SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State's 2024 wide receiving corps boasts three players which caught at least 30 passes last season. The trio are part of 15 total wide receivers on the roster comprised of five returners, four redshirt freshmen, two FBS transfers and three true freshmen.

• Jared Gipson was named second team all-Big Sky a year ago after ranking second on the team with 38 receptions for 657 yards and four touchdowns. Gipson was the team's primary deep ball threat, averaging 17.3 yards per reception which led the Big Sky. He caught at least one pass in 11 games and three or more receptions in eight contests. Gipson also had a pair of 100-yard games with 154 receiving yards against Cal Poly and 108 against Northern Arizona. Those numbers earned him a spot on the preseason all-Big Sky team.
• Anderson Grover finished 2023 — his first with the Hornets — with 34 receptions for 431 yards and three touchdowns. Grover made an immediate impact, catching a touchdown in the season opener at Nicholls. He finished the year strong with over half of his season total (262 yards) coming in the final three games of the season.
• Devin Gandy was a primary target through the first 10 games of the season until a knee injury ended his year. Gandy hauled in 33 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns. He is expected to return to action near the start of the 2024 season.
• Sawyer Merrill and Ty Smith complete the returners while Onterrio Smith, Jr., Jayden Weber, Mekhei Byrd, Danny Scudero and Darren Gandy (Devin's younger brother) all redshirted last season. Along with playing receiver, Merrill has established himself as one of the top special teams players in the Big Sky. Scudero, arguably the fastest player on the team, appeared in four games in 2023 while maintaining his redshirt. He scored a touchdown on his first offensive touch of his career with a 16-yard rush against Montana State on ESPN2.
• Makai Cope and Joshua Nicholson both come to the Hornets from FBS teams where they were active contributors. Cope appeared in 26 games for Utah including the 2021 and 2022 Rose Bowls. Nicholson played in 18 games over the last two seasons at San Diego State. He had 17 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown in those contests and will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Hornets.
• Kai Hamilton, Jason Auzenne and Jaythn Long are all 2024 high school graduates. Hamilton and Long were both three-star recruits by 247Sports while Auzenne was a two-star product.

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Jackson Slater earned another honor this offseason as he was named the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. Slater was one of 13 Big Sky football players who earned a spot on the list.
• The Hornets took team photos on Thursday and also went through pregame procedures in a dress rehearsal inside Hornet Stadium.
• Saturday will begin the first of four practices before the team heads to San Jose State on Wednesday.
• The game against the Spartans can be seen on TruTV and will be streamed on MAX. The event will be the first college football game on TruTV and will have Ari Wolfe (play-by-play), Darius Walker (analyst) and Jared Greenberg (sideline) on the call.
• Hornet fans can also listen on ESPN 1320 and the Audacy app with Jason Ross (play-by-play), Steve McElroy (analyst) and Danny Sullivan (color).