Sac State football ushers in ‘Green Line’ era under spirited coach Alonzo Carter
What you see is what you get with Alonzo Carter.
The first-year Sacramento State football coach with deep Oakland and East Bay roots oozes energy, positivity and compassion, and he darts from one point to another on a field or in a room in quick order.
He has been a man in motion this week as he soaks in his first in-depth peek at the Hornets as the program kicked off spring drills on Monday.
Carter can charm the cleats off of a recruit, and he can dress down a veteran player with a bark or hard stare when warranted. The coach is much more than just a man who was once a backup dancer for rapper MC Hammer, though that part of his pedigree has its perks.
Who doesn’t get fired up when the coach busts a move, right?
“I love his spirit,” Hornets quarterback Carson Conklin said late Thursday morning after team workouts at Hornet Stadium. “You know, he can flip a switch pretty quick. In our team meeting this morning, he walked in dancing, and he cut the music off and started yelling, so he’s able to flip the switch. We respect him because he knows what he’s talking about, and he’s going to make us great.”
Carter was a successful high school and junior college head coach in the Bay Area, inspiring teams with his gusto and personality, and he had more recent assistant coaching stints at San Jose State and Arizona.
He’s expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to head the Hornets, who seek program stability: Carter represents Sac State’s third head coach in three seasons, and its fourth since 2022.
Carter acknowledged all of those coaches. He praised Troy Taylor for elevating the Hornets in his four-year tenure that included three Big Sky Conference championship teams before he was hired away by Stanford following a 12-1 Hornets campaign in 2022, the best in program history.
Taylor was replaced by previous defensive coordinator Andy Thompson, who led the Hornets to another FCS playoff berth in 2023 and stepped down after a trying 2024 season before heading to Stanford as an assistant coach.
Brennan Marion coached the Hornets last season to a 7-5 record in his lone season before University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders tapped him as his next offensive coordinator.
Carter said he plans to be in Hornets green colors for the long haul, having applied for the Sac State gig three previous times. The coach said he will aggressively recruit Northern California as the Hornets bound into a new era as a first-time FBS program. Sac State last month accepted an invitation from the Mid-American Conference, which they’ll join in 2026 after playing nearly 30 years in the lower-division FCS.
And it all starts with having an extra bounce in your step.
“I love the energy we have,” Carter said. “The energy is always going to be what you see. We have this mantra called Green Line, which is 100 — that’s 100 miles an hour, 100% of the time. That has nothing to do with talent. That’s just effort. I love the effort, and I love the energy, and I love the intent and I love the mindset of the team.”
Carter added, “They always say you are a reflection of your head coach. Well, I’ve got a lot of energy, and I love, love this game. I have passion. I want them to play with passion. We have this thing called FPV, which stands for fast, violent and physical.”
Blending new with old
With 50 new players and a host of new coaches, Carter has been able to retain key players from last season’s roster, including speedy running back Jamar Curtis, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury. Carter said he urged Curtis to stay put, that he wants to gear the offense around the back.
Carter and his staff also retained linebacker Derek Houston, out of Rocklin High School in Placer County. Houston led the Hornets in tackles in 2024 and labored through injuries last season.
Curtis was limited to four games in 2025 with the bum wheel but did shine in the season finale at UC Davis in the Causeway Classic, rushing for 105 yards and a score. He played three seasons for Lafayette, where he was an FCS All-American.
Coaches new and old
Carter retained quarterbacks coach Bobby Fresques, who has been with the Hornets since 2019 and was the program’s starting quarterback in the early 1990s.
Carter also retained highly regarded offensive line coach Kris Richardson, a program staple since 2019, and then boosted the position in hiring Angus McClure to be associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant line coach. McClure played in the trenches at Sac State from 1987-91 and was a member of the Hornets faculty and coaching staff from 1997-2004 before embarking on assistant coaching gigs at UCLA, Nevada, Kansas and others.
The program’s new chief of staff and general manager is also a familiar face. It’s Jon Osterhout, who has known Carter for years as they served on coaching boards together when Osterhout coached American River College of Sacramento to championship seasons.
Osterhout was a Hornets All-American lineman in the late 1990s under position coach McClure and is a member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. He coached with the Hornets from 2007-10 before embarking on his ARC coaching run.
“We have great coaches, a great staff,” Carter said.
Welcome back, Carson Conklin
Sac State’s strength in 2024 was the offensive line under Richardson and quarterback play with Conklin working with Fresques.
Conklin was a freshman All-American in 2024, passing for 2,876 passing yards and 28 touchdowns through the air before signing with Fresno State via the transfer portal after Marion came aboard with his own quarterback prospects. Conklin played in six games at Fresno State, which hosts Sac State on Sept. 12.
Quarterback play marked a team weakness last season but figures to be a strength again. Conklin re-signed with Sac State in January.
“I wasn’t happy that I left (for Fresno State),” Conklin said. “I never wanted to leave, but I am glad for the experience. I learned a lot there, and I’m ready to (lead this team). It’s just the older, wiser, been around thing.”
Conklin said he feels at home again, in part because of his relationship with Fresques and his growing connection with Carter.
“It’s great to be back,” he said.
Spring drills run three times a week, capped by the Hornets Spring Game, 3 p.m. April 25 at Hornet Stadium.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM.