2025 Sacramento State Hornets football team

2025 Sacramento State Hornets football
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record7–5 (5–3 Big Sky)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKen Merchant (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorA.C. Patterson (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorMarcus Patton (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinatorJosh Brown (1st season)
Home stadiumHornet Stadium
2025 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Montana State $^   8 – 0     12 – 2  
No. 3 Montana ^   7 – 1     13 – 1  
No. 11 UC Davis ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Sacramento State   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Idaho State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Northern Arizona   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Eastern Washington   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Cal Poly   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Idaho   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Northern Colorado   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Weber State   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Portland State   1 – 7     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of December 20, 2025
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. A realignment to the FBS was announced in 2025, but the NCAA Football Oversight Committee denied a recommendation ahead of a Division I Council vote.[1] The vote later officially denied the waiver.[2] They were led by first-year head coach Brennan Marion and played their home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player Position Destination
Evan Kiely K Boise State
Jason Auzenne WR/RB College of San Mateo
Phoenix Rose DB College of San Mateo
Kyle Stahlecker DE Eastern Washington
Carson Conklin QB Fresno State
Zelmar Vedder DB Houston
Tommy Poe WR Idaho State
Davion Ross S Idaho State
Devin Gandy WR Louisiana Tech
Elijah Tau-Tolliver RB Michigan State
Spencer Patton DT Montana Tech
Murvin Kenion III DB Nevada
Joey Wright OL Nevada
Darren Burton II DB New Hampshire
Tyler Henry DL North Dakota
Jackson Lataimua DB North Texas
Danny Scudero WR San Jose State
AJ Campos LS San Jose State
Mason Brosseau DT South Dakota State
Coleman Kuntz TE South Dakota State
Carson Camp QB Southeastern Louisiana
Nathan Mejia OL Stanford
Jayden Davis S Western Michigan
Jayden Weber WR Unknown
Mekhei Byrd WR Unknown
Ezra Moleni RB Unknown
Jayden Flaig TE Unknown
Diego Davis LB Withdrawn

Incoming

Player Position Previous school
Connor McDowell LS Angelo State
Donovan Haslam OL Austin Peay
Jekob Jones LB Cal Poly
Jordan Herman OL Charlotte
Damian Henderson II RB Colorado State
Jordan Williams TE Colorado State
Malik Tullis DL Eastern Michigan
Melvin Swindle II DL Eastern Michigan
Jaden Rashada QB Georgia
Darren Burton II DB Hampton
Jayden Davis DB Idaho State
Chase Brackney DL Iowa
Jamar Curtis RB Lafayette
James Jones RB Louisiana–Monroe
Dylan Gooden DE Maryland
Itayvion Brown DE Michigan State
James Gillespie DT Middle Tennessee
Miles Bailey DL Murray State
Brodie Tagaloa DL Nebraska
Savion Red RB Nevada
Kristopher Ross DE Nevada
Ikaika Ragsdale WR North Texas
Grant Meadors K Oregon
Jordan Anderson WR Oregon State
Rodney Hammond RB Pittsburgh
Logan Tanner TE San Diego State
Dean Abdullah TE San Diego State
Dylan Hampsten DE San Jose State
Gavin Thomson WR Saint Francis
Mikey Henderson WR Tarleton State
Ernest Campbell WR Texas A&M
Syncere Massey DL Texas Southern
Deven Wright DE Texas State
Cardell Williams QB Tulsa
Ricky Lee III DB UAB
Agiye Hall WR UCF
Joseph Firebaugh Jr. K UCLA
Davis Ambuehl TE UNLV
Timothy Conerly WR UNLV
Brennon Scott LB UNLV
Damien McDaniel WR UNLV
Sammy Norris FB UNLV
Keith Conley DL UNLV
Bear Tenney TE Utah
Oscar Moore DB UTEP
Jace Wilson WR UTSA
Sam Adams II RB Washington
Jackson Lataimua DB Washington State
Warren Smith DB Washington State
Taison Fa’asuamanu LB West Liberty

