r/ducks • u/RClarkeWrites • 4d ago
Report: Oregon quarterback signee Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele to enter transfer portal Football Recruiting
https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/01/report-oregon-quarterback-signee-jaron-keawe-sagapolutele-to-enter-transfer-portal.html69
u/Bucky_Irving_Alt 4d ago
I’m hoping this is because what Tez said about Dante Moore is true. That he is an absolute baller
Tez’s comments from 11:20 - link
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u/Technical-Ant5248 4d ago
Oh man this makes me hyped for next year!
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u/Bucky_Irving_Alt 4d ago edited 4d ago
Same, watching his highlights at UCLA he looked amazing at times. It was his decision making that seemed a bit off, particularly in the Oregon State game.
Being mentored by Dillon Gabriel should’ve helped. He’s got all the tools to become a Heisman level QB
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u/ChucktheDuckRecruits 4d ago
And also, think of his offensive line and weapons he had at UCLA. True Freshman QBs are not ready for prime time regardless. He has flashed all the traits, has that natural ability to sling the rock without wildly contorting his body (no shade at our short QB this year but you get my point). He will be more comfortable in the pocket and able to see over our large line. Can’t wait to see him grow! Go Ducks
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u/Ok-Abies-6985 4d ago
I trust Moore simply for the reason that I think he made a very mature decision to go back to Oregon. He realized being thrown to the wolves at UCLA wasn’t the move for him, and went somewhere (could’ve been anywhere besides Oregon and I would’ve thought the same) where he can take a back seat and learn and improve. I think that’s going to pay off dividends for him way higher than trying to force being a four year starter and development by fire
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u/WatchfulApparition 4d ago
Dante Moore's freshman season has nearly identical stats to DJ Lagway's freshman season
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u/a_simple_ducky 4d ago
I believe Moore is good. He did good at UCLA, their team is basically always bad and he was good. I think he will flourish
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u/bluescale77 4d ago
He also needed time to watch, learn, and mature. He took his shot with a team that promised to let him play early (before he was quite ready for it) and realized he needed seasoning. That shows a level of self awareness and willingness to course correct that makes me hyped to see what the kid can do.
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u/DuckFreak10 4d ago
In a way, Moore’s recruitment turned out perfectly for us. He got to go be a starter for a season for another power conference team, then gets to redshirt and develop under a veteran, and now has a chance to start for Oregon as just a sophomore.
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u/CitizenCue 4d ago
Yeah not many guys would willingly go from starting to backup. Everyone has an ego to get to this level so that much maturity is promising.
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u/Dizconekt 4d ago
I mean some of the throws he made this year when he played you could see how clean the ball comes out and lively his arm is. A much better passer than DG. Biggest question mark for me is I’m not sure how comfortable he is running the ball but I’m sure he will when he needs to.
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u/Bucky_Irving_Alt 4d ago
Yep, he has a beautiful throw. Quick release.
The moment he sees his man open he gets it there, DG would often have to anticipate his receiver being open and would rarely attempt throws to double coverage. Moore seems to love threading tight windows.
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u/gale7557 4d ago
Moore can actually see over the Oline saves scrambling to the edge of the box everytime.
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u/GODZBALL 4d ago
I cant remember which game it might have been the Washington game, where he threw it on a rope to the opposite sideline to a spot where only holden could catch it and thought, holy shit that's why he was a 5 star
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u/CitizenCue 4d ago
Just what I needed to hear! We’ve been very, very lucky to have so many great QBs in a row.
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u/Bmayne 4d ago
Apparently it’s because he wanted to start as a freshman. If that’s the case, see ya. Weird recruitment all around. Came here late. Then wants to leave once he realizes Moore is the starter (which he should have known)? I know people on the CFB thread are upset, but I’m not. Sounds like he’s either chasing a bag or he’s a head case. Hate to say that about a high schooler, but that’s not someone you want to build a team around. And it completely discredits his reasoning for coming here because of Dillion and Marcus.
