Corrected.

Typo. Despite proofreading, that one slipped by.

I think you’ve built a theory with too many holes. Your thesis seems to be that Sac State has the capacity and intent to provide a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes, and will become a de facto [H]BCU within the CSU system.

1) To be meaningful and effective, a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes has to be based on a culturally supportive environment for all Black students. Black student enrollment at Sac State in 2024 was 7%. More than the other schools you listed, but I’m not sure it’s a significant difference. I certainly don’t think that it’s enough to provide the type of environment you’re talking about. The University of Mississippi has a Black student enrollment of 12%. The University of South Carolina has 15% (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education). I suspect that a survey of those campuses might not reflect a particularly culturally supportive environment for Black students.

Yes, Sac State has been recognized by the State Assembly as California’s first Black-serving institution, and should be congratulated for its efforts to increase Black student enrollment and graduation rates. However, Sac has previously been designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. With the reality of budget, cuts, faculty layoffs, class cancellations and increases in student fees that are occurring, new initiatives like the Black Honors College will be impacted, as will students from underserved populations. There will be completion for the decreasing available funding.

It also runs counter to the current Federal approach to education. A Black Honors College is very likely to be seen in Washington as a DEI program, which could imperial Federal funding at Sac State and possibly the entire CSU system. Even the hiring “a Majority of Black coaches in football and basketball” could be cause for a Federal investigation in the current climate. Sad, but that’s the reality.

2) Sac State is largely a commuter college. Less than 10% of Sac State students live on campus, which has to make it a challenge to create any type of student-centered campus identity.

3) The new identity that you’re saying is being developed at Sac State would be top-down driven. That is always artificial, and seldom becomes self-sustaining. To be authentic, any cultural environment is evolutionary and almost always bottom-up. Since the intent of CSU enrollment has always been to primarily serve a geographically local student population, there’s going to be a limit on the growth of the Black student population. Hispanic/Latino students make up the largest ethnic group at Sac State (38%). I doubt that will change, so if anything a culturally supportive environment for Hispanic/Latino students and athletes will predominate. Futbol everyone!!

4) Your current thesis seems to also run counter to your previous thesis that the new paradigm in sports is that of athletes and coaches (and probably administrators like AD’s and presidents) will be made up of people who ARE NOT personally committed to an institution. Rather they are committed to building their brand and maximizing financial/personal gain. They will immediately move to wherever the best offer is made. That means athletes, coaches, and administrators will not stay at an institution. I don’t believe that a revolving door of people can build or sustain a positive, supportive environment for athletes, regardless of their ethnicity.

The UCD Women’s Soccer Team begins preseason practice at the end of the month, and opens the season at home against Fresno State on August 14. New coach Kat Mertz and her staff will welcome 25 players, including All Big West Honorees Genevieve Fontes (1st Team - Midfield) and Sarah Canavan (Honorable Mention - Forward ), both redshirt seniors.

Hoping to build off the success of the last two seasons in both of which the Aggies finished 2nd in regular season play and reached the Big West Tournament Semifinal, Mertz faces a significant rebuilding task. Not only did Davis lose key graduating seniors, but several other top contributors followed departed coach Tracey Hamm to the University of Oregon, as did three of the Aggies’ 2025 commits.

Departed Players:

Goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein (graduate) played every minute for the Aggies the last 3 years, saving 80% of Shots on Goal and recording a 1.06 Goals Against average. That included 19 clean sheets in 57 games. Goldstein was originally hired as a graduate assistant at Oregon but was recently granted an 6th year of eligibility. She will likely start in goal for the Ducks.
2024 All West 2nd Team

Goalkeeper Gia Kiesling (redshirt freshman) did not play in her only season at UCD, but had Goldstein not been granted the additional year of eligibility, may well have been the starting keeper for the Ducks this season.

