I'm really happy to see that Noudjihidi is officially an Aggie. He has one of the longest wingspans in the country and appears to be very athletic. He's definitely has the potential to be a disruptive defender and rim protector. I think this is one of the best recruiting classes I've seen in a very long time. Can't wait to see this team in action this fall!

After their official visits from this last weekend, a pair of 3 star DL studs in Ta'a Malu and Jeremiah Nonu have updated their 247 profiles to having UC Davis as "warm" basically saying that they have increased interest versus some of their other offers. — CA Forever

Does 247 Sports actually allow players to personally update their recruiting profiles? I thought 247 made those "interest predictions" based upon information they gathered from social media activity and visits etc.

It looks like being an Aggie will mean a lot to Rodriguez.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sujanovic play this fall. I think he will be an immediate impact player.

DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball has signed Omer Suljanovic, a 6-foot-8 forward from Austria with professional experience in Italy's Serie A2, head coach Jim Les announced Friday.

"Omer's game is built for today's style of play," said Les. "He stretches the floor, initiates offense, and competes with the physicality and pace you expect from someone who's faced high-level competition across Europe. He's ready to contribute from day one."

"He brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and basketball IQ that positions him to make an immediate impact," Les added. "A true modern-day forward, Omer's ability to handle the ball like a guard at 6-foot-8, combined with his strength and touch in the paint, makes him a matchup nightmare. He can create his own shot, finish through contact, and score at all three levels – with his perimeter shooting standing out as a major threat."

Suljanovic spent the 2024-25 season with UCC Assigeco Piacenza in Italy's Serie A2, a highly competitive league featuring seasoned professionals. During the 2023-24 season, he led Italy's U-19 league in scoring at 24.2 points per game for Pallacanestro Reggiana. He also competed for NGT Belgrade in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds against Europe's elite youth prospects.

Internationally, Suljanovic made his senior national team debut at just 17 years old – becoming one of the world's youngest players at that level during the 2025 FIBA World Cup qualifying window. He averaged 23 minutes per game in his two appearances, demonstrating remarkable poise for his age. He has since been called again to perform for Austria's second FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers window this season.

Suljanovic's basketball pedigree runs deep: Fluent in four languages, he is the son of Ramiz Suljanovic – a 12-year professional veteran and Bosnian national team pioneer who was among the first Bosnians to establish himself in European basketball. His brother, Imran, will play at St. John's this season.

"Having competed internationally and trained in some of Europe's most respected development systems, Omer arrives with the poise and polish of a seasoned professional," Les noted. "We are confident he will strengthen our team and elevate the standard of play across the board. His presence is a significant addition to our program's culture."

Suljanovic will join the Aggies as a freshman for the 2025-26 season.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/5/30/omer-suljanovic-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

I was thinking the same thing! We've been having all this great weather and, of course, we get near record heat on the weekend they're here but I'm glad we got at least one of them!

DAVIS, Calif. — Aggie Athletics has partnered with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) to celebrate their bold scientific breakthroughs with a bold new color and logo to match. The Aggies will compete in a series of Tahoe-themed games sporting a new alternate uniform starting this fall.

The partnership will extend beyond the kits on the field as student-athletes will have opportunities to visit the facilities located on Tahoe's north and west shores for on-site learning and team retreats. Merchandise sporting the new logo will be available at the Aggie Sideline Store online debuting this summer.

"Athletics offers a national stage to showcase UC Davis — a top-5 public, R1 research university," said Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. "We in Athletics strive to match the excellence of our institution's groundbreaking work, including the Aggies' legacy of innovation and global impact at Lake Tahoe. We're excited to give fans a behind-the-scenes look and celebrate that spirit through alternate uniforms and merchandise."

"This partnership brings together two UC Davis organizations with cultures of dedication and excellence," states UC Davis TERC Director Stephanie Hampton. "We are so excited for our work at Lake Tahoe and beyond to be highlighted on a national stage by our outstanding student-athletes."
Information on the UC Davis Tahoe fall game dates and times will be made public in June.

More here: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/5/28/athletics-aggies-introduce-bold-aqua-in-partnership-with-the-uc-davis-tahoe-environmental-research-center.aspx

I definitely like them and the video is very cool also! Love seeing that we used the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center boat. I think we'll see the football team keep the classic blue and gold uniforms as well for some games.

End arounds and swing passes into the flats with that kind of speed and elusiveness could be tough to defend too.

I think Blocker could really be exciting. He's got blazing speed: 10.4 in the 100m, 21.3 in the 200m and 4.37 for 40 yards. He also shows lots of athleticism and quickness. He's going to be hard to catch once he has some separation. 4.0 GPA also. Perfect Aggie!

Check out this highlights video: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19530538/66ef1694602d2063ff7b83b3

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Great interview. Thanks!

Plough clearly explained the Davis approach of recruiting primarily outstanding high school players and keeping them in the program until they graduate versus going after big numbers of transfers each year. Sac State's approach is the exact opposite currently and they have brought in what must be one of the largest numbers of transfers ever seen by an FCS school. This would be a perfect time for you to interview their new head coach, Brennan Marion, where you could compare the pros and cons of these two entirely different approaches to recruiting.

We're definitely thinking the same thing.

...this is a whole new team with players from all over the country. I mean we are hopeful that they will gel, but it could also be a disaster. LOL — Kadeezy

That will be the challenge for sure. Marion may actually have an excess of talent where some of these FBS transfers don't get the playing time they are expecting. However, it feels like, with this much talent, that his team could win even having a less than stellar game.

I think that Sac's strategy is playing out as planned at the moment. They aren't interested in the FCS at all anymore. FCS is small potatoes in their mind's eye. It's like Dr. Wood has said, "It's FBS or bust."

They're all about getting everyone's attention by bringing in a charismatic, up and coming coach and a recruiting class the likes of which no one has ever seen before at an FCS program and then, given their relatively weak FCS schedule this year, they go 12-0 on the season with most or all of their wins being huge blowouts.

If that happens, they feel like FBS conferences will roll out the red carpet and come calling, the fan base will take off like wildfire and that will bring in deep pocketed donors and perhaps an Indian casino sponsorship to build a new stadium and increase NIL money even more.

I think that, given the sheer number of players with exceptional size, speed and athleticism that they have brought in already, anything less than a monster 12-0 season would be a disappointment for them.

I have to think that we must be offering some NIL but who knows? Our athletics program is so much more than just trying to "buy" players. We go after players who value their education and the all of the support they will get for succeeding in school and in their lives after basketball at some point. It seems like all of these recent recruits are good students with high character so those things are probably as important or maybe even more important to them than simply getting paid to play at this level.

I haven't seen anything more about the big man, Jonathan Noudjihidi. I hope we get him signed. I did see a post where he has one of the tallest standing reaches in the nation at 9'2. With that kind of length he could really be a rim protector!

It looks like he has a great inside/outside game. This highlights video is from 2 years ago and he is apparently grown another inch since then. I hope he chooses to be an Aggie!