Does an FCS Program Have One of the Deepest Backfields in the Country?

With the help of the transfer portal, one FCS program has assembled one of the deepest backfields in the country

By Mark Pszonak

There are plenty of deep backfields across the country, especially at the elite P4 programs who have a conveyor belt of impressive talent. However, when it comes to a mixture of talent, experience and production, one of the deepest is in the FCS.

Sacramento State has been an FCS recruiting juggernaut since the program hired Brennan Marion as their head coach on December 21st. The former UNLV offensive coordinator made numerous important additions through the transfer portal, which included a complete overhaul of the backfield.

First, one important member of the 2024 backfield does return, Curron Borders. After redshirting in 2023, Borders played in all 12 games last season, totaling 361 yards and one touchdown on the ground, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Borders will face stiff competition during this off-season to attempt to earn playing time in 2025. First, two FBS transfers will try to make an immediate impact. Savion Red (Nevada) began his collegiate career at Texas before transferring to Nevada prior to the 2024 season. With the Wolf Pack, he rushed for 687 yards and a team leading eight touchdowns. The other FBS addition is Rodney Hammond Jr. (Pittsburgh), who in four seasons with the Panthers rushed for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The most intriguing transfer addition by the Hornets may turn out to be Jamar Curtis (Lafayette). A two-time Walter Payton Award finalist, which is the FCS Heisman Trophy, Curtis rushed for 2,598 yards and 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons. On top of that he has added 49 receptions for 396 yards and three touchdowns.

How the Hornets will split the carries amongst Curtis, Hammond, Red and Borders is unclear at this point and likely will be a work in progress throughout summer camp and into the season. But this is a problem that many programs across the country would love to have. Splitting carries will keep the backfield fresh throughout the season, which should help make the Hornets a viable threat in the Big Sky Conference in 2025.

Since Coach Marion's hiring, Sacramento State has become one of the more polarizing programs in the country.

https://mikefarrellsports.com/college/does-an-fcs-program-sacramento-state-have-one-of-the-deepest-backfields-in-the-country

I think Roberson is probably done. He wasn't a great player at Cal, and now he has two years of rust on top of not-so-great. — yolohw

Les is well known for bringing in players that he feels are diamonds-in-the-rough and developing them. Quite a few of them became outstanding players under his coaching. I don't know if Roberson will be back or not but I do know that Les was high on his potential to be a solid contributor prior to tearing his ACL in a pick up game 2 years ago. I trust Les' eye for talent so I hope Roberson is able to return this year and that we get to finally see him in action.

The folks over on t he Big West Boards are saying that teams are signing 15 players this year to their rosters.

I love this and, yes, I remember Ron Austin well from watching him electrify Aggie fans at The Toom. Congratulations to him!

I saw a story on the national news last night about an 88 year old woman in Maine who just got to go through the 2025 Maine graduation ceremony to be given her degree that she had actually completed in 1959. She was prohibited from going through the graduation ceremony in 1959 because she and her husband had just found out that she was pregnant and pregnant women were not allowed to go through the graduation ceremonies. Thank God for the women's rights movement for eventually getting these kinds of misogynistic rules put behind us.

The Athletics Department just released a series of short videos highlighting each of the Assistant Football Coaches:

Amzil is a great recruit for the Aggies. I saw we had offered him back in mid-May and I watched some of his highlight videos and this kid can play! He is very versatile with good size and strength inside and a beautiful shot from beyond the arc. He had offers from South Carolina, Utah, Toledo and Wyoming also. This recruiting class is really impressive!

Sam Herder feels like the following schools are the most ready to move to FBS football:

1. Sac State
2. North Dakota State
3. Tarleton State
4. Montana along wirth Montana State
5. South Dakota State

He feels like UC Davis would move to the top of the list when considering their current facilities and the ability to expand them, their media market size, their funding ability and their academic reputation but he says they simply are not in a rush to make the jump. He feels like they are comfortable building their football program into an FCS power and will make a decision whether or not to move up if an offer comes and they feel ready to make the move at that time unlike many programs publicly push to move up and rush into making the move as soon as possible.

You can scroll to about the 32:50 mark to hear their discussion about the Aggies.

Lofty predictions from Dr. Woods brother, Joshua Woods:

Thanks for posting this, Mike. It sounds like Blue has a complicated task ahead for Canada Soccer in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. He accomplished so much here in a relatively short period of time as the AD for Aggie Athletics that I hove no doubt that he will be able to do the same with Canada Soccer. They've got the right man for the job.

That makes me wonder if Noudjihidi could end up with ICE problems since his home country of Chad is one of the countries included in Trump's recent travel bans. I'm assuming that since he has already been playing at a community college in Louisiana for 2 years, that the Chad travel ban would not affect him. I certainly hope that Suljanovic and Noudjihidi don't encounter any problems.

DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis men's basketball program has signed 6-foot-11 forward Jonathan Noudjihidi, a Chad native and interior force from Coahoma Community College, head coach Jim Les announced Friday.

"Big Jon brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and work ethic to our team," said Les. "He's a true rim protector who plays above the rim on both ends and runs the floor as well as any big I've coached. His presence in the paint gives us a real edge. We're excited about the impact he'll make and the energy he will bring every day."

Noudjihidi broke out as a full-time starter this past season at Coahoma CC, averaging 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 57.8% from the field - the seventh-best mark in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC). His 2024-25 campaign featured a career-high 23-point, 12-rebound performance against Southeast Arkansas College on December 14, along with six double-doubles and 10 double-digit rebound games that showcased his consistency. The athletic big man also recorded a career-high seven blocks against Shorter College on December 11, one of his 12 multi-block performances in 25 games.

The Chad native more than doubled his scoring output from 4.8 to 10.9 points per game while increasing his rebounding average from 3.5 to 7.2 per contest between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He also demonstrated improved touch by raising his free-throw percentage to 72.4%, a near 10-point improvement from the previous year. His rim protection (50 total blocks) and finishing ability made him one of the conference's most impactful two-way players. Before his time at Coahoma, Noudjihidi developed his game at Our Saviour Lutheran in the Bronx.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/6/jonathan-noudjihidi-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

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