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u/fri9875 4d ago
If that is true, then yeaaahh better he just never really gets into the room. Thinking you’d be the starter when we have Moore, Novosad, and Moga on the roster, with at least 1 other QB in your class, is kinda asinine, and definitely not someone you want around.
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u/Bmayne 4d ago
To be fair, that’s why Moore ended up at UCLA a few years ago lol. He wanted to come here and start as a freshman. But then he realized he messed up and would be better off long term coming here and sitting a year. Who knows if JKS does the same? That’d be pretty funny. I understand why these young athletes have so much confidence- everyone is telling them they’re the best and hyping them up. Very few are getting good advice about long term, career moves. Then again, if he goes to Cal and it’s for academics, who can blame him?
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u/techrasta 3d ago
yup I think JKS is a stud and in the right program will be unreal. I can see this be a tua moment for oregon.
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u/jamiebond 4d ago edited 4d ago
If anything this just makes me real excited about Moore if he took one look at him in practice and realized there was no way in hell he was beating him out.
And tbh recruiting quarterbacks has become largely irrelevant in modern CFB. Like we're about to have four straight starters who we got out of the transfer portal. The last guy we started who we actually recruited and developed was Tyler Shough.
If we want this guy down the road Phil can just write him a check in a couple years to come back lol. Like we were all losing our minds about losing Moore and see how that ended up.
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u/pattydickens 4d ago
It makes sense for these young players to want to get play time, though. If he gets to start somewhere as a freshman and shows promise, it opens up transfer opportunities. Look at Cam Ward. The NIL is an opportunity to move up based on performance. You really can't blame these kids for wanting to show off their talent from year one since most teams are only playing starting QBs for 2 years or grabbing 5th year seniors for a single season. It's a different machine than when teams would develop a QB for a year, then let them start for 3-4 years. From a team's perspective, the more 5 stars you have on your bench in waiting, the less talent is out there available for your opponents.
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u/diddy_pdx 4d ago
man, if arch manning can’t start as a freshman or sophomore, what makes any kid think he can start at a program like oregon as a freshman.
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u/BigPh1llyStyle 4d ago
I think you CAN build around someone that wants to start as a freshman but you have to be prepared to take lumps the first year or two, and that’s not something programs that have a goal of a championship each year can/should do.
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u/Dennisfromhawaii 4d ago
Kid went to the same high school as me and I know some of his family. I don’t like how this is going down and just think NIL and ego are doing him a disservice. He’s better off taking the Tua route and say F it, I’m taking this job.
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u/canesreign8 4d ago
It’s interesting because he would not commit here unless the staff at least hinted he could be the guy. If I had to guess, they said “it’s a full qb competition” and that got him hooked. He practiced with the team a few weeks and realized he was not on par with the top 2 guys/someone in the room told him they had similar promises.
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u/SoCal_Duck 4d ago
Pocket passer and not known for his mobility. I say goodbye and good luck.
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u/RewardOk2506 4d ago
I mean you could say that about Dante
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u/RewardOk2506 4d ago
Bo ran 4.6 flat, ran the best shuttle for Qb at the combine, and rushed for like 700 yards at Oregon what are you talking about?
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u/JDawg9903 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ok, that may have come out wrong. What I meant to say was that while Bo cold certainly run when he needed to, he wasn’t known for doing it. Nor was it his style like Lamar Jackson for example. He was mostly a stand in the pocket type of QB. And a damn good one. Not trying to discredit him at all or anything, just saying that he’s not known for running a whole lot compared to other QBs.
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u/RewardOk2506 4d ago
Sounds like the kid genuinely had no idea the scope of the situation he was walking into. These kids go from being the guy to having to fight for every rep and I don’t think he understood how hard starting in 3rd-4th place would be or how good the other guys were.
At the same time someone in his camp should have been doing better/any research for him.
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u/Bmayne 4d ago
They’re also 18 year olds who have been the best athletes at every school they’ve ever been to their whole lives. They’ve been coddled and constantly told how great they are. Most have huge, but fragile egos (not saying all, but a lot). A lot of them just don’t want to compete for a starting job because they’ve never had to due to them always being so much better than everyone else. And now that so much money is involved, it makes it even trickier.
