By admin 
The UC Davis Aggies have the foundation for another fine football team, which has been a steady theme in Yolo County since 1970 when Jim Sochor started his Hall of Fame coaching career.
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UCD features six preseason first- or second-team All-Americans on the roster, tied with South Dakota State for the most selections for FCS programs nationally. The offense expects to be in fast-forward motion again under third-year coach Tim Plough, a renowned recruiter and offensive mind, and the defense figures to be a hard-hitting unit.
As the Aggies prepare for Wednesday’s opening day of fall camp, Plough’s arsenal includes preseason All-American candidates in receiver Samuel Gbatu Jr., running back Jordan Fisher and tight end Winston Williams, each of whom will benefit from an experienced line headed by senior center Zaire Collier of Granite Bay High School in Placer County.
Collier isn’t a preseason All-American, but he may wind up on that list after this campaign. The natural team leader is a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection. The Aggies 2026 defense will be anchored by All-American twins Rex Corners, a defensive back who is the program’s all-time career tackling leader, and linebacker Porter Connors.
But who leads the show at quarterback? That answer will go a long way in defining the Aggies as they prepare for their 108th season — and whether they’ll reach the FCS playoffs for the third consecutive season under Plough and sixth time since 2018.
UCD was led last fall by Caden Pinnick of Del Oro High School in Placer County roots. He earned FCS Freshman All-American honors after passing for 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns before his transfer to Washington State.
UCD was a talking point Monday in Spokane at Big Sky Media Day, where the Aggies were projected by coaches and media to place third behind blue bloods Montana State, the defending FCS national champion, and 18-time Big Sky winner Montana.
“I’ve told people throughout the years that the one thing that UC Davis has had for 50, 60 years is great quarterback play,” said Plough during his media session. Plough quarterbacked the Aggies in the early 2000s.
“I was trained by the coaches before me how to coach that position,” Plough continued. “I feel like we do it as well as anybody in the country, and so I’m very confident that every year we’re going to have great quarterback play.”
QB prospects
The quarterback candidates include Treynor Cleeland, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman who starred at Jesuit High School in Oregon as a three-star prospect.
His father, Cameron Cleeland, played tight end for eight NFL seasons.
Axel Eason is also in the running, and he, too, has NFL bloodlines. He did not see the field as a UCD freshman last season after he starred at Oaks Christian High in Southern California as a three-star prospect. The Eason name is a familiar one UCD lore.
Axel’s father, Bo Eason, is an all-time Aggies defensive back great from the early 1980s, having grown up on the Sacramento River and starring at Delta High School. Bo Eason played several NFL seasons, and his name is listed on top of the UCD press box.
Axel Eason’s uncle is Tony Eason, brother of Bo. Tony Eason also played at Delta High in Clarksburg, then at American River College in Carmichael and the University of Illinois. He was a first-round pick in the famed 1983 draft, and he logged eight NFL seasons, including leading the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance following the 1985 season.
Axel Eason was slowed in spring drills with a hamstring strain while other Aggies quarterbacks showed promise.
From the transfer portal, UCD signed former Minnesota Gophers backup Jackson Kollock, a 6-4 freshman from Southern California, where at Laguna Beach High he had 7,820 career yards and 115 total touchdowns.
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“Really, really fired up about the guys we have in the quarterback room,” Plough said. “We always have a ton of depth in the room. So whoever comes out of that two, three-week competition in fall camp, I know they’re going to be a really talented guy, and we’ll have guys behind them ready to go.”
The coach added, “What makes a good quarterback is being surrounded by great players. We’ve got one of the best running backs in the country (Fisher), one of the best receivers in the country (Gbatu), a bunch of old linemen coming back, and maybe the best tight end in the country (Williams).”
Return of Connors brothers boosts D
UCD at the end of last season wasn’t sure it would have another campaign with Rex and Porter Connors. Both had their 2025 seasons cut short by injuries with the NCAA initially ruling that they had exhausted their eligibility. With the assistance from UCD coaches and legal counsel, the brothers sought a waiver by the NCAA to return to the Aggies. The NCAA granted the brothers that wish.
Rex has more than 300 tackles, and Porter was a preseason All-American a year ago. In a conference big on touchdowns, these two stoppers could play a big role in who wins the Big Sky.
“To have those two back, we’re really excited about it, and we’re proud of how they represent our school and the conference in the right way,” Plough said.
Formula to winning Big Sky championship
UCD will play nine Big Sky teams this season, the first in a season opener Aug. 29 at Portland State. The whopper of a showdown is a Sept. 26 home game at UCD against Montana, and the regular-season finale is a home contest against rival Cal Poly.
The finale for years was Sacramento State, but the 71st Causeway Classic last season may be the last one, at least for a long while. Sac State left the Big Sky after 29 seasons to join the FBS-level Mid-American Conference.
“We have the best conference in the country at the FCS,” Plough said. “But man, I love the fact that we’re playing nine Big Sky games.”
UCD will play just one Big Sky team that produced a winning record in 2025, but this isn’t to suggest that the schedule is dotted with pushovers. Upsets happen in this sport and in this conference.
UCD is preparing for its 15th Big Sky season and 22nd in the FCS after reaching the NCAA Division II playoffs 18 times from 1977-2002 under Sochor, whom the UCD field is named after, and other UCD coaching icons in Bob Foster and Bob Biggs, whose names also are placed on campus buildings.
Foster and Biggs continue to support Plough and the program. Sochor died in 2015 but his legacy lives on as Plough stresses “The Aggie Way.” Plough and Sochor met regularly to discuss coaching and leadership.
“We have to continue to prove that we can consistently be at the top of the conference,” Plough said. “It’s not just a one-year thing, and that’s what Montana has done for a long time.
“If you want to win the Big Sky, you’ve got to win your home games, and you’ve got to win a tough game on the road. If we play well, we can hang with anybody.”
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