Sac State ranks No. 12 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Hornets finished 3-9 overall last year and 1-7 in Big Sky play, but they have a new coaching staff, a new swagger, and an influx of transfer talent.
Here’s a look at the 2025 Sac State football squad.
Returning 2024 FCS All-Conference Players (1)
1st Team
RB Jamar Curtis (transfer from Lafayette)
D1 Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (8)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Donovan Haslam | OL | Austin Peay |
| Luke Sprague | QB | Bethune-Cookman |
| Je’kob Jones | LB | Cal Poly |
| Jamar Curtis | RB | Lafayette |
| Miles Bailey | DL | Murray State |
| Gavin Thomson | WR | Saint Francis |
| Mikey Henderson | WR | Tarleton State |
| Syncere Massey | DL | Texas Southern |
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (34)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Jordan Herman | OL | Charlotte |
| Damian Henderson II | RB | Colorado State |
| Jordan Williams | TE | Colorado State |
| Malik Tullis | DL | Eastern Michigan |
| Melvin Swindle II | DL | Eastern Michigan |
| Jaden Rashada | QB | Georgia |
| Dylan Gooden | LB | Maryland |
| Itayvion Brown | LB | Michigan State |
| James Gillespie | DT | Middle TN State |
| Brodie Tagaloa | DL | Nebraska |
| Savion Red | RB | Nevada |
| Kris Ross | DL | Nevada |
| Grant Meadors | K | Oregon |
| Jordan Anderson | WR | Oregon State |
| Rodney Hammond | RB | Pitt |
| Dean Abdullah | OL | San Diego State |
| Logan Tanner | TE | San Diego State |
| Dylan Hampsten | DL | San Jose State |
| Agiye Hall | WR | Texas |
| Ernest Campbell | WR | Texas A&M |
| Deven Wright | DE | Texas State |
| Cardell Williams | QB | Tulsa |
| Ricky Lee III | DB | UAB |
| Joseph Firebaugh Jr. | K | UCLA |
| James Jones | RB | ULM |
| Timothy Conerly | WR | UNLV |
| Brennon Scott | LB | UNLV |
| Damien McDaniel | WR | UNLV |
| Sammy Norris | FB | UNLV |
| Bear Tenney | TE | Utah |
| Oscar Moore | DB | UTEP |
| Jace Wilson | WR | UTSA |
| Sam Adams II | RB | Washington |
| Warren Smith | DB | Washington State |
Transfers Lost To The FCS (6)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Kyle Stahlecker | DL | Eastern Washington |
| Tyler Henry | DL | North Dakota |
| Mason Brosseau | DL | South Dakota State |
| Coleman Kuntz | TE | South Dakota State |
| Carson Camp | QB | Southeastern Louisiana |
| Tim Christian | CB | Southern Utah |
Transfers Lost To The FBS (11)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Evan Kiely | K | Boise State |
| Devin Gandy | WR | LA Tech |
| Elijah Tau-Tolliver | RB | Michigan State |
| Murvin Kenion III | DB | Nevada |
| Danny Scudero | WR | San Jose State |
| AJ Campos | LS | San Jose State |
| Nathan Mejia | OL | Stanford |
| Zelmar Vedder | CB | Houston |
| Joey Wright | OL | Nevada |
| Carson Conklin | QB | Fresno State |
| Nakian Jackson | LB | Nevada |
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Offensive Outlook
No FCS program has generated more offseason buzz than Sacramento State. Brennan Marion was a splash hire as head coach, and he and his impressive coaching staff have landed headline transfers and highly-ranked high school recruits.
There is also the off-the-field cinema of Sac State attempting to go FBS while leaving the Big Sky for the Big West in 2026 for its Olympic sports.
University President Luke Wood has made public promises that the football program will be an FBS member in 2026, leading many FCS media members to believe throughout the offseason that Sac State would not be playoff-eligible this fall as it begins its transition. However, its FBS independent waiver was denied by the Division I Council in June. A waiver was needed due to the school trying to transition from FCS to FBS without a conference invite.
Despite its only known pathway being blocked, the school is still saying it plans to be an FBS member in 2026. It has retained well-known antitrust and sports attorney Jeffrey Kessler to potentially pursue legal avenues.
As far as we know and until Sac State finds a path to join the FBS, it is a Big Sky and FCS member in 2025 and is eligible for the playoffs.
For the actual 2025 football team, the roster is revamped, and the talent is immense, especially on the offensive side for Marion’s “Go-Go Offense” that can be difficult to defend. The Hornets signed more than 50 transfers, including more than 40 from the D1 level and around 35 from the FBS ranks.
Let’s start at the quarterback position.