Defender Jayde Holley (redshirt senior). Holley missed the 2023 season due to injury. Otherwise she started 55 games (of 57) over her 3 years on the pitch, averaging 85 mpg.
2021 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team
2021 All-Big West Conference 2nd Team
2022 All-Big West Conference 1st Team
2022 All West Region 3rd Team
2024 All Big West Conference 1st Team
2024 All West 1st Team

Defender Taylor Dever (senior) played in 40 of 58 games during her 3 years at Davis, including starting all 20 last season, in which she averaged 88 mpg.

Defender Elise Picard (redshirt sophomore) started 22 consecutive games for the Aggies, averaging 76 mpg, before going down with a season-ending injury in the 3rd game last season.
2023 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team

What might have been the Aggie defense is completely decimated. Holley, Dever, Picard and graduated senior Bella Mayo (who played every minute) were the Aggies’ starting backline in front of Goldstein for every game last season, until Picard was injured.

Midfielder Abella Hunter (sophomore) played in all 20 games in her only season as an Aggie, averaging 46 mpg. Hunter for third leading scorer for Davis with 4 goals.
2024 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team

Recruits Who Recommitted to Oregon:

Forward Miya Alamares - Davis HS/Davis Legacy. 3-Star prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Was in camp with the U.S. National U-17 team that finished third at the 2024 FIFA World Cup.

Forward Selah Simms - 3-Star prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Liberty HS (Brentwood)/Lamorinda SC. 4 year track letter winner (sprints & hurdles); North Coast Meet of Champions qualifier.

Forward Addison Boyer - Oak Harbor WA/Seattle United. 3-Star Prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Club team was ECNL champion in 2023-24 & 2023 Surf Cup Best of the Best finalist. 4 year state qualifier in track (sprints).

Given her relatively late hire, Mertz had little time (or choice) to recruit from the transfer portal or rebuild the recruiting class, though she was able to bring in some new faces in each category. The upside for this season’s roster is it’s a completely new slate. Players who didn’t get much time on the pitch will have an opportunity to step up, as will the incoming freshmen.

NOTE: Those are "3 to 5 stars" players who didn't shine at a previous stop or stops. So they still have to live up to that rating.

And even if they do, the fact that they were "varsity players" playing a "JV schedule" might lessen whatever they accomplish in the eyes of scouts/recruiters (for individual players), or conferences that Sac might be interested in joining. Damned if they do, damned if they don't situation.

True. By December, there will be a few pertinent questions answered:

Can Marion Brennan make the leap from successful position coach and offensive coordinator to head coach?

Does Sac State really "have the horses" to win lots of games?

Did a bunch of individuals focused on "building their brand to capitalize and maximize their opportunity to make money" coalesce into an actual team?

Will the recruits with questionable backgrounds stay out of trouble (on AND off the field)?

Did the Hornets indeed win "a bunch of games?"

If Sac is really successful, who is still around?

Yes, she's the first commit in the 2026 recruiting class. Second year in a row we've gotten an early (summer) commit (Carrington Davis committed last August).

Looks like WBB is leaning into a bit more size in the backcourt.

Looks like a great addition. Isn't she our first Aussie (at least under Gross)?
Sounds like Baugh was a big part of the recruitment process.

Vic is in the transfer portal as a grad transfer. She is not listed on the 2025-26 WBB roster page. She’s pictured on the WBB Instagram page at the Aggie Grad Luncheon.

Funny thing about all the talent in NorCal, specifically Sacramento. It doesn't transition well to the next level, at least in women's basketball, which I follow pretty closely. I can't speak to other sports specifically, but based on a gut feeling, I started tracking WBB commits beginning with the 2024 recruiting class (so small sample size).

