With experience, Cal Poly football looks to be more competitive in Wulff’s second season

Ever since the pandemic upended Cal Poly football’s 2020 season, the Mustangs have slowly tried to rebuild the program, but the restart has sputtered at multiple points.

After longtime head coach Tim Walsh stepped down following the 2019 season, Cal Poly hired Beau Baldwin. However, before Baldwin could start his iteration of the program, the pandemic delayed the start of the 2020 season.

The team was forced to cancel the pushed-back “2020” season because it didn’t have enough players to field a roster due to injuries and enrollment deferment.

Two seasons later, Baldwin departed for the offensive coordinator position at Arizona State. While the Mustangs only won a few games under Baldwin, the young talent on the roster looked promising.

Hoping to create some positive momentum, Cal Poly prioritized continuity within the team and elevated Paul Wulff from offensive line and running game coordinator to head coach. In Wulff’s first season, the team received its highest-rated commitment in former five-star quarterback Sam Huard.

Huard transferred from the University of Washington and reunited with his former high school coach Sheldon Cross, the newly hired offensive coordinator at Cal Poly.

Huard played his first full season as a starter at the Division I level, finishing second in the Big Sky in yards per game (249.7) and total passing touchdowns (18). He also ended the year with Cal Poly’s seventh-most passing yards in a single season (2,247) despite missing two full games and most of a third after an injury.

The team improved by one win compared to the previous year but had competitive moments against some of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference.

In a late-season game against Sacramento State, Huard set the Cal Poly single-game completion record with 38. The Mustangs fell 41-30 to the No. 9 ranked Hornets, but it was the closest margin the team had against a ranked team the whole season.

But now, once again, the upward trajectory is down again.

Cross left Cal Poly after one season. Following the 2024 Spring Game, Huard announced he would enter the transfer portal and committed to the University of Utah. Standout defensive back Donovan Saunders also transferred to a Power 4 program in Texas A&M.

However, the team returned more than 60 players who had played in at least one game. Huard, Saunders and running back Mark Biggins are substantial losses, but the team retained Elijah Ponder, who led the Big Sky in sacks with 10.

Ponder is on NFL teams’ radar and was named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watchlist and the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team.

Baldwin and Wulff described the team as young and inexperienced in past seasons.

While the team still has young contributors, such as running back Aidan Ramos and defensive back Delano Franklin, the majority of the starters have had multiple years of experience in college football.

“We’ve been growing this thing for a couple years, and we feel now we are in a position to be competitive and surprise some people,” Wulff said at the 2024 Big Sky Media Day.

Redshirt senior receiver Giancarlo Woods and Ponder represented the Mustangs at the Big Sky event and echoed Wulff’s sentiment.

“Rebuilding has been a topic of our team, and I think that’s out,” Woods said. “We don’t feel like we are rebuilding and feel like we are true contenders and have a good chance to go out and prove people’s opinions wrong.”

Where the offense stands

Replacing Huard at quarterback is Bo Kelly, who was the primary backup last season and started during Huard’s absence. The redshirt sophomore completed 62 of his 112 passes for 630 yards in three games. Against Idaho, Kelly threw for a season-high 262 yards and two passing touchdowns.

Wulff called him the most “consistent” quarterback at fall camp.

The Mustangs also brought in two new quarterback transfers: Richie Watts from the University of Buffalo and a Division III transfer, Jackson Akins from the University of Mount Union. Jaden Jones is still in the mix as well.

Under Baldwin, Jones started the 2022 season before going down with a season-ending knee injury. In his short stretch as a starter, he showed dynamism scrambling in the backfield and making plays on the move.

The receiver core remains intact except for Bryson Allen, who graduated. Woods led the team with 50 receptions for 498 yards and four touchdowns, while Tyrece Fairly-Diyem grabbed 29 passes for 418 yards.

Dominique Thompson, Evan Burkhart and Logan Booher all return after accumulating at least 200 yards. Michael Briscoe had eight reception for 192 yards and three touchdowns in six games after missing the rest of the season with injuries.

The Mustangs had a passing attack that ranked in the top half of the Big Sky, but the running game has been an area of concern. The team had the second-lowest rushing total in the conference. Defenses were able to send pressure to the quarterback without worrying about the run attack.

Ramos is a dynamic second-year player out of Southern California who should help the running game.

He was a decorated high school player at Bishop Amat. In four games last season as a true freshman, he rushed 41 times for 160 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He preserved his redshirt season.

Troy Fletcher, Kendric Sanders, Zion Hall and Shakobe Harper all return to the team after playing roles in the rushing attack. Paul Holyfield Jr. will miss the season with an injury.

A notable true freshman is Jaedon Matthews out of Arizona. He selected Cal Poly over his home state teams, Arizona and Arizona State, as well as numerous Power 4 schools, such as Cal, Colorado, Washington State, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech. The three-star running back was a part of the Mustangs’ back-to-back top-five FCS recruiting classes.

The offensive line has experience returning as well, including Payson Campisano, Hunter Jones, Charles Lincoln, Austin Anderson, Ethan Bronson, Hayden Jones and Jasdev Banwait.

“We need their experience, their leadership to hold the fort down and they can dictate tempo, and we need them for us to be successful,” Wulff said on GoPoly.com.

The Mustangs lost Carlton Brown and freshman Aidan Scott at the tight end position. Now, linebacker-converted-tight-end Michael Otterstedt will take the starting spot after he made the switch last season and totaled 97 yards receiving and a