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Imago
Close up view of an American Football sitting on a grass football field on the yard line. Generic Sports image . High quality photo xkwx athletics ball field football grass green horizontal american football background copy space culture game lines play recreation sport yard yard line american line pigskin sports white american football league american football player bet big game college competition environment final goal green yard helmet national sport outside sideline soccer sports background sports calendar sports club sports equipment sportswear stadium superbowl team touchdown tradition usa artificial
Quarterbacks coach Koa Ka’ai recently offered a glimpse into his unique evaluation process, revealing that he asks recruits a simple question about ice cream—whether they prefer chocolate or vanilla—to get a sense of their mindset. It may sound weird, but he believes the way players answer can say a lot about their decision-making and personality. Now, a former USC quarterback has weighed in, sharing his thoughts on this unconventional approach.
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“I sure as hell hope he’s joking, but I don’t see a smile.” Sean Salisbury stated on X, quote-tweeting Ka’ai’s viral ice cream-based evaluation. “I suggest he dig deeper into his evaluation. There are more flavours than those two! I want my QBs to have more bandwidth than one flavor. Is that what it takes to get a QB coach gig? Seems easy.”
Sean Salisbury’s stance came in after he came across Ka’ai’s way of evaluating recruits.
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“I ask them a question like this all the time.” Ka’ai said, “Hey, do you like chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream? The minute a kid pauses, I don’t really want that kid, because you need to have some type of conviction, right, wrong, or indifferent.”
I sure as hell hope he’s joking but I don’t see a smile. I suggest he dig deeper into his evaluation. There are more flavors than those two! I want my QBs to have more bandwidth than one flavor. Is that what it takes to get a QB coach gig? Seems easy. https://t.co/bU8QMCVK91
— Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) April 8, 2026
That idea didn’t sit well with Salisbury. He criticized the method, basically saying it feels way too simplistic. He even suggested he hopes it’s more of a joke than a real evaluation tool and made the point that quarterbacks should be judged on having a much wider decision-making ability.
Salisbury does have some credibility to say so. He spent almost ten years in the NFL, and he started as a quarterback for USC, one of Oregon’s top rivals. While at USC between 1981 and 1985, Salisbury had impressive statistics.
He left as the school’s all-time leader in pass completions with 346 and passing yards with 4,481, though both were later broken by Rodney Peete. He also ranked second in pass attempts with 602, fourth in touchdowns with 25, and fourth in total offense with 4,127 yards in school history.
So yes, when someone like that questions your evaluation style, it has an influence. While they never faced each other, the rivalry between Oregon and USC has always been intense. It dates back to 1915, ran for decades in the Pac-12, and even after both programs moved to the Big Ten in 2023, that edge clearly hasn’t gone anywhere in 2026.
And here’s the interesting part. While Salisbury is questioning the method, Oregon does have a quarterback who has developed under Ka’ai and head coach Dan Lanning.
Koa Ka’ai’s rise from Oregon to QBs coach
Dante Moore has been getting a lot of buzz after opting out of the 2026 NFL Draft and returning to Oregon for the 2026 season. He passed on a chance to be a top pick and is now projected near the top of the 2027 quarterback class.
That move also puts Oregon right back in the national title conversation.
Moore is coming off a strong season, throwing for over 3,500 yards and scoring 30 touchdowns. At the same time, Koa Ka’ai is growing too, something head coach Dan Lanning made clear.
“Koa’s grown a ton in my time here,” Lanning said of the Oregon QB coach. “He’s always been an extremely intelligent player and then, obviously, a coach as well. And he’s worked with every position really for us on offense. He’s been an integral part of what we’ve done and really coached our quarterbacks last year. And allowed Will to be in somewhat of that OC role. So he’s worn that hat every single day. This really isn’t new territory for him. Maybe new territory by title, but this is something he’s done at a really high level already and is excited about his growth.”
According to Ka’ai, playing for Oregon after becoming their coach is an experience that is “surreal.” During the years 2012 to 2015, Ka’ai played various positions for the team, including tight end, defensive line, and special teams player.
After joining again in 2022, he held various offensive positions on the Ducks team before becoming the team’s quarterbacks coach for the next season. It is not without criticism, but it remains to be seen how he will influence the Ducks’ offensive playstyle this season.
Written by
Edited by
Kinjal Talreja