Former No. 1 QB Recruit Loses another QB Battle.
Multiple college football quarterback battles across college football have been decided on Monday.
The most notable quarterback reveal was the Ohio State Buckeyes', as head coach Ryan Day announced that the No. 1 recruit from the 2024 class, Julian Sayin, has earned the job ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup with No. 1 Texas.
However, another former No. 1 quarterback recruit who played at Ohio State made headlines on Monday, as another program across the country announced its starting quarterback.
Devin Brown Loses Cal's Quarterback Battle
Formerly ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country for the 2022 class, Devin Brown transferred to Cal from Ohio State this offseason, with hopes he could finally get an opponent to start. Unfortunately for him, the program announced that 2025 five-star freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had won the job.
Brown, who has 48 career passes to his name, finds himself in a similar situation as he did in Columbus, as he will serve as the team's backup. In terms of the head-to-head battles he lost, the winners have yet to give up the job:
- 2023 Winner: Kyle McCord
- 2024 Winner: Will Howard
- 2025: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
2022 Recruiting Class Was a Down Year for QBs
Outside of Drew Allar, who ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the class and Cade Klubnik, who ranked as the No. 6 signal caller, the 2022 class featured quite a few flops. 11 of the top 15 quarterbacks have transferred at least once.
Some of the more notable misses include Brady Allen (Purdue), who is now a backup at Louisville, Conner Weigman, who is hoping to revive his career at Houston and Walker Howard, who has transferred to Louisiana, marking his third school.
Cal Needs a Big Year from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Sagapolutele was briefly at Oregon before leaving the program during its playoff run, with many believing he wanted a clearer path to the field.
He has that chance now, but it comes with pressure. Cal hasn't had a record above .500 since 2018, and patience for head coach Justin Wilcox is running thin. Wilcox is clearly taking a swing, turning to the true freshman, but having Brown as a backup plan certainly doesn't hurt.
Related: Ohio State Makes Major QB Decision Before Week 1 Matchup Against Texas
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Category: General Sports