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u/RewardOk2506 4d ago
Yeah, I just added the 3rd-4th place thing because from my time coaching I know kids sometimes kids hear QB competition and they think that means equal reps. When in reality they usually gave a guy they think will win and he’ll take 60% while the other guys try to separate themselves for second place. In this case Novasad being there made the reps outlook even more sparse.
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u/mxduck00 4d ago
Must be the case. Quick competition between him and Akili.
If you think you’re going to start right away with a former Top 15 QB and a Top 3 QB with a year in the system you’re pretty naïve.
Writing must have been on the wall he was going to sit for awhile. It will be telling where he ends up.
A Cal? Or a blue blood team?
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u/RewardOk2506 4d ago
It’s Cal. Wiltfong around signing day reported the pitch from Cal was they were going to build the class around him. So committing to Oregon then to Cal post early signing day was probably the worst path he could have taken.
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u/babycakeskush 4d ago
Remember when Dante Moore flipped because he wanted to start as a Freshman? I wonder where he ended up 🙄
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u/mxduck00 4d ago edited 4d ago
It’s really the Wild West out there right now. These are 17-18 yr old kids with adults whispering in their ear making promises about NIL$, special treatment, and the millions that they’re going to make once they reach the NFL.
It’s a pipe dream for most of these kids, but the confidence that they have leaving high school that this will be their experience is next level.
These kids are getting NFL Draft Grades by recruiting services fresh out of high school. Imagine the wake up call you get when you realize you’re just another guy on the team.
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u/Dependent_Flamingo_4 4d ago
When was this guy starting as a true freshmen ever on the table??? Haha like what did this guy expect committing here. Almost comical how quickly these decisions are being made
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u/techrasta 3d ago
I wonder if he thought hed have a chance to compete and they told him no chance out of loyalty for dante.
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u/Physical-Bee-8198 4d ago
I always loved the idea of four-year starters, i.e., beginning with being the starter their freshman year. But, time to face it: No competitive team is ever going to be starting a freshman at quarterback from here forward. Look at the playoff teams> How many starting QBs were not at least one-time transfers. Competitive teams are only going to be starting players who have already proven themselves with a year or two as the starter somewhere else. There is no real reason to even be recruiting QBs out of high school because they are not going to be playing. No, I don't like it, but that is how it is now.
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u/mikeisaphreek 4d ago
Michigan and Colorado are going to try. Nebraska did it as well this year
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u/Fantastic_Science310 4d ago
Colorado and Nebraska aren't anywhere near a playoff anytime soon so they can afford the growing pains. Will be interesting to see if Michigan actually does it.
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u/PaintingInfamous1552 4d ago
Michigan signed the number 1 quarterback. He’s already on campus practicing.
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u/bluescale77 4d ago
Assuming Moore is the starter next season, the Ducks are going with an unproven guy. He has an 11:9 TD:Int ratio, 55% completion percentage, and career -83 rushing yards. And I'm all for it.
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u/r2shihtzu 4d ago
Good luck to him. As a Duck fan, I don't want anyone here who doesn't want to be here and is afraid to compete. Oregon is trying to build one of those juggernaut type programs where you often have to wait a year or two as a rotation player while you get developed by top coaches and by practicing against blue chip teammates. 13-0 was great, but all along there were cracks waiting to break. Ohio St's elite talent exposed those cracks and shattered them. I believe this is just the beginning as all of the players are Lanning's now and, if you look at the cupcake 2025 schedule, they'll be back as long as Moore or Novosad is ready and maybe they talk/NIL a couple of those Juniors and JUCOs into staying to finish the job.
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u/mxduck00 3d ago
Read on espn he said that he didn’t feel he was a main priority at Oregon and wants to play early. A bit of an insane statement given the Ducks were preparing for the Rose Bowl and he just joined the team.
