Caden Pinnick of UC Davis earns All-Big Sky honor. Who made it from Sac State?
The Big Sky Conference on Wednesday announced its all-conference teams and honors, and the Sacramento region was well-represented by one of the top conferences in the FCS college football landscape.
UC Davis redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick out of Del Oro High School in Placer County was named the Freshman of the Year, the first Aggies player to earn the honor. He was the unanimous selection for this honor by a vote of Big Sky coaches.
Pinnick earned multiple Big Sky Player of the Week honors as a first-year starter for the program, and he passed for 2,527 yards and 24 touchdowns in 10 regular season starts. He completed 71% of his passes and rushed for 312 yards and three scores. Pinnick helped lead UCD (8-3) past Sacramento State 31-27 in the 71st Causeway Classic and to the No. 8 seed in the FCS playoffs.
The Aggies have an opening bye on Saturday and will on Dec. 6 at noon host the winner of this weekend’s Rhode Island vs. Central Connecticut winner.
The Big Sky Newcomer of the Year is Justin Lamson, the Montana State quarterback from Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills and The Sacramento Bee’s 2019 Player of the Year. Montana State won the Big Sky championship and is the No. 2-seeded team in the FCS playoffs.
A transfer from Stanford, Lamson has passed for 2,345 yards and 20 touchdowns with just two interceptions in completing a conference-best 72.4% of his passes. He rushed for 589 yards and 11 scores for the Bobcats, who are 10-2 with a 10-game winning streak under coach Brent Vigen, the Big Sky’s Coach of the Year.
Ten UCD players earned Big Sky honors and nine for Sac State, which finished 7-5.
Sac State’s first-team All-Big Sky picks were running back Rodney Hammond Jr., defensive tackle DeSean Watts and defensive back Koa Akui.
Hammond rushed for 1,213 yards, going for 100 or more yards in seven of the final eight games of the season. He rushed for 13 touchdowns.
Watts made 36 solo tackles and is rated by Pro Football Focus as the fourth-best interior linemen in the FCS. Akui tied for the Big Sky lead with five interceptions, and he was second on the team with 65 tackles.
UCD had five players make first team after finishing third in the Big Sky behind Montana State and Montana.
They are: receiver Samual Gbatu Jr., who has 949 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns; tight end Ian Simpson, who had a career-best 395 yards receiving and was a sound blocker in the teams’ run schemes; defensive lineman Jacob Psyk, a unanimous pick after recording nine sacks and 45 tackles, including 15 for loss; Khalani Riddick, who led UCD with 63 tackles and broke up seven passes; and Eli Simonson, a who started every game at left tackle and helped lead the way for the third best rushing team in the conference.
2025 All-Big Sky Conference honors
Sacramento State and UC Davis players in bold; * denotes unanimous selection
Offensive Player of the Year: Eli Gillman, RB, Montana
Defensive Player of the Year: Caden Dowler, DB, Montana State
Newcomer of the Year: Justin Lamson, QB, Montana State
Freshman of the Year: Caden Pinnick, QB, UC Davis*
Coach of the Year: Brent Vigen, Montana State
First Team All-Big Sky Offense
QB: Keali’i Ah Yat, Montana
RB: Rodney Hammond Jr., Sacramento State
RB: Eli Gillman, Montana
WR: Carver Cheeks, Northern Colorado
WR: Samuel Gbatu Jr., UC Davis
WR: Kolbe Katsis, Northern Arizona
TE: Ian Simpson, UC Davis
TE: Evan Shafer, Montana
OL: Stryker Rashid, Idaho State
OL: Titan Fleischmann, Montana State
OL: Cannon Panfiloff, Montana
OL: Eli Simonson, UC Davis
OL: Gavin Ortega, Weber State
OL: Nate Azzopardi, Idaho
AP: Michael Wortham, Montana
First Team All-Big Sky Defense
DL: Jacob Psyk, UC Davis*
DL: Paul Brott, Montana State
DL: Kenneth Eiden IV, Montana State
DL: Hunter Peck, Montana
DL: DeSean Watts, Sacramento State
LB: Mikey D’Amato, Cal Poly*
LB: Peyton Wing, Montana
LB: Isiah King, Idaho
LB: Travis Arena, Northern Arizona
LB: Kenny Olson, Cal Poly
DB: Caden Dowler, Montana State
DB: Quentin Moten, Northern Arizona
DB: Cam Chapa, Northern Colorado
DB: Koa Akui, Sacramento State
DB: Jaylon Jenkins, Eastern Washington
DB: Khalani Riddick, UC Davis
DB: Montae Pate, Weber State
First Team All-Big Sky Specialists
KR: Kolbe Katsis, Northern Arizona
PR: Taco Dowler, Montana State
K: Trajan Sinatra, Idaho State
P: Ben D’Aquila, Northern Arizona
ST: Tanner Huff, Montana
LS: Spencer Moore, Cal Poly
Second Team All-Big Sky Offense
QB: Justin Lamson, Montana State
RB: Julius Davis, Montana State
RB: Dason Brooks, Idaho State
WR: Taco Dowler, Montana State
WR: Michael Wortham, Montana
WR: Tsion Nunnally, Idaho State
TE: Landon Cooper, Eastern Washington
TE: Noah Bennee, Weber State
OL: Aidan Meek, Sacramento State
OL: Liam Brown, Montana
OL: Dean Abdullah, Sacramento State
OL: Zaire Collier, UC Davis
OL: Racin Delgatty, Cal Poly
OL: Jeremiah Katt, Northern Arizona
OL: Ethan Kramer, Northern Arizona
AP: Rodney Hammond Jr., Sacramento State
Second Team All-Big Sky Defense
DL: Matt Herron, Weber State
DL: Dylan Hampsten, Sacramento State
DL: Jayland McGlothen, Sacramento State
DL: Victory Johnson, Cal Poly
DL: Cam’ron Willis, Idaho State
LB: Solomon Tuliaupupu, Montana
LB: Nate Rutchena, UC Davis
LB: Brandon Wong, Northern Arizona
LB: Cole Taylor, Montana State
LB: Read Sunn, Eastern Washington
DB: Drew Cofield, UC Davis
DB: Rylan Leathers, Idaho State
DB: TJ Rausch, Montana
DB: Jeremiah Bernard, Cal Poly
DB: Carsten Mamaril, Portland State
DB: Tayden Gray, Montana State
Second Team All-Big Sky Specialists
KR: Rodney Hammond Jr., Sacramento State
PR: Drew Deck, Montana
K: Sloan Calder, Weber State
P: Gabe Russo, Idaho State
ST: Brayden Rice, Idaho
LS: Grayson Pibal, Montana