Max Browne spent the summer grinding through quarterback tape, and when he finally revealed his list, he put Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at the very top.
Browne said he logged 200 to 300 hours evaluating the top returning quarterbacks in college football, then trimmed the field to 25 before rolling out his top 10 on his YouTube podcast. His No. 1 choice was the Cal quarterback, a pick he framed as one that might catch some fans off guard but not people around the NFL or college defensive staffs.
“This one might surprise you,” he told viewers, “but it will not surprise people in the NFL scouting world. It will not surprise people that have been chatting with college defensive coordinators and the true ball knowers who are in the weeks because Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the best quarterback returning to college football.”
Browne, a former USC quarterback who now works as an ACC Network analyst alongside Wes Durham, said his rankings were built around a simple exercise: if every quarterback had the same coordinator, line and supporting cast, who would you want running the offense in 2026?
“I’ve got some contrarian takes,” he said. “It’s not just hot take to have a hot take, but I see the quarterback landscape for a few of these guys much different than my peers in the industry.
“This list is if we rolled the ball out right now and everyone had the same offensive coordinator, the same offensive line and skill players around them. All the factors are equal. Who would you want leading your team in the 2026 college football season?”
After Sagapolutele at No. 1, Browne slotted Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss at No.
2, Oregon’s Dante Moore at No. 3, Texas’ Arch Manning at No. 4 and Miami’s Darian Mensah at No.
- Notre Dame’s CJ Carr did not crack the top 10.
Cal won’t face any of Browne’s top 10, but the Bears will run into three quarterbacks from his top 25 during the final five weeks of the regular season: No. 11 Kevin Jennings of SMU on Oct. 24 in Dallas, No.
16 CJ Bailey of N C State on October. 31 in Raleigh, NC, and No. 21 Mason Heintschel of Pitt on Nov. 28 at Berkeley.
Browne said he watched Sagapolutele in person three times last season and came away convinced he put together the best freshman season he has seen since Caleb Williams’ debut at Oklahoma in 2021.
“Keep in mind this is a Cal offense that has had struggles at the quarterback position pretty much ever since Davis Webb left the Cal Bears (after 2016),” he said, while also giving some love to Chase Garbers, who threw 50 touchdowns over four seasons through 2021.
Sagapolutele’s numbers backed up the praise: 3,454 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and at least 200 yards through the air in every game. Browne said those totals were even more impressive because of the issues around him.
“Usually, if you have a terrible offensive line and no run game, there’s no shot that you’re going to have an explosive passing game because defenses are just sitting with two high safeties all day,” Browne said. “That’s what they tried to do against Cal last year and JKS was still explosive.
“This dude is elite in all three main categories that you need: arm strength, accuracy and throwing with anticipation. His mobility, he’s not a dual threat guy but he’s got plenty enough mobility to navigate in the pocket. People rave about his leadership.”
Browne closed by saying the hype would be even louder if Sagapolutele were wearing a different uniform.
“If he was wearing a Notre Dame uniform or an Ohio State uniform, we would be talking about him like he’s the best quarterback in the country,” Brown said.
“As long as his kid keeps his head on straight and stays healthy. this dude is an absolute baller.”
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