Sac State made national headlines when it signed Jaden Rashada. A four-star high school recruit, Rashada began his college career at Arizona State and started three games as a freshman in 2023 before redshirting. He finished 44/82 for 485 yards and four touchdowns. Rashada transferred to Georgia in 2024 but did not see any game action. Cardell Williams is another FBS transfer from Tulsa, where he started four games in 2023 and threw for 1,149 yards and 10 TDs while rushing for 198 yards and five scores.
The Hornets are loaded at running back.
Last year’s leading rusher, Elijah Tau-Tolliver, transferred to Michigan State. No. 2 RB Curron Borders returns after rushing for 361 yards and a touchdown as a freshman last fall. Transfers will make a huge impact in the backfield. Jamar Curtis is an elite FCS-to-FCS transfer, arriving from Lafayette. A back-to-back All-Patriot League First Team selection, Curtis had 1,139 rushing yards with 16 TDs in 2024 and 1,460 rushing yards with 15 TDs in 2023.
Multiple FBS transfers also add to the RB room, including two with significant experience. Savion Red finished second on a Nevada team last year with 687 rushing yards and tied for a team-high eight TDs. Rodney Hammond arrives from Pitt, where he rushed for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns in 36 games.
Sac State loses its top six leaders in receiving from last fall, but again loaded up via the transfer portal.
Some notable wide receiver names include Gavin Thomson, who comes in from FCS Saint Francis. Last year, he led SFU with 46 receptions for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. Jordan Anderson (from Oregon State) and Ernest Campbell (from Texas A&M) are four-star high school recruits who redshirted last year as freshmen, as did three-star recruit Damien McDaniel at UNLV.
Incoming FBS tight ends include Jordan Williams (Colorado State), Logan Tanner (San Diego State), and Bear Tenney (Utah).
If an FCS team wants to make a deep playoff run, it needs to be strong on the offensive line.
The Hornets return three full-time starters who played at least 500 snaps last year. Aidan Meek (6’5″ 300 lbs) logged 866 reps, Sawyer Hays (6’6″ 295 lbs) tallied 631, and Kenndel Riley (6’3″ 321 lbs) added 531. Jordan Herman (6’8″ 346 lbs) and Dean Abdullah (6’4″ 295 lbs) bring FBS playing experience. Herman appeared in 10 games last year at Charlotte with one start. Abdullah started 10 games at San Diego State from 2022-23 before redshirting in 2024.
Defensive Outlook
Sac State’s defense allowed 34.8 points per game in 2024, ranking No. 107 in the FCS. A much tougher defense is needed to complement a potentially explosive offense to make the Hornets an FCS title contender.
Three of the top 11 tacklers from last year return, while several transfers look to boost the unit.
Linebacker Derek Houston finished second on the team with 62 tackles as a freshman last season, including four tackles for loss. Safety Anta’Veon McKenzie was another impact freshman, totaling a seventh-best 37 tackles and an interception. Fata Puloka, yet another freshman in 2024, had 30 tackles (10th on the team) and four TFLs. Cornerback Elias Mullican returns after totaling 28 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. Linebacker Josh Cashiola is another returner who had 23 stops, five TFLs, and four sacks in 2024.
Two linebacker transfers to keep an eye on are Je’kob Jones from Cal Poly and Dylan Gooden from Maryland. Jones totaled 130 tackles in 36 games, including 44 last season. Gooden is a former 4-star recruit who didn’t see much action in his first two seasons, redshirting in 2023 and getting hurt last year.
Safety Oscar Moore adds plenty of FBS experience to the secondary. At UTEP, he played in 23 games, including five starts in 2023, and totaled 62 tackles.
Similar to the offensive line above, a strong d-line is essential to win playoff games in December. Eight D1 transfers help fill out the DL.
A few notable names: Syncere Massey (6’5″ 342 lbs) arrives from Texas Southern after totaling 43 tackles and 1.5 TFLs last year. James Gillespie (6’3″ 318 lbs) played in nine games with two starts at Middle TN State in 2024, totaling 10 tackles and two sacks. Kris Ross (6’2″ 262 lbs) started six games at Nevada last season, tallying 29 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks. Dylan Hampsten (6’3″ 245 lbs) comes in from San Jose State, where he played in 13 games a year ago and had 19 tackles with 4.5 TFLs.
2025 Preseason Preview Central
Sac State Football Schedule
8/30 at No. 3 South Dakota State
9/6 at Nevada
9/13 vs Mercyhurst
9/20 vs Central Arkansas
9/27 vs Cal Poly
10/11 at Weber State
10/18 vs Northern Colorado
10/24 vs No. 7 Montana
11/1 at Eastern Washington
11/8 at Portland State
11/15 vs No. 10 Idaho
11/22 at No. 11 UC Davis
Bold indicates Big Sky games
HERO Sports’ rankings