The 17 NorCal D1 commits from the 2024 cohort averaged 8 minutes a game as freshman. The 5 who were recruited to majors, averaged 10.2 mpg, mostly due to Jordan Lee (St. Mary's - Stockton/Texas) who played in 30 games, with 3 starts, averaging 21.2 mpg on a very good Texas team. Lee (#9) ,and Morgan Cheli (#11 - Mitty/UConn) were both 5-star recruits per ESPN Top 100; Kamryn Mafua (#56) and Harper Peterson (#87) were 4 -stars). In addition to Lee:

• Morgan Cheli played in 21 games, averaging 13.3 mpg for national champion UConn.
• Harper Peterson (Whitney) only only played in 9 games, averaging 3.5 mpg for a weak Stanford team.
• Kamryn Mafua (Folsom) played in 15 games/5.7 mpg on a good, but unranked Cal team, and transferred to Utah this spring (NOTE: she didn't "come home" for her 2nd chance).
• Gabrielle Abigor (Berean Christian) played in 34 games averaging 8.2 mpg at Cal

Based on their freshmen year, Lee and Cheli seem to be legit. The jury is still out on the others, particularly Peterson.

Some previous highly regarded area players:

• Madison Butcher (Local Superstar at Del Oro HS - 2022 recruiting cohort) stayed local, but only got 12 starts in 2 seasons at Sac State on sub-.500 teams, and transferred to Cal Poly this spring.
• Makaila Sanders (Local Superstar at Foothill HS - 2018 recruiting cohort) only started 1 game in 4 seasons at UCD, never averaging more than 9 mpg.
• Teagan Brown (Local Superstar at Oak Ridge HS & for Jason Kidd Select - 2022 recruiting cohort) has yet to start a game at Washington in 3 season on slightly above .500 teams. Averages about 11 mpg.

Brown's experience at Washington was one if the situations that prompted me to start tracking.

I agree completely that everything has changed in college sports - not just football. Unfortunately, it's not settled yet, nor will it be for the foreseeable future. Schools have to make the best plans they can, but they better stay nimble enough to adapt as the uncertainty continues. IMHO, Sac State, by their own admission, has embarked on an all-or-nothing course that leaves them vulnerable as the environment continues to change. They've gone so all-in on this strategy, they probably CAN'T alter course if the ground shifts in an unexpected direction.

My second worry about Sac State is that it has a poor record for retaining successful coaches. Just recently, Troy Taylor left for Stanford after 3 years, while Mark Campbell (women's basketball) left for TCU after just 2 years. Even a well-regarded Andy Thompson was hired away after just 2 so-so seasons. Add in Brandon Marion's own coaching history - not staying anywhere more than 2 years. What happens when he leaves in 1 or 2 years,...and takes coaches and players with him? I doubt Sac State will be able to sustain their program. Nor will conferences be lining up to invite them in. Conferences want well-built programs, not 1 or 2 year wonders (again IMHO).

That's assuming he's as successful as you're sure he will be. The Deon Sanders Effect didn't kick in until the 2nd year at both Jackson State and at Colorado, despite remade rosters. And Brandon ISN'T Deion...he doesn't have Deion's cachet. Even established coaches have had rough first seasons. Nick Saban was 7-6 his first year at Alabama. Kalen DeBoer was 9-4 his first year at Alabama. If he's as hugely successful as you think he'll be, Sac St. won't be the next big thling, it's in danger of becoming the next cautionary tail.

Taking it a bit further, yesterday's article highlighting the collaboration with the Master of Management clearly demonstrated how that has benefitted both Athletics and the GSM in the short-term. In the longterm, as student-athlete graduates of the MM program go out in the world and have success, they potentially become significant donors.

Connections to other campus programs, like the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, also have the potential to be mutually beneficial. These can only increase support for Athletics within the campus community. The alternate uniforms and the Tahoe-themed games will be very visible reminders of that connection, and good publicity for TERC. Maybe other campus programs or departments will start thinking about how similarly connecting with Athletics could be beneficial to them.

Big Step - WSOC signed a veteran goalkeeper from Colorado State, Shayna Ross. 41 gams over 3 years, with a 0.97 goals against average. That compares favorably to graduating senior (now graduate assistant at Oregon with Tracy Joyner), Caeley Goldstein's 1.06 goals against over 61 games.

