SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head men's soccer coach Michael Linenberger announced the addition of two more fresh faces to the fold on Thursday, welcoming commitments from high school standouts Zach Looney and Collin McNairy for the 2025 season.
"We are excited about our incoming class for the fall," Linenberger said. "We have a good mix of freshman and transfers that will add to our good core of returning players."
The addition of the duo brings the list of commitments for 2025 to five after Allbranley Gue (release), Amjot Narang (release), and Eli Reyneveld (release) agreed to join the program earlier in the year.
Brief bios on the newest additions to the roster are below.
ZACH LOONEY (5-5, F, Ceres, Calif. / Pitman HS, Sac Republic FC Academy)
Looney, who prepped at Pitman HS in Turlock, Calif., finished with team high's in both goals (13) and assists (13) as a senior for the Pride, earning Central California Athletic League Offensive Player of the Year honors along the way… He helped Pitman HS to a third-place finish in the league, but rallied the Pride in the postseason where they upset the top three seeds in the tournament to claim the school's first-ever CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title over No. 1 Woodcreek… Looney scored all three goals in the win over Woodcreek, scoring a first-half goal and adding a pair of penalty kicks in the second overtime period en route to the 3-1 win… Pitman HS then posted a win over Westmont HS in the opening round of the NorCal Regionals before falling to Cardinal Newman in penalties following a 1-1 draw… Outside of his time with the Pride, Looney played four years for the Sac Republic FC Academy club along with future Hornet teammate Collin McNairy, helping his side to the semifinals of the MLS NEXT semifinals… He was also twice called up to the U.S. Youth National Team regional ID camp.
COACH LINENBERGER SAYS: "Zach is a quick and clever attacking player that can play any of the three positions across the front line or as an attacking midfielder. He works extremely hard and has gained great experience by playing with the Sacramento Republic Academy."
COLLIN McNAIRY (5-11, F, Roseville, Calif. / West Park HS, Sac Republic FC Academy)
A defender who prepped at West Park HS in Roseville, Calif., McNairy played one season for the Panthers as a sophomore, finishing with six goals and eight assists… Spent most of his time playing for the Sac Republic FC Academy team for seven years, helping his side to an MLS NEXT national semifinal appearance in 2021-22 along with future Hornet teammate Zach Looney… He was also a U.S. Youth National Team camp call up in 2022.
COACH LINENBERGER SAYS: "Collin is a strong, tough, and fast defensive-oriented player that will most likely play as an outside back for us. He has also gained valuable experience through his many years playing with the Sacramento Republic Academy."