[3][4][5][6][7]

Coaching staff additions

Name New Position Previous Team Previous Position Source
Brennan Marion Head coach UNLV Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks [8]
Kenneth Merchant Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks UNLV Offensive analyst [9]
AC Patterson Co-offensive coordinator/Running backs Portland State Assistant head coach/Offensive coordinator/Running backs [9]
Marcus Patton Defensive coordinator Colorado State Cornerbacks [9]
Josh Brown Co-defensive coordinator/Linebackers McNeese Co-defensive coordinator/Safeties [9]
Darrin Walls Defensive pass game coordinator/Cornerbacks Albany Co-defensive coordinator/Cornerbacks [9]
Rob Wenger Special teams Minnesota Special teams/Rush ends [9]
Robbie Bell Tight ends Georgia Tech Offensive line quality control [9]
Nathan Kenion Safeties Diablo Valley Defensive coordinator [9]
Sidhart Krishnamurthi Wide receivers San Jose State Offensive quality control [9]
Ed McGilvra Defensive line College of the Canyons Defensive line [9]
Jake Vang Edge rushers Colorado State Defensive analyst [9]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 304:00 p.m.at No. 3 South Dakota State*No. 15
ESPN+L 3–2019,163
September 62:00 p.m.at Nevada*No. 18
KNSN-TVL 17–2020,535
September 136:00 p.m.Mercyhurst*No. 21
ESPN+W 49–2812,231
September 206:00 p.m.Central Arkansas*No. 24
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
ESPN+W 45–1613,253
September 276:00 p.m.Cal PolyNo. 21
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
ESPN+L 24–3215,016
October 115:00 p.m.at Weber State
ESPN+W 55–272,126
October 186:00 p.m.Northern Colorado
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
ESPN+W 40–3520,022
October 247:30 p.m.No. 4 Montana
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
ESPN2L 35–4916,816
November 11:00 p.m.at Eastern Washington
ESPN+W 35–134,356
November 82:00 p.m.at Portland State
ESPN+W 52–241,284
November 156:00 p.m.Idaho
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
ESPN+W 23–2015,467
November 221:00 p.m.at No. 15 UC Davis
ESPN+L 27–3114,590

[10]

Game summaries

at No. 3 South Dakota State

See also: 2025 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team
No. 15 Sacramento State Hornets (0-0) at No. 3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (0-0) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 15 Hornets 3 0 003
No. 3 Jackrabbits 3 14 0320

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD

  • Date: August 30
  • Game time: 4:00 PM PDT
  • Game attendance: 19,163
  • Referee: Gregory Gompf
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Tyler Merriam (play-by-play) and Kurtiss Riggs (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • SDST – Eli Stader 22-yard field goal, 8:11. Jackrabbits 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 1:52.
  • SAC – Grant Meadors 36-yard field goal, 5:18. Tied 3–3. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:52.
Second quarter
  • SDST – Andrew Gustad 4-yard pass from Chase Mason (Eli Stader kick), 12:38. Jackrabbits 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:34.
  • SDST – Lofton O'Groske 3-yard run (Eli Stader kick), 3:51. Jackrabbits 17–3. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:54.
Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter
  • SDST – Eli Stader 28-yard field goal, 2:27. Jackrabbits 20–3. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 5:13.
Statistics SAC SDST
First downs 7 28
Total yards 131 430
Rushes–yards 24–24 56–240
Passing yards 107 190
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 11–27–1 17–23–0
Turnovers 2 2
Time of possession 18:54 41:06
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing Jaden Rashada 11/27, 107 yards, INT
Rushing Rodney Hammond Jr. 6 carries, 12 yards
Receiving Jordan Anderson 4 receptions, 49 yards
South Dakota State Passing Chase Mason 17/23, 190 yards, TD
Rushing Julius Loughridge 22 carries, 159 yards
Receiving Lofton O'Groske 5 receptions, 76 yards

at Nevada (FBS)

