All for one: Sac State names Andy Thompson football coach; top assistants remain on staff
The plan was to remain a trio, to remain united, to keep the football train rolling, regardless of who was named head coach at Sacramento State. That plan is now in place.
The man now leading the Hornets as they seek a Big Sky Conference championship four-peat is Andy Thompson, the school announced late Tuesday afternoon.
Thompson had been the Hornets’ defensive coordinator since 2019 under former coach Troy Taylor, who on Monday was introduced as Stanford’s new head coach.
Thompson told The Sacramento Bee on Sunday he wanted to interview for the Sac State vacancy and that he would keep right-hand coaches Kris Richardson and Bobby Fresques, both of whom also interviewed for the job. Richardson and Fresques also told The Bee over the weekend that should either of them get the head coaching job, they would immediately retain the other two in an effort to maintain program continuity.
Richardson will remain with the Hornets as assistant head coach, also in charge of the offensive line, while Fresques moves from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Fresques played quarterback for Sacramento State in the early 1990s. Texted Richardson to The Bee, “Slam dunk hire!!!”
Sacramento State athletic director Mark Orr interviewed the trio individually over the weekend. School president Robert S. Nelsen did the same on Monday. Orr met with Sacramento State players on Monday to assure them the program would remain in good hands.
Orr and Nelsen decided Thompson, with a continuing commitment from Richardson and Fresques, was the right man for the job.
Thompson and his wife, Mikal, have three young sons, all under 10, in Mac, Austin and Teague. Thompson will be formally introduced to the media on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at the Welcome Center on campus.
Said Thompson in a statement, “My family and I are truly humbled and thankful to be staying here at Sacramento State. This is a dream opportunity that we are excited to take. I look forward to continuing our program’s success in graduating our student-athletes and build upon what we have accomplished on the field. It truly is a great day to be a Hornet. “
Last Friday was not a particularly good day to be a Hornet. Sacramento State’s 12-0 season was derailed by Incarnate Word of Texas in an FCS quarterfinal as the Cardinals won the highest-scoring game in FCS history, 66-63. Thompson told The Bee on Sunday he was humbled by that outcome, the most points one of his defenses had allowed. He blamed himself for the loss. But Thompson’s body of work as a coach went well beyond one game. It included a lot of big defensive efforts in key games, including this record-setting campaign with defensive stops that sealed games in the final two minutes of four games.
Thompson’s defenses accounted for the two lowest opponent scoring averages in Sacramento State’s Division I era, which started in 1994. In 2019, the Hornets allowed 22.5 points a game, recording the second most sacks in program history with 44. In 2021, the Hornets set a program record in allowing 19.1 points per game, and just 15.3 in the wide-open, prolific Big Sky.
Orr didn’t need a national search, telling The Sacramento Bee, “I knew what we had in the building, what we had in our program on our staff. I listened to our student-athletes and believed in them, and I witnessed what Andy and Kris and Bobby did as coaches the last four years — in practices and games. We didn’t need a rebuild or reboot. We’re just going to reload and keep it going.”
He added, “I’m ecstatic to work with all of the coaches. We’ll continue to build and grow and try to bring home a national championship.”
Added Nelsen, “Championship football is here to stay at Hornet Stadium. The Sac State Football team was absolutely spectacular this year. Next year, with new Head Coach Andy Thompson, the Hornets will continue making the Miracle on J Street come true, fireworks and all. He is the right coach for the right time.”
The Hornets coaches hope to retain any players who thought about leaving, or entered the transfer portal, including Big Sky rushing leader Cameron Skattebo.
Taylor hired Thompson to run his Hornets defenses after Thompson’s name kept coming up in coaching search conversations. Said Taylor to The Bee in a 2021 story, “He’s the smartest football guy I’ve been around, and I’ve been around some really, really smart guys, The plan he put together, his composure, the way he takes care of his guys ... he’s as valuable as they get.”
A native of Walla Walla, Washington, Thompson was a defensive back at Montana of the Big Sky, winning five conference championships, including winning an FCS national championship in 2001. Thompson was an assistant coach with Northern Arizona of the Big Sky from 2005-18, including a 10-year stint as defensive coordinator.
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 4:59 PM.