i don’t think a black college is a viable model for a state where blacks make up 6% of the population, and a city where blacks are only 12%. Black colleges arose out of segregation in areas where there were large black populations.

As to whether I think Sac is breaking rules, i’m not sure. They may be able to stay under the 63 scholarship limit this year, as they got 40+ players to leave. The rule is 105 as an FCS independent in 2026 so thats also doable. It is legal to pay players.
I don’t think charisma accounts for their success. I think they are buying players with funds that there is no clear source for, making promises that will be unlikely to be met down the line. A kid doesn’t know what he’s signing up for if he stays 5 years at Sac State,

I'm well-versed in the history of HBCUs, and I truly believe there's space for one in California. Think about it—if you're a Black athlete looking to play Division I football, what are your options in the state? USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Fresno State, and San Diego State. That’s it.

But let’s be honest—none of those schools reflect the cultural environment or legacy of an HBCU. And to make things more difficult, schools like Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and USC are academically elite, which can pose a significant barrier for many talented athletes.

If Sacramento State (SACST) could position itself as a culturally rich, HBCU-style alternative, it could open up powerful new opportunities for Black students and athletes in California. The state produces a massive number of D1-caliber athletes every year. Offering a program with cultural relevance and a more accessible academic threshold could fill a major gap that currently exists.

The more I think about it, the more potential I see. This could really work.

Also, regarding the stats—if around 40% of California high school football players are Black, that translates to roughly 36,000 athletes. Of those, even if just 3% go on to play Division I football, that’s about 1,080 Black student-athletes in California each year. That’s a serious talent pool.

Now, imagine being a young Black athlete who wants to stay in California. If Sacramento State (SACST) can position itself as a hub for Black athletes, that could really influence college decisions. Let’s say you’re from South Central L.A., Oakland, San Jose—somewhere where you didn’t have every academic advantage and graduated with a 2.9 GPA, but you're an exceptional athlete. A school like SACST offering both cultural relevance and opportunity could be incredibly appealing.

That’s why what SACST is exploring is so compelling to me. I’m not sure if it’ll work—but it clearly fills a gap. And honestly, I’d love to see an HBCU in California. It would be a powerful addition to the state's legacy of diversity and inclusion.

How would naming a school's designation after one particular ethnic group make it more inclusive again? How would that be more inclusive- seems less inclusive to me..

It's 2025.. it's time to move past race and tribalism. I thought this country was a "melting pot?".. When people say they feel uncomfortable "because people don't look like them" isn't that the definition of racism? Wouldn't it be a bit weird if in 2025 they started say a new historically White, or Asian university? There would be an outcry over that..

You say it would "help the state's legacy of diversity and inclusion" (not sure what you're talking about there), but diversity is the opposite of one ethnic group being promoted.. you realize promoting one ethnic group above others is the opposite of diversity, right?

Also, the H in HBCU stands for Historically.. There isn't any history regarding Sac State being a school that was majority black as a result of racial segregation, I just don't get what you're talking about here.

Morgan Freeman famously said: “I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history; there is no white history month. The only way to end racism is to stop talking about it... Stop talking about it. I’m going to stop calling you a white man. And I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."

MLK once famously said: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Creating racially backed colleges and universities seems like a step backward to me.. and doesn't make any sense at all in the Sacramento State context.

The only things standing in the way of Sac State as a BCU (obviously it lacks the History) is the demographics of the school, the region, the fans, and I suspect, the band.

You shouldn't see this as "losing" something — it's more about recognizing that something new is being built. You got so worked up over Sac State becoming an HBCU alternative that you didn't even address the points I raised.

How many schools in California offer a pathway to play Division I football? Now, of those schools, how many provide a culturally supportive environment specifically for Black athletes?

Here’s a quick look at Black student enrollment across major D1 schools in California:

UC Berkeley: 4.1%

Stanford: 4%

UCLA: 6%

USC: 5%

Fresno State: 3%

San Diego State: 3%

I’m not debating whether Sac State’s strategy is right or wrong. I’m pointing out that Sac State has hired a majority of Black coaches in football and basketball — and they’re elite. They’re also bringing in big names like Shaq, Mike Bibby, and others, which is clearly having an impact on recruiting.