See also: 2025 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
No. 18 Sacramento State Hornets (0–1) at Nevada Wolf Pack (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 18 Hornets 7 10 0017
Wolf Pack (FBS) 0 13 0720

at Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV

  • Date: September 6, 2025
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: 20,535
  • Referee: Brad Carrell
  • TV announcers (KNSN-TV): Alex Marguiles (play-by-play), Lucas Weber (analyst) and Shannon Kelly (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 5-yard run (Grant Meadors kick), 10:55. Hornets 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:05.
Second quarter
  • SAC – Grant Meadors 35-yard field goal, 13:04. Hornets 10–0. Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards, 7:59.
  • NEV – Joe McFadden 37-yard field goal, 7:17. Hornets 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:47.
  • NEV – Chubba Purdy 3-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 1:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:51.
  • SAC – Ernest Campbell 75-yard pass from Cardell Williams (Grant Meadors kick), 0:53. Hornets 17–10. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:09.
  • NEV – Joe McFadden 40-yard field goal, 0:00. Hornets 17–13. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 0:53.
Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter
  • NEV – Jonathan Maldonado 36-yard interception return (Joe McFadden kick), 2:17. Wolf Pack 20–17.
Statistics SAC NEV
First downs 15 23
Total yards 371 413
Rushes–yards 41–146 48–269
Passing yards 225 144
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 14–19–1 12–21–2
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 27:14 32:42
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing Cardell Williams 11/13, 158 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Jamar Curtis 8 carries, 37 yards
Receiving Ernest Campbell 3 receptions, 89 yards, TD
Nevada Passing Chubba Purdy 12/21, 144 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Chubba Purdy 21 carries, 115 yards, TD
Receiving Marcus Bellon 2 receptions, 59 yards

Mercyhurst

See also: 2025 Mercyhurst Lakers football team
Mercyhurst Lakers (1-1) at No. 21 Sacramento State Hornets (0-2) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lakers 10 8 7328
No. 21 Hornets 7 14 72149

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: September 13
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: 12,231
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)
Statistics MERC SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Mercyhurst Passing Adam Urena 27/44, 280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Brian Trobel 10 carries, 62 yards, TD
Receiving Joe Kerbacher 4 receptions, 61 yards
Sacramento State Passing Cardell Williams 8/17, 176 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Damian Henderson II 12 carries, 98 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Ernest Campbell 2 receptions, 78 yards, TD

Central Arkansas

See also: 2025 Central Arkansas Bears football team
Central Arkansas Bears (1-2) at No. 24 Sacramento State Hornets (1-2) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 6 01016
No. 24 Hornets 21 7 10745

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: September 20
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)
Statistics CARK SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Central Arkansas Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Cal Poly

See also: 2025 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
Cal Poly Mustangs (2-2) vs. No. 21 Sacramento State Hornets (2-2) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Mustangs 18 7 7032
No. 21 Hornets 7 14 0324

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: September 27
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)
Statistics CP SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Cal Poly Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at Weber State

See also: 2025 Weber State Wildcats football team
Sacramento State Hornets (2-3) vs. Weber State Wildcats (2-3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Hornets 7 21 72055
Wildcats 3 7 10727

at Stewart Stadium • Ogden, UT

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics SAC WEB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Weber State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Northern Colorado

See also: 2025 Northern Colorado Bears football team
Northern Colorado Bears (3-3) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (3-3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears - - --0
Hornets - - --0

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: October 18
Statistics UNCO SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Northern Colorado Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

No. 4 Montana

See also: 2025 Montana Grizzlies football team
No. 4 Montana Grizzlies (7-0) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (4-3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 4 Grizzlies 7 21 71449
Hornets 7 14 01435

