Another issue is what happens to a teams credibility with HS coaches and players when 40+ players leave because they’re being replaced. Those olayers may also lose progress to their educational objectives due to disruption. Sac in prior years made a big deal that they recruited locally, now they risk burning that relationship.

Nava is one of those JC players who got extra eligibility following a court case that the NCAA couldn’t count non NCAA years against a olayers eligibility. Remains to be seen what that means in future years but for this year juco players who were on their last year now have another year.

The only question regarding returning o-line starters is whether David Main is recovered from leg injury suffered in playoffs.

Eli Simonson is on the roster. The o-line returns all starters except Mirabella,, and he only started 7 games.

Anthony Soto brief recap of coaching background and 2025 Mercer team.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5cCR3cusUD/

The third is in honorable mention.
Derrell Porter (DL) Dartmouth to UC Davis

It would be more interesting if they were still FCS playoff eligible, which I suppose they will be if they get turned down by the FBS Committee for their waiver to move up without a conference invite.

got injured

They didn’t come for the money, they came for the chance to play FCS football, but without the need to play more than 12 games.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs in the NCAA settlement case now proposing that the players who lost their spots on teams due to roster limits be given career exemptions from counting in the total at either their old school or their new. Another way to mess with competitive balance. If adopted this enables schools to raid other rosters and not have to cut anyone,

Now compare it to the average Cal road game,

.
We have nearly as many tight ends as receivers on the Spring roster, and I remember hearing that the tight ends learn all the receiver routes. Perhaps unfortunate the team doesn’t have a light tight end who could move to receiver, a la Hayden Hatten. But they’ll play a lot of two tight ends this year.

Soto and the head coach are a tandem, coaching at 3 schools together. Soto was assistant head coach at the previous stop.
Mercer’s freshman QB who started six games transferred last week to Oklahoma.
Davis may have half the defense starting lineup show up for the first time in summer camp.
A real challenge for coaches on both teams to get their teams ready in week 0.

The Analyst has a updated preseason ranking of FCS teams where Davis is ranked 15th.
Of the 14 teams ranked higher, Davis plays four of them, Montana State, Sac, Idaho and Mercer and they also play 18th ranked Southern Utah. Throw in Washington and that is a challenging schedule.
This is a hard year to forecast, all the FCS teams have significant player turnover.

https://theanalyst.com/2025/05/fcs-football-preseason-top-25-rankings-2025

Anthony Soto, Aggie alum and former wide receiver 2009-2012 is the Mercer Offensive Coordinator and QB coach. Plough was passing game coordinator during three of Soto’s years playing at Davis. Soto later had a quality control role under Ron Gould. 2014-2015.

Sac offered him. How could he pass that up?

How does someone graduate from a prestigious university in basically a year and a half? Football eligibility wise he has two years and a redshirt year remaining.
He was mentioned positively by Plough in both of Plough’s Spring football press videos conferences, so he is a definite contender for playing time here.
His X timeline shows he had offers from multiple FBS and FCS schools, UMASS, New Hampshire, Youngstown, Western Michigan, Kent State, etc.

Ty Richardson, our transfer from Tufts is a grad student. That is impressive considering he graduated from Menlo school in 2023. Kid doesn’t waste time.
He only played 14 games over two seasons at Tufts and this last year was selected on 3 All American Teams. He and his year older brother, currently a wide receiver at USC went to Tufts as their mother is an alum. Was on Spring roster.

Highly rated commits too. They may have a wad of cash they want to spend before the NIL tightens rules. What could the draw be other than cash? Tradition, national reputation, history, value of degree; I don’t think so.

Before they sign the offers will have to be in writing.

It would be more interesting if their record meant something at the end of the year. They have a relatively easy Big Sky schedule as they miss Montana State, and get Montana and Idaho at home