Why is that? My theory is this: Sac State is intentionally creating a school environment that feels welcoming to Black students. That would explain the increasing number of high-level Black athletes choosing Sac State. If this is their model, it fills a gap that no other California D1 school is addressing.

Take a step back and it makes perfect sense. What is Sac State historically known for? Not athletics. So why are kids committing now? Why the buzz?

My take: Sac State knows it can't compete with UC Davis, Cal, Stanford, or USC in terms of academics or prestige — so it's carving out a new lane. By focusing on culture, representation, and community, they're becoming relevant in a different way. And honestly, there's a real void in California that they might be uniquely positioned to fill.

Nice work SochorField.

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 Salt 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.

:rofl:

The next time one of you guys makes a remark about the length of my posts I will refer you to this topic thread, to remind you I'm not the only one. Yeah, sorry-just can't do max. three word reactions to every single football play like some of you because absolutely no one else is watching the game . The reminder may not be necessary though, as half of us will probably be pushing up the daisies before the topic's run its course at this rate. By then Aggie Sports Talk will be mostly ads in Vietnamese about how to properly clean office light fixtures.

I don't agree with the way Sac State is doing things, but I do know they need to do something, so it's good that they at least recognize it. As it stands Sac State is a junior college with more rigorous classes (I'm assuming)and a bigger parking lot. It needs something to set it apart in order to stop being a nothing university. Its selling point right now is that it is located in Sacramento and there are college degree-seeking people in Sacramento. In that sense it is the university equivalent of Denny's, a location of which is just a couple of blocks away if memory serves.

As TrainingRm67 has reminded us, the CSU's primarily exist to serve the communities where they are located, as opposed to private schools, which exist to serve the people who have the wherewithal to purchase exclusivity. For example, Sonoma State, a public school, serves people who like to pay way too much for housing near wine (OMG WINE!!!!!!), but who care way too much or not at all about sports. By canceling sports it is serving its community.

I just wanted to dump on SSU for a moment. Anyway, if Sac State decides to deviate from the CSU model it can have negative consquences. I'm not going to get into the consequences because someone else has/will.

I hate to say it but sometimes I feel that we are the only ones that really talk about Sac State. As a resident of Southern California that works with alums from big athletic/academic powerhouses they don’t even register these guys.

Whenever I mention I went to UC Davis I immediately get “that’s a good school”. I don’t think Sac State gets that. We are known primarily as an academic school who wants to bring our sports on par with that (although I do agree that some say we have already had enough success to merit that). I think of Cal Poly SLO more of a worthy rival than Sac State. If anything, I hope that in the event that Sac State becomes a highly attractive school and has success, that we no longer are associated with them.

Southeast Aggie Fan here. Can assure you all Sac State is not a topic of discussion even among the sports crowd here except for the occasional honorable mention in the bloopers. In the absence of the Woods saying anything ridiculous this week, it seems like we had to write our own content. Here’s hoping our main man puts his collectible sneaker right back in his mouth soon. It was better reality TV that way.

You have hit on Sac State’s problem, no one wants to be their rival.
That’s a combination of being tier 2 in Football (FCS), tier 2 in the California public college systems, and tier 2 among Universities in the greater Sacramento area.

I wouldn't mind if UCD and Sac State even just stopped playing each other in all sports (assuming no future common conference membership). The temptations to save on travel costs and fill the football stadium once a year are too great to make this happen. It would be nice to get rid of the toxic nastiness around the Causeway Classic. That is a tradition that doesn't need to continue, but people will insist on it sticking around because of history. Maybe this will happen organically if Sac State finds a way to FBS or their current effort fails. bankrupts the athletics dept.

Actually I think they will continue to play each other in Big West men's soccer, right? Well, get rid of it in football, basketball, softball, women's soccer, and baseball at least. It would be nearly impossible to avoid Sac State in gymnastics, track and golf. (Golf is not a real team sport so it should just be cut) If it's a money issue finding a new opponent, just play 1 fewer contest

HBCUs are such due to the 1890 land grant (second round of Morrill Act) establishing land grant Universities so Sac State will never be an HBCU or even a land grant for that matter (UC system in CA are land grant Universities.

Good post. Let's see where this is come December. If SACST has successful season we might have to rethink this whole thing.

SACST becoming an HBCU in name only, but a school that caters to black athletes is pretty cool. It doesn't have to be anything formal, think Cal or Davis which has a large % of Asian students.