SPOKANE, Wash. — The Sacramento State football team, winners of the last three Big Sky Conference fall championships, was selected to finish third by the league's coaches and fourth by the media, it was announced today as part of the Big Sky Kickoff.

Along with polls, the Big Sky unveiled its preseason all-conference team which featured five Hornets.

Montana State was picked to finish first in both the coaches and media polls. The Bobcats earned 10 of 11 possible first place votes in the coaches poll and collected 26 of 39 first-place selections in the media poll. The remainder of the top six featured the same four teams in both polls but did not see a match. The coaches tabbed UC Davis second followed by Weber State, Idaho and Montana. The media and a dramatically different opinion with Idaho, Montana, Sacramento State, UC Davis and Weber State ranking second through sixth, respectively.

The Hornets had three preseason all-conference selections on offense and two on defense. Tight end Marshel Martin, who has been named to several preseason All-America teams, was joined by running back Marcus Fulcher and offensive lineman Jackson Slater on offense. Martin has earned first team all-Big Sky honors after the last two seasons and was a second team choice in 2019. Last season, he led the team with 65 receptions for 879 yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Fulcher earned third team all-Big Sky honors last season as both a running back and punt returner. He finished 2022 with 465 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. His biggest output came in the FCS quarterfinals against Incarnate Word where he rushed for 108 yards on just nine carries. Fulcher was also a dangerous punt returner with an average of 9.3 yards per attempt and three returns of at least 20 yards.

Slater was named third team FCS All-America by The Associated Press last season and was also a first team all-Big Sky selection. That year, he started all 11 regular season games and at left guard and then moved to left tackle for the two FCS Playoff games due to an injury to Troy Stiefel. Slater has started 21 consecutive games dating back to his true freshman season in 2021.

Linebacker Armon Bailey and cornerback Caleb Nelson were named to the preseason all-conference team on defense. Bailey was a first team all-Big Sky selection last year after leading the team with 88 total tackles, including 12.5 for loss and six sacks. He had at least four tackles in all 13 games and recorded five or more in 10 contests.

Nelson garnered second team all-league accolades last season in his first campaign with the Hornets. During that year, he paced Sacramento State with 12 pass breakups and finished the year with 37 total tackles. His highlight came in the season opener against Utah Tech where he returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown.

Sacramento State begins the 2023 season on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Nicholls State. The team's first home game will come on Saturday, Sept. 9, against Texas A&M - Commerce.
 

2023 Big Sky Conference Preseason Team

Offensive MVP - Hayden Hatten, WR, Idaho
Defensive MVP - Winston Reid, LB, Weber State