Looks like a great get!

Source: MaxPreps Girls Basketball, May 9, 2025
From California only -- who made the national list (all seniors unless indicated):

2,640 — Nyemah King, Lakewood (Lakewood, Calif.)
2,505 — JoAnna Warren, University Prep (Redding, Calif.)
2,480 — Lauren Harris, Faith Christian (Yuba City, Calif.) * - junior class
2,176 — AJ Gambol, Pleasant Valley (Chico, Calif.)
2,104 — Addison Deal, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2,087 — Jordan Dillon, West Hills (Santee, Calif.)
2,046 — Carrington Davis, Rialto (Rialto, Calif.)- UCD Recruit
2,016 — Nina Cain, McClatchy (Sacramento, Calif.)

https://www.maxpreps.com/news/Pm4V4rgeWEemnAalFrGBnw/aaliyah-chavez,-maddyn-greenway-headline-list-of-2,000-point-career-scorers-coming-out-of-2024-25-high-school-girls-basketball-season.htm?eid=4677456373c66601fa35a6f1e03e4c7b5e3470198bd336d8ab02e85286e5ff0c?lctg=31fcd1b0-7f7b-4aaa-b159-a3c595299cbb&ftag=MPM-04-10aaa1f&utm_medium=Email Salesforce v.1

When interviewed on the Big Mountain podcast, Rocco said that UCD was going to honor its commitment to all athletes currently on rosters next year. They would opt in the following year.

That was before the judge in the House case indicated that she wanted athletes currently on rosters grandfathered in. The NCAA and the major conferences (the defendants) are not in favor of that, but the alternative is going to trial before the same judge.

We spend our summers at our cabin 2 hours north of Missoula. When it comes to collegiate allegiance, Montanans are either Bobcat or Griz fans. Not much middle ground. However, "Montucky" will likely unite them for one game.

And it will be interesting to see which way the conference goes as far as the other Sac State sports.

Yeah, I agree that weeks 1 & 2 will be crucial.

There seems to be consensus on this thread that Sac IS generating enthusiasm already. But it's going to take on the field results to sustain the current enthusiasm, let alone drive it higher. I.e WINS
So would going 7-5 enough to do that? What about 6-6? Or 5-7?

Considering the hype about the quality of players Sac will have on next year's roster (see BlueGoldAg's list from 5 days ago, the visuals of the players signed that have been posted, etc.):

*Do they have to beat UCD?
*In addition to UCD, Sac plays (at home) 3 other Big Sky teams that were FCS Playoff teams. Are this must-wins?
*How critical is the opening game at South Dakota State (another FCS Playoff team)?
*If UCD, South Dakota State, Idaho, Montana and NAU are the 5 losses, will beating everyone else be enough to sustain enthusiasm for the next season? How many of those games are must-wins?

So again, what will be enough to be considered a successful season?

One of the consistent discussion points on this thread relates to Sac State "being successful / not being successful" next year with this approach. But what is "success" in this situation?

I'm curious what everyone thinks success in basketball next season actually looks like.

What kind of win-loss record qualifies as success?
Is the Causeway game a must-win?
Do the Hornets need to win the Big Sky regular season and/or tournament championship?
How deep do the Hornets need to go in the NCAA (assuming they're selected)?
Is playing in the WBIT or WNIT enough?
What does average attendance need to be?
Other?

One of the consistent discussion points on this thread relates to Sac State "being successful / not being successful" next year with this approach. But what is "success" in this situation?

I'm curious what everyone thinks success in football next season actually looks like in various metrics.

What kind of win-loss record qualifies as success?
Is the Causeway Classic a must-win?
Do the Hornets need to win the Big Sky Championship?
How deep do the Hornets need to go in the playoffs (assuming they make qualify)?
What does average attendance need to be?
Does the football program need to have zero players who have an incident that involves the police?
Other?