.The university’s application to transition to an FBS football independent starting in 2026 was denied Wednesday by the NCAA Division I Council, making it clear that the climb toward national and even regional relevancy can’t just happen overnight.

The denial came a week after the NCAA oversight committee recommended to the council that it deny Sacramento State a waiver to move up without a conference invitation, something it last approved for Liberty in 2017. An invite signals a university’s readiness to make such a drastic jump solo.

University president Dr. J. Luke Wood posted on social media Wednesday morning that Sacramento State remains undeterred:

Sacramento State has met every meaningful benchmark for FBS membership, and we believe our university, our students, and the entire Sacramento region deserve major college football. We’re full steam ahead and we still plan to be playing FBS football in 2026. pic.twitter.com/NoEcQ7EmyG

— Dr. Luke Wood (@DrLukeWood) June 25, 2025

Wood told The Athletic that the school plans to explore an appeals process and refuted recent reports that Sac State would play 2026 as an FCS independent.

The school has already announced it will withdraw from the Big Sky Conference next summer and join the Big West Conference for all sports except football.

Sacramento State has tried to pitch the Mountain West and Pac-12.

The Pac-12 has focused on active FBS programs and is expected to add Texas State as an eighth all-sports member. It does not have an interest in Sacramento State, according to sources briefed on the league’s stance. The Mountain West said in January, after adding Northern Illinois as a football-only member, that it would pause further expansion. The programs Sacramento State is competing with are generally more established and already playing at the FBS level.

In the wake of the denial, Marion says other schools have been trying to get the Hornets’ committed recruits to defect but predicted 90 percent of the class will still sign with Sac State. He also says FBS membership is still coming.

“(State) senators are involved, congressmen are involved — people are very serious about us going to FBS in this region,” he says. “Just me, personally, if I was on the NCAA Council, I don’t want to go against the state capital of California.”

Wood put it this way: “I’m glad that people get to see that these things aren’t easy. Because it’s going to make the victory even more sweet. Because we will be FBS.”

Sac State’s 2026 recruiting class is ranked just outside the top 50 nationally on 247Sports. Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, who grew up in nearby Folsom, took an unofficial visit there before committing to BYU. Top-10 receiver Xavier McDonald took official visits in June to LSU, Ole Miss … and Sac State.

Already on board is Jaden Rashada, the former four-star quarterback known for a massive NIL deal gone wrong at Florida, who spent his first two seasons at Arizona State and Georgia. So is running back Rodney Hammond Jr., who ran for 1,400 yards at Pittsburgh. And former Texas and Alabama receiver Agiye Hall. Marion and/or his assistants had relationships with most of the transfers they brought in.

“I love coach Marion’s offense, and I like what he’s building here,” says Rashada, a Northern California native, of the former UNLV offensive coordinator.

Fueling the transformation is an administration adamant about crashing the top level of college athletics and support from a group of willing donors dubbed the Sac12.

“There’s a lot of people in this community with real money … and they’re really all in on making this a top-tier football program,” Marion says. “If we’re announced FBS — when we’re announced FBS — the only schools on the West Coast that will have more than us financially when it comes to helping players in NIL will be USC and Oregon.”

But unlike those big-name recruits, no one in the FBS is interested in Sacramento State.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One of the hottest football programs in the country resides in a nondescript office building, sharing space with the audiology clinic, nursing school and cardiovascular wellness program. Take the elevator to the third floor, turn left and you’ll find the Sacramento State coaching staff’s offices.

One is occupied by a 37-year-old first-time head coach wearing a gold chain inscribed with “Go-Go” — the name of his offense. Sitting on the desk next to him is his ubiquitous cowboy hat. He knows it’s unusual for a college coach to have tattoos on his hands and neck, but over the years, it became his thing.

“All the young coaches say I’m like the Allen Iverson (of coaching),” he says.

Brennan Marion has been on the job for only six months, but he has already managed to transform a program of modest history into a destination for recruits and transfers who might not have otherwise considered an FCS school. Part of the sales pitch is the aggressive effort by the school, with an enrollment of 31,000 and an alumni base of 280,000, to move up to the FBS level.

The program is expected to spend $4 million on name, image and likeness (NIL) in calendar year 2025, between donations and revenue sharing, according to assistant general manager Chris Parry. Marion’s salary is $750,000, and the program has a $2.7 million staff pool. All three figures are believed to be the highest in the FCS.

Seemingly overnight, long-sleepy Sacramento State has transformed into one of the flashiest athletic departments in college sports.

A men’s basketball program that has never won its conference or played in the NCAA Tournament and, as of last season, played in a 1,012-seat arena, hired former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby as its head coach. He, in turn, brought in NBA great Shaquille O’Neal as the program’s general manager.

Meanwhile, the football program’s recruiting weekends include Power 4-style photo shoots, with players posing next to a Mercedes-Benz GT, and buffet dinners at a ritzy downtown nightclub. This is the same program that did not notch its first FCS playoff win until 2022 (it won one again in ’23) and went 3-9 last season.

UC Davis has released their 2025-26 roster and there are several changes.
Biggest news is that forward Niko Rocak has been granted a 5th year of eligibility and returns as a graduate. He started 27 games, putting up 5.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg making him one of the more productive returning bigs in the conference. A couple of players who played little last year are no longer on the roster despite not entering the portal; Sion Lose and Marsalis Roberson.

Sources confirmed to the Austin Sports Journal late Thursday night that the Pac-12 Conference has formally extended a membership invitation to Texas State University, effective for the 2026–27 academic year.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents called a special meeting for Monday morning to formally accept the invitation.

The invitation follows weeks of speculation regarding Texas State’s potential move to the Pac-12.

University officials are expected to notify the Sun Belt Conference of their intent to depart and will pay a $5 million exit fee, thus meeting the July 1 deadline.

With the addition of Texas State, the rebranded Pac-12 will meet the NCAA’s minimum requirement of eight football-playing members to maintain its Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) status and eligibility for the College Football Playoff.

It has money, buzz, Mike Bibby and even Shaq. But does Sacramento State have what it takes to get to the next level?

"We're thrilled to welcome CJ to the Aggie family," Les said. "He brings great size and length at the guard position, and he plays with a high motor that we love. CJ is dynamic in the open floor and gives us tremendous flexibility in the backcourt. His ability to defend multiple positions, especially as an elite on-ball defender, sets him apart. CJ's upside is through the roof, and we're excited about his future here at UC Davis."

Franklin Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard from Las Vegas, Nevada, dominated the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) during his lone season at the NJCAA Division I level. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.4% from the field for the Coyotes. His standout campaign included 17 double-digit scoring efforts, highlighted by a career-high 28 points against Arizona Western College, and 11 multi-steal games, featuring a career-best six steals vs. Phoenix College. Franklin Jr. also showcased his playmaking with 11 games of five or more assists, including a pair of eight-assist performances, and was a consistent presence on the boards from the guard position with 17 games grabbing five or more rebounds, ranking third on the team. His performance during his lone season with the Coyotes earned him ACCAC Freshman of the Year and all-conference accolades in the very competitive ACCAC.

Short of winning a national championship can’t prove anything new at the FCS level, with this years weak schedule. — Riveraggie