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 6:30 PM PDT
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: SW at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 16,816
  • Referee: Gregg Wilson
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Darius Walker (analyst)
Game information
First Quarter
  • (5:04) SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 7-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:41; Sacramento State 7–0)
  • (1:22) MONT – Brooks Davis 24-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:33; Tied 7–7)
Second Quarter
  • (14:50) SAC – Ernest Campbell 63-yard pass from Cardell Williams, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:32; Sacramento State 14–7)
  • (12:46) MONT – Michael Wortham 64-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:57; Tied 14–14)
  • (7:24) MONT – Michael Wortham 27-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 2:03; Montana 21–14)
  • (4:16) SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 6-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:59; Tied 21–21)
  • (1:00) MONT – Eli Gillman 13-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 0:43; Montana 28–21)
Third Quarter
  • (10:18) MONT – Evan Shafer 11-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:42; Montana 35–21)
Fourth Quarter
  • (13:12) MONT – Michael Wortham 15-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:58; Montana 42–21)
  • (4:17) SAC – Cardell Williams 17-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 14 plays, 87 yards, 5:20; Montana 42–28)
  • (1:45) MONT – Malae Fonoti 4-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 1 play, 4 yards, 0:05; Montana 49–28)
  • (0:15) SAC – Cardell Williams 18-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:30; Montana 49–35)
Statistics MONT SAC
First downs 18 24
Total yards 385 478
Rushing yards 161 141
Passing yards 224 337
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 17–25–1 26–33–1
Time of possession 25:55 34:05
Team Category Player Statistics
Montana Passing Keali'i Ah Yat 16/24, 196 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Michael Wortham 7 carries, 89 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Michael Wortham 5 receptions, 80 yards, TD
Sacramento State Passing Cardell Williams 25/32, 332 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Rodney Hammond Jr. 12 carries, 54 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Ernest Campbell 9 receptions, 206 yards, TD

at Eastern Washington

See also: 2025 Eastern Washington Eagles football team
Sacramento State Hornets (4-4) vs. Eastern Washington Eagles (4-4) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Hornets - - --0
Eagles - - --0

at Roos Field • Cheney, WA

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics SAC EWU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Eastern Washington Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at Portland State

See also: 2025 Portland State Vikings football team
Sacramento State Hornets (5-4) vs. Portland State Vikings (1-8) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Hornets - - --0
Vikings - - --0

at Hillsboro Stadium • Hillsboro, OR

  • Date: November 8
Statistics SAC PRST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Portland State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Idaho

See also: 2025 Idaho Vandals football team
Idaho Vandals (0-0) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vandals - - --0
Hornets - - --0

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

  • Date: November 15
Statistics IDHO SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Idaho Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at No. 15 UC Davis (Causeway Classic)

See also: 2025 UC Davis Aggies football team and Causeway Classic
Sacramento State Hornets (7-4) vs. No. 15 UC Davis Aggies (7-3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Hornets - - --0
No. 15 Aggies - - --0

at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA

  • Date: November 22
Statistics SAC UCD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Sacramento State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
UC Davis Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213Final
STATS FCS1518212421RVRVRVRV
Coaches1416212221RV—RVRV

References

  1. ^ "Report: NCAA Oversight Committee recommends to not support Sac State's waiver to transition to FBS". FOX40 News. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  2. ^ Davidson, Joe (June 25, 2025). "NCAA denies Sacramento State's waiver bid to join FBS in football. What's next?". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  3. ^ "2025 FCS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.
  4. ^ "2025 FBS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.
  5. ^ "2025 FCS-to-FBS Transfers". herosports.
  6. ^ "Sacramento State Hornets 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
  7. ^ Rosario, Timothy (May 21, 2025). "FCS Football: Top 20 Post-Spring Transfer Portal Classes". Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "BRENNAN MARION NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH". hornetsports. December 20, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "2025 Football Coaching Staff". hornetsports. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  10. ^ "2025 Sacramento State Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
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