UC Davis football: Who are the QB candidates? Who’s transferring in and out?
At the end of long, taxing and successful 2025 season, Tim Plough said everyone involved in the UC Davis football program was “excited to climb that mountain again.”
That mountain is the pursuit of championships, and though the Aggies and their head coach did not win the Big Sky Conference or reach the FCS national title game last fall, it was hardly a downer of a season in Yolo County. The Aggies left their mark, going 9-4 and finishing No. 8 in the final national FCS polls. UCD topped chief rivals Cal Poly and Sacramento State and reaching the FCS quarterfinals.
The next climb is in process, including a spirited spring drills session on Saturday in which Plough and his staff ran the Aggies though a series of drills and live scrimmage action in a two-hour session on Jim Sochor field with a mix of fan interaction. And no one was more enthused than the smallest member of the program. That would be Cori “The Rocket Dog,” a black Labrador who is the team’s kickoff tee retriever, an unofficial mascot of efficiency and feel-good vibes. Cori appeared to be game ready.
So did a lot of the Aggies. UCD finishes spring camp this week.
“It doesn’t feel like real football until we see Cori out there,” Plough said.
Who takes over at quarterback?
UCD bid farewell to Caden Pinnick, the Placer County product who sparkled during his freshman All-American season at quarterback last season. Pinnick passed for 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns but transferred to Washington State of the revamped Pac-12 Conference.
Though this was a blow to the Aggies, UCD coaches reminded throughout the season that the quarterback room was more than just one man. The Aggies have produced fine passers for decades, and they will have a quarterback competition that will continue into summer drills under Plough, who is something of an expert in quarterback development. He played the position at UCD.
The 2026 quarterback candidates include Treynor Cleeland, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman who starred at Jesuit High School in Oregon as a three-star prospect. His father, Cameron Cleeland, played tight end for eight NFL seasons.
Also in the running: Axel Eason, a who did not see the field as a UCD freshman last season after he starred at Oaks Christian High in Southern California as a three-star prospect. The Eason name is big in Davis. Axel’s father, Bo Eason, rates as an all-time Aggies great, having grown up on the Sacramento River before he anchored the UCD secondary in the early 1980s before playing in the NFL. His name is listed on top of the UCD press box.
Axel Eason’s uncle is Tony Eason, who played at Delta High in Clarksburg, American River College in Sacramento, the University of Illinois and was a first-round pick in 1983 and logged eight NFL seasons. Axel Eason was slowed in spring drills with a hamstring strain.
From the transfer portal, UCD signed former Minnesota Gophers backup Jackson Kollock, a 6-4 freshman from Southern California, where at Laguna Beach High he had 7,820 career yards and 115 total touchdowns.
“We feel good about our quarterbacks,” Plough said. “When we recruited Treynor, we felt he had a chance to be special, and that’s still the case. Finding Jackson out of the portal was big. He’s behind the others in what he knows about the offense but he has great arm talent, is a big kid, smart, good teammate.
“We feel good about all of those guys, including Axel. They all want to play. Our goal is to develop multiple guys because you need multiple guys.”
Who the Aggies lost/gained through transfer portal
UCD lost some firepower through the portal with Pinnick heading to Washington State and 2025 leading rusher Carter Vargas bolting for the Bay Area to play for Cal.
UCD also brought in some talent via the portal, including Cal tight end Houseworth, Idaho multi-position talent Hayden John, Weber State running back Chauncey Sylester and Missouri kicker Robert Meyer, a graduate of Colfax High School.
Welcome back, boys
More than four months before their season opener, the Aggies scored a double-victory of sorts after twin brothers Rex and Porter Connors were granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA.
Both defensive stars had their 2025 seasons cut short because of injuries, and then they engaged in the long fight to gain a waiver by the NCAA to return. An All-American defensive back, Rex Connors has more than 300 career tackles, the most in program history. Porter Connors was a preseason All-American linebacker last season.
Line depth
UCD defensive coordinator Matt Coombs raved about the defensive line depth after Saturday’s festivities, a point of emphasis for the Aggies this offseason.
“There’s been some really impressive depth from the groups up front,” Coombs said. “A year ago in the spring, we had three defensive linemen playing the entire time. To be able to have a group to rotate in now … I think that group has a chance to be really good.”
The offensive line again figures to be a strength for UCD. That unit is anchored by junior center Zaire Collier, a graduate of Granite Bay High in Placer County. He is a third-year starter.
“I feel really good about our fronts,” Plough said.
What’s the schedule look like?
UCD will start its 108th season of football on Aug. 29, a Big Sky opener at Portland State. The Aggies follow with games at San Diego on Sept. 5 and at SMU in Texas on Sept. 12 before the home opener against Stetson of Florida on Sept. 19.
On Sept. 26, UCD hosts FCS powerhouse Montana. The regular season finale is a home game against rival Cal Poly, a spot once reserved for Sacramento State. But the rivals are no longer playing, at least for the foreseeable future.
The 71st and, for now, the final Causeway Classic was last fall. UCD won 31-27 to knock Sac State out of the playoff picture. Sac State departed the Big Sky after 29 seasons to test the waters of the higher-division FBS, and was invited to join the Mid-American Conference.
Starting late this summer, UCD will be in the Mountain West Conference for all sports but football. The Aggies remain committed to the Big Sky in football.