Four-star Oregon quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a class of 2025 prospect who signed with the Ducks on Dec. 4, has confirmed to ESPN that he will enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Initially committed to Cal in the summer, Sagapolutele flipped his pledge to Oregon during the early signing period and enrolled at the school last month.
"I just felt that I wasn't a main priority [at Oregon]," Sagapolutele told ESPN. "Of course there's going to be competition anywhere I go. But I'm just looking at other QB rooms and the best place for me to go get on the field early."
The 6-foot-3 player from Ewa Beach, Hawai'i, is ESPN's No. 18 pocket passer in the 2025 class and was the 17th-ranked prospect in the Ducks' incoming recruiting class, which sits at No. 1 in ESPN's rankings for the cycle.
247Sports was first to report Sagapolutele's intention to enter the portal.
Sagapolutele, an accurate thrower who became the state of Hawai'i's all-time high school passing leader in the fall, emerged as a coveted late riser in the 2025 class.
He committed to Cal on July 8 before drawing fall offers from Oregon and Georgia during his senior season. He considered both schools along with Cal into the final weeks ahead of the early signing period -- visiting Oregon in October and flirting with November trips to Georgia -- before flipping his pledge to the Ducks when the signing period opened Dec. 4.
"It's not very often that you get to this point and you don't know which way it's leaning or where it's at," Ducks coach Dan Lanning said of Sagapolutele on Dec. 4. "What I did know was where Jaron's heart was this whole time. I think the process started a little bit later here for us. His heart was wanting to be here at Oregon and I'm really excited about him and what he'll bring to the table for us."
Sagapolutele participated in preparations for the Rose Bowl prior to the Ducks' loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Cal did not sign another quarterback prospect in the 2025 class following Sagapolutele's flip, and the Golden Bears are expected to be among the programs in the mix for his signature once Sagapolutele officially enters the portal.
Because Sagapolutele enrolled with Oregon last month, he is permitted to use the transfer portal rather than requiring a release from his financial aid agreement with the Ducks. Oregon players have five days from the program's loss in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 to formally enter the portal.
Sagapolutele's move to the portal marks a rare decision from a high-profile quarterback prospect, but there is precedent as recently as the 2024 recruiting cycle. Five-star quarterback Julian Sayin, ESPN's No. 9 overall prospect in the 2024 class, enrolled at Alabama last year before entering the portal and transferring to Ohio State following Nick Saban's retirement.
While Oregon is set to lose veteran passer Dillon Gabriel after the 2024 season, the Ducks have chosen not to pursue transfer quarterbacks in this portal cycle and are expected to move forward with Dante Moore and Austin Novosad as the program's top options under center in 2025. Oregon also signed four-star 2025 quarterback prospect Akili Smith Jr. (No. 87 in the ESPN 300) during the early signing period. Smith, the son of former NFL passer Akili Smith, took part in bowl practices and will officially join the Ducks this month as an early enrollee.