Glad we got an extra scholarship. Kind of a loser statement. He’s better off at a program with a thinner QB room.
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u/Zers503 4d ago
I don’t understand why Freshmen feel the want/need to start instantly. Ask Dante how it went for him.
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u/bluescale77 4d ago
These kids have been head and shoulders better than anyone else t hey've been around their whole lives. They all feel that they have what it takes to be the exception, because until now they always have had what it takes to be the exception. When that's your schema, it's hard to accept that things are different at this level. Most haven't really failed much in life yet.
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u/Bruhman82 4d ago
Objectively hilarious to flip to us and then immediately enter the portal, like why did you even sign bruh 😭😭
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u/oregonian1738 4d ago
What a weird mindset. I hope the best for him and that his confidence in himself as a starter-level player fruits to something big for him, but there is a fine line between confident and cocky. There is no shame in sitting a year and learning behind a QB which was not even a guaranteed path for him. He could’ve won the job if he was really that good.
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u/asap_rmz 4d ago edited 4d ago
Bold move but good luck. I see 2 paths for JKS
Go to cal or wherever, ball out then transfer back to Oregon or another p4 school.
Play early, fail and get exposed then your career is done. p4 teams will not give you another chance.
Dante is lucky bc he played so so at ucla so he still had value as a prospect. I don’t think he has a long leash tho. If he struggles novosad will get a shot
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u/mrjdk83 3d ago
His scenario played out right. He started. Got humbled. Came to the school he originally wanted to. Was the back up for a heisman contender and now gets the keys a better version of himself. It’s gonna work out perfect him especially if he is how players talk about him. He gonna contend for the heisman before he leaves Oregon. They saying he the real deal
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u/RevolutionaryWhole97 4d ago
I’m happy to see no limited brain cells are in here thinking he chose to enter due to the quarter finals. This kid wants to play somewhere and that’s the right thing to do. Cal may be his best option to start. Moore is up next and Sagapolutele will need to keep his groove. Good luck to him wherever he lands. Oregon will always be here years to come.
Go Ducks!
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u/mynameizmyname 3d ago
kind of reminds me of Dillon Mitchell talking up Justin Herbert during fall camp when Herbert was a freshman. "He can spin it".
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u/Imrhino51 2d ago
He saw Akili smith jr sling it and dipped. He wanted to start as a freshman. Sorry. Not that kind of program
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u/eckoman_pdx 2d ago
JKS transferring is a good indicator of how far along Dante Moore and Austin Novasaid are. He basically stated he wanted a chance to earn the starting role this coming season, and he's transferring because after watching them in practice is clear he's going to have no chance to do so. So, even though he's transferring that's good to see because it shows how far along Moore and Novasaid are.
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u/Existing-Stranger632 4d ago
Get ready. Dan’s incompetence was on full display Wednesday and players would rather go somewhere with a better chance of winning on the big stage
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u/Mcpops1618 4d ago
Well this here is the leader 2025’s dumbest take of the year.
JKS wants to be a starter - he’s gonna go to Cal and start for a bad ACC team… he should learn from what Dante did but oh well movin’ on.
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u/Existing-Stranger632 4d ago
Just watch our recruiting class all transfer out. Lanning has been exposed as a lazy coach incapable of preparing his team for big games. It’s shameful he’s still here and his OC and DC haven’t been touched.
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u/Mcpops1618 4d ago
Yikes. 13-0, conference champs, #1 for majority of the season, you may want to get outside and touch some grass or go back to whichever sub you came from.
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u/jdubstrut 4d ago
Oh boy. You're one of THOSE fans.
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u/Mcpops1618 4d ago
He just commented “fuck Kirk and his dead dog” I’m Going to guess this person ain’t stable.
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u/bluescale77 4d ago
I wouldn't mind watching some of our fans transfer out right about now...Huskies barely lost their shit bowl game. You should go ride their dick next season.
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u/Duck_Caught_Upstream 4d ago
Surely this is because one of or both of Dante Moore and/or Austin Novosad look amazing in practice