SPOKANE, Wash. — Five was the number of the day for the Sacramento State football team as five Hornets were named to the Preseason all-Big Sky and the team was picked to finish fifth by the coaches and media. The polls and preseason teams were announced during the second day of the Big Sky Football Kickoff at Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

The Big Sky coaches and media had a similar opinion of the top five teams in the league. Montana took the top spot in both polls, earning 10 of the possible 11 votes in the coaches poll and 26 of 38 media votes. The Griz were followed by Montana State, Idaho, UC Davis and Sacramento State in both polls. The coaches then picked Weber State to finish sixth followed by Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Portland State, Idaho State, Northern Colorado and Cal Poly. The media did not match one of those positions choosing EWU to finish in sixth place with Weber State, ISU, NAU, PSU, Cal Poly and Northern Colorado completing the field.

Four of the five Hornets to earn preseason all-league honors came on the offensive side of the ball. The Hornets accounted for two of the six offensive linemen comprised of guard Jackson Slater and center Nathan Mejia. Slater has earned first team all-league honors the last two years and has started 36 consecutive games for the team. As a sophomore in 2022, he was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and was a HERO Sports Sophomore All-American. Mejia earned honorable mention all-Big Sky last season and was a second team all-conference award winner in 2022. That season was named a Freshman All-American by Stats Perform as well as HERO Sports. Mejia has started 27 games at center during his career, including the last 26.

Wide receiver Jared Gipson was named to the preseason team for the first time in his career. The senior enters the season with 91 career receptions for 1,421 yards and eight touchdowns. His yardage total places him 15th in school history while he's tied for 20th in career receptions. The Stockton, Calif., native led the Big Sky in 2023 with an average of 17.3 yards per reception and had a pair of 100-yard efforts (154 vs. Cal Poly; 108 vs. Northern Arizona). He was named second team all-league a year ago after finishing the season with 38 grabs for 657 yards and four scores.

Coleman Kuntz was the top vote getter at tight end on the preseason team. Kuntz caught 20 passes for 236 yards for an average of 11.8 yards per catch. He also served as the team's goal line running back, scoring four touchdowns during the year on just 10 attempts.

Will Leota has the distinction of being the only player on the preseason all-Big Sky team that has yet to play a game as a Big Sky member. Leota spent the three previous seasons at Utah Tech where he tallied 213 career tackles which places him sixth in school history. He was named first team all-WAC in 2022 and was a second team all-conference pick in 2021 and 2023. The linebacker has had success against Big Sky foes, finishing with 11 tackles at Montana, 10 against Northern Arizona and eight at Sacramento State during his three years.

The Big Sky Football Kickoff live show on ESPN+ will take place on Monday beginning at 9 a.m. The Hornets will be represented by head coach Andy Thompson, quarterback Kaiden Bennett and offensive lineman Jackson Slater beginning at 11:14 a.m. PT.

Sacramento State will start its 2024 season at San Jose State on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. The team's first home game will come on Saturday, Sept. 14, against Nicholls at 6 p.m.
 

2024 Big Sky Conference Preseason Team

Offensive MVP - Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis
Defensive MVP - Brody Grebe, DL, Montana State