Sacramento State and UC Davis football programs load up on California-grown talent
Football season ended weeks ago for Sacramento State and UC Davis – on the field.
However, recruiting is a virtual year-round grind, coaches selling the benefits of their colleges and programs to revamp and retool.
Wednesday’s early signing period for national letters of intent reaped 14 new players for Sac State and 16 for UCD, with all but three hailing from California.
Fresh off its first Big Sky Conference championship and first playoff berth in 31 seasons, Sac State is appealing because of its ascent under first-year coach Troy Taylor, also the team’s offensive coordinator. Taylor was recently named the Big Sky and national FCS Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and said he is committed to the program despite his name coming up linked to other head-coaching openings.
Taylor landed signatures of four receivers and a record-setting running back from Rio Linda High School in Cameron Skattebo.
“We added a lot of length, speed and athleticism,” Taylor said. “We’re fired up. We’re most excited because we got guys who really love football and not just kind of like football. We want people who have a passion for the sport and this school.”
UCD’s pedigree includes 101 years of football, including the program’s finest season in 2018 when the Aggies won their first Big Sky championship and competed in the Division I FCS playoffs for the first time under coach Dan Hawkins, the Big Sky and Eddie Robinson award winner in 2018.
Sac State and UCD combined to sign five local players as the coaches vow to recruit the region as well as the entire state.
In addition to Skattebo, Sac State secured defensive lineman/linebacker Carter Sullivan of Antelope, who last year signed with Navy, and signed receiver/defensive back Cameron Broussard of regional powerhouse Folsom.
Skattebo set regional rushing records, going for 6,192 yards over three seasons and 90 touchdowns. He broke the career rushing mark of 6,178 yards held by 1990s Grant star Onterrio Smith.
UCD signed quarterbacks Mitchell Dixon of Rio Americano and Grant Harper of Campolindo High in Moraga. The Aggies also like to have speedy receivers in the mix and have a new one in Folsom star CJ Hutton, also a playmaker on kickoff returns.
Wrote UCD assistant coach Cody Hawkins on Twitter, “Wow. Can’t tell you how excited we are about this. We’ve wanted you and blue and since we got hired in 2016.”
UCD also signed defensive lineman Noa Masui from national No. 1 Bosco of Bellflower.
Here’s who Sacramento State signed
Cameron Broussard, WR/DB, Folsom
Patrick Dean, DB, Colony-Ontario
Devin Gandy, WR, Silverado-Fontana
Jared Gipson, WR, St. Mary’s-Stockton
Earl Hodson VI, WR, Serrano-Hesperia
DeVaughn Houston, DB, Hawthorne-Compton
Donny Long, OL, Norco
Chris Miller, WR, Culver City
Tyler Perez, OL, Chino Hills
Darian Pollard, LB, Lincoln-Stockton
Cameron Skattebo, RB, Rio Linda
Jalin Speed, DB, Bishop Alemany-Lancaster
Carter Sullivan, DL, Antelope
Xavier Williams, DL, Atwater
Mitchell Wolfe, TE/LB, Sumner-Wash.
Here’s who UC Davis signed
McCallan Castles, TE, South Tahoe
Jackson Cloyd, LB, Orange Lutheran
Lan Larison, QB/FS, Vallivue-Idaho
Josh Gale, TE, Williams Heald-Ariz.
C.J. Hutton, WR, Folsom
Noa Masui, DL, Bosco-Torrance
Michael Ambagtsheer, TE, St. Augustine-San Diego
Grant Harper, QB, Campolindo-Moraga
Mitchell Dixon, QB, Rio Americano
Julian Alessi, WR, Palos Verdes
Zak Rachow, OL, Otay Ranch-Chula Vista
Teddye Buchanan, LB, St. Ignatius-San Francisco
Josh Ward, RB, San Pedro
Adrian Tejada, OL, Wilson-Long Beach
Mike Walters, LB, Edison-Huntington Beach
Princeton Toki, OL, Salesian Prep-Richmond
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 1:18 PM.