believed to be the highest in Open Division history. His grand total in three Open Division seasons: a state-record 10,653 passing yards.
Paogofie, a versatile 6-2, 195-pound linebacker and nickel back, was part of what may have been the best defensive unit in the program’s history. At UH, under position coach Chris Brown, he is prepared to play outside or inside.
“I’ll play anywhere. I felt great this morning, being able to get signed and go to the school I wanted to go to,” said Paogofie, who also had an offer from Nevada.
He committed to the Warriors in the summer.
“Being able to play under coach Timmy Chang, you know, and playing in front of my family, my friends. Staying at home is a great blessing for me,” he said. “Shout out to my family for always believing in me, and shout out to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”
Paogofie and offensive lineman Jordan Kernaghan will follow the footsteps of past Sabers, including Peter Manuma, who donned the green and black of Hawaii. Manuma, a safety, just completed his junior season with UH with his second All-Mountain West honorable mention notice.
Kernaghan had an offer from San Jose State, but in the end, opted to stay closer to his family.
“Shoot, just playing in front of my mom them and setting the foundation for every local boy,” he said.
Kernaghan also credited his girlfriend, who will also attend UH, with helping him through the ups and downs. The 6-4, 285-pound offensive lineman is also back on the hardwood playing basketball for Sabers coach Wyatt Tau.
“It feels great. This is the moment I was waiting for, putting pen to paper. UH is my home. Hawaii will always be my home,” he said. “It’ll be little steps right now, gradually going up and getting better.
Offensive line coach Derek Fa‘avi is a former Saber.
“Coach Fa‘avi is down to earth, a really chill guy. As a coach, he really knows what he’s talking about,” Kernaghan said.
Whaley was a force for Campbell’s softball team as a contact hitter with speed and power. She was also a force in center field, making spectacular catches. Whaley was an All-State second-team selection last spring as a junior.
“They’re very family-oriented, and very dedicated and focused on everything. I love how the coaches are a part of everything,” Whaley said. “It feels like a relief. I don’t have to play to get out there (recruited). I can play to have fun now.”
Whaley has played on two state-championship teams. As a freshman, she played for Maryknoll’s title squad. She transferred to Campbell and played on the Sabers’ state-title team as a sophomore.
Kelsey opted for a Division II college rather than a bigger school. Northwest Nazarene is in Idaho, 30 minutes outside of Boise.
“I recently went up there in August for a school visit. I really like the community. It’s a nice, small community. I want to major in nursing,” Kelsey said. “I’ve always been interested in a career in the medical field. Just helping people, to find a school where I can play golf and pursue an education. A lot of D-I schools normally don’t want you to major in nursing because it’s very hard. I’m super excited for this experience. I’m excited to experience snow, all the four seasons.”
Ducks flip blue-chip Ohio State commit
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele wasn’t the only blue-chip prospect that the Oregon Ducks flipped on signing day on Wednesday.
Ranked No. 1 by the College Football Playoff selection committee, the Ducks flipped a cornerback who spent the past 10 months on Ohio State’s board.
Sagapolutele is listed as the No. 9 quarterback in the nation by the 247Sports composite. He committed to Cal on July 8. He becomes the second quarterback in Oregon’s 2025 class, joining fellow four-star prospect Akili Smith Jr., who is listed as the No. 15 QB nationally.
Smith’s father played quarterback at Oregon from 1997 to 1998.
Offord, from Parker High School in Birmingham, Ala., is the nation’s No. 2 cornerback, as ranked by the 247Sports composite.
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