With recruiting changed by COVID-19, Sacramento State and UC Davis land strong classes
Neither coach had the benefit of in-person recruiting visits.
The student-athletes that Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor and UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins spoke to over the months did not have the opportunity to formally visit campus during this odd fall 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic.
But both coaches are big on big-picture thinking, and both were delighted with the early signing haul of prospects with a heavy emphasis on in-state talent. Through the power of Zoom meetings, phone calls and school and football-program reputation, Sac State and UCD each secured the signatures of 10 student-athletes Wednesday.
The binding contracts leave Taylor and Hawkins encouraged about the young men coming into their fold. The coaches expect to remain in the Big Sky Conference championship hunt for years to come.
UCD won a share of the Big Sky in 2018 and Sac State did so in 2019. The Big Sky opted for a reduced spring football schedule, with fingers crossed for that to happen. Sac State opted out entirely in an effort to fully prepare for a 2021 fall season.
Hawkins, the UCD alum with roots tied to the northern part of the state, said recruiting via Zoom and by phone offered a sense of a “more authentic experience for kids, not just a hype game, smoke and mirrors, but more of what the school is about, what’s the culture like, is it a good fit?”
Taylor is a Sacramento-product dating back to his Bella Vista and Cordova High playing days. His belief is you either connect with a student-athlete, or you don’t. It either fits, or it doesn’t.
“It’s been a stranger year, and it’s not the same,” Taylor said of the year in general. “In recruiting, you still want to be authentic and sincere, and you can feel that.”
He added, “Giving a kid an opportunity of an education and to play football, that’s a game-changing thing for some. The most fun part of recruiting is the true sincerity and gratitude from the kids.”
Sac State’s recruits came from all over the state and its backyard with lineman Sawyer Hays of Christian Brothers and Kenndel Riley of Capital Christian. The Hornets landed one out-of-state prospect in linebacker Oge Feo of Bethel High in Washington.
The program’s first verbal commit of this recruiting season was Dorian Hale, a run-pass quarterback star from national powerhouse De La Salle of Concord, which twice beat Folsom High in early nonleague games of Northern California powerhouses. Sac State assistant head coach Kris Richardson was the Folsom head coach during those games.
Sac State also signed skill players in receiver Ty Smith of Apple Valley High and running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver of Reed High of Nevada.
Eight of UCD’s recruits are from California with two coming from Utah and the same dinner table.
Twins Porter and Rex Connors of Pleasant Grove High, some 30 miles from Salt Lake City, play defense with an eagerness that appealed to the Aggies. Porter is a linebacker and Rex a defensive back.
“The twins are dynamos,” Hawkins said. “They have 100-percent energy, gym rats, weight room guys, football guys, play hard, energize the whole team.”
Sacramento State football recruits
Mason Brosseau, DL, Hanford High School
Oge Feo, LB, Bethel High School, Washington
Dorian Hale, QB, De La Salle High School, Concord
Sawyer Hays, OL, Christian Brothers High School
Aidan Meek, OL, Garces High School, Bakersfield
Gary Morrison, TE, JSerre Catholic High School, Alios Viejo
Kenndel Riley, OL, Capital Christian High School
Jackson Slater, OL, Newport High School, Washington
Ty Smith, WR, Apple Valley High School
Elijah Tau-Tolliver, RB, Reed High School, Nevada
UC Davis football recruits
Christian Calhoun, DB, Pacifica High School, Ventura
Joey Carrillo, DL, Acalanes High School, Lafayette
Porter Connors, LB, Pleasant Grove High School, Utah
Rex Connors, DB, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Darien Langley, AP, St. Joseph High School, Santa Maria
Jake Parsons, OL, Edison High School, Huntington Beach
Matteo Perez, RB, Marin Catholic High School, Novato
Jayden Stanley, DB, Mento-Atherton High School, Atherton
Winston Williams, TE, Immanuel High School, Reedley
Darius Wilson, DL, Highland High School, Palmdale
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 1:25 PM.