Three California football players – Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, AJ Tuitele and Sioape Vatikani – have been named to the 2026 Polynesian College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, announced Thursday morning by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame organization. The award is presented to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who epitomizes great ability and integrity. 
 
The full preseason watch list includes 68 players from 35 different NCAA Division I programs.
 
Quarterback Sagapolutele rewrote the Cal record books during his rookie season with the Golden Bears in 2025. The Ewa Beach, Hawai'i, native passed for 200 or more yards in all 13 of his games as a freshman and was the only Power 4 and second FBS player to start his collegiate career with 13 consecutive games of 200 passing yards or more. Sagapolutele had the second-highest totals for completions, attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns by a Cal freshman quarterback, only behind Jared Goff's standout 2013 rookie campaign.
 
Inside linebacker Tuitele transferred to Cal in 2026 after spending one season at USC in which he played three games. A native of North Las Vegas, Nevada, Tuitele finished his high school career as the No. 1 player in the state of Nevada. In his senior season at Mojave High School, he recorded 167 tackles including 37 for loss (with 4 sacks) through 13 games. Tuitele had 10 games of double-digit tackles, two of which he recorded a season-best 20 tackles.
 
Offensive lineman Vatikani has been named to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Preseason Watch List for the third consecutive season. Vatikani is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he appeared in 12 games and made nine starts. He helped protect Sagapolutele and paved the way for running back Kendrick Raphael who finished the season with 943 rushing yards, 245 yards receiving and 1,188 all-purpose yards. Vatikani is a native of Reno, Nevada, where he attended Bishop Manogue Catholic High School.
 
Finalists for the 2026 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be unveiled on December 8th, 2026, and the winner will be announced on December 15th, 2026.