WATCH: Cal GM Ron Rivera previews the 2025 season

Ron Rivera is nearing the start of his first season as Cal’s general manager. The Bears legend took over his new post in the spring and now sits less than two weeks away from the opener. Projections have the Bears slotted to finish near the bottom of the ACC standings, but Rivera’s hope is the team makes strides after several close losses in 2024.

Rivera has his hands involved in all areas with the team, and he spoke Wednesday with reporters to look ahead to the upcoming season.

Cal going with a freshman at quarterback

Earlier in the month Rivera spoke about the talent level of freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. The freshman has been impressive since his arrival in Berkeley. Rivera likened some of his passes to those he watched while in the NFL.

Sagapolutele was named the starting quarterback earlier this week. He beat out Ohio State transfer Devin Brown for the job, and Rivera agreed with the final choice by the staff.

“There’s a different type of energy and vibe that you felt when he was out there with the guys,” the Cal general manager said. “And you watch Devin, you see a guy that’s a game manager. Does a very nice job, has the ability to make plays. But with [Jaron], there was a little something that was different. You could feel it, and you could see it.”

Rivera said he was “part of the discussion” in helping head coach Justin Wilcox and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin decide on the starter. He advised the staff to make a decision this week instead of game week to alleviate any pressure on the starting quarterback. Rivera felt it would help avoid unnecessary distractions heading into the game.

Ultimately, he believes Sagapolutele is the right player for the job.

“It doesn’t look like much shakes him up right now,” Rivera said. “It really doesn’t. I mean, obviously, you won’t know until the game starts for real. And, Oregon State’s gonna be a tremendous test and not just for him, but for the whole team. I think that you see him stay very steady, very calm. Especially in some of the practices.

“There’s been some interesting situations where if he goes outside of himself, the players would feel that, but he doesn’t. He stays within the framework of what the coaches are trying to get across. I think he and coach Harsin have really developed a rapport. I think he and coach (Nick) Rolovich have worked well together. And I think him working with the other guys has been good as well, and that’s what you really want.”

Success will be marked by eight or nine-win season

One question that has come up often this offseason has been what amount of wins would it take for Cal to feel like it is making progress? The Bears have not had a winning record since 2019. The program seemed to be on a different trajectory last year but ran into some familiar problems. Close losses doomed the Bears.

Rivera is aiming for the team to get over that hump, and he was asked Wednesday what a successful season will look like in 2025.

“I think anything that puts us in a solid bowl game,” Rivera said. “Eight, nine wins. I think that’s what you’re looking for. That shows growth. Growth from last year. Last year we didn’t win the close games. We gotta win the close games. We wanna win eight or nine, we gotta win those close games for sure. Last year, that’s how close it was.

“… We all understand that, and we know that the clock’s ticking. There’s a lot of pressure to be successful, especially in today’s climate. For us, it’s putting ourselves in position where we can win those games.”

Rivera spoke with reporters for close to 15 minutes on Wednesday, and you can watch the full media session below:

Full Ron Rivera training camp media session (8.20)