Swinney saw Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele coming: ‘This kid’s going to be a problem'

Dabo Swinney didn't need this week's film study to learn how dangerous Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele could be.

He noticed him a year ago.

As Clemson prepared for its Friday night trip to California, Swinney recalled getting an early look at Sagapolutele, commonly known as JKS, while studying another opponent last season.

“I actually got to see him last year prepping for the Louisville game,” Swinney said during Tiger Hour. “I think they had played them maybe right before us.

“I remember watching the tape going, oh, boy, we play them next year. This kid's going to be a problem.”

That next year has arrived.

Clemson travels to Berkeley for a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff Friday, and Swinney made clear that containing Sagapolutele sits near the top of the Tigers' list of challenges.

Swinney's evaluation of the Cal sophomore was emphatic.

“You look at Cal, and you go, boy, they got this kid,” Swinney said. “This kid is a 100% NFL quarterback. He's a very, very good player. He's a sophomore.

“He's got elite arm talent. He's a good runner. They don't want to run him a lot, but they will. He's a good creator.”

Swinney later went into more detail about what makes Sagapolutele difficult to defend.

At roughly 6-foot-3 and 225 to 230 pounds, JKS gives the Golden Bears size at the position. But it is his ability to throw the football that particularly caught Swinney's attention.

“He's a lefty big arm, very gifted when it comes to the back shoulder ball. He can place the ball in catchable spots for his receivers,” Swinney said. “He's just got a knack for that. That shows up.”

Cal has surrounded Sagapolutele with receiving options, too. Swinney pointed specifically to Rutgers transfer Ian Strong while discussing a receiving corps he believes can challenge Clemson's secondary.

More importantly, Swinney sees an offense designed to put the game in JKS' hands.

“If you really look at what they want to do, man, they want to feature this quarterback,” Swinney said. 

For Clemson, that puts additional pressure on a defense coming off a comeback victory over North Carolina. The Tigers endured their worst start of the season against the Tar Heels, according to Swinney, before settling down and producing five consecutive stops.

Now comes a different challenge.

Cal has shown an ability to throw the football with Sagapolutele at the controls, and Swinney believes Clemson's secondary will have to hold up against a quarterback willing and able to attack it downfield.

“It's all about this quarterback,” Swinney said. “I mean, he's a really good player. We've got to have a great plan for him. We're going to have to play well on the back end.”

Swinney also cautioned against drawing too much from Cal's loss to UCLA. He noted that the game was tied 24-24 with roughly six minutes remaining before UCLA pulled away with a pair of late touchdowns.

Cal has also beaten Syracuse on the road and blew out Wagner, and Swinney sees a team whose confidence has grown.

“They are a team like us that's gotten better,” Swinney said. “Their confidence is growing, and they're undefeated in the league. So this will be a this will be a Friday night battle for sure. It should be a good one.”

For Swinney, though, Sagapolutele isn't a new discovery.

Friday night he gets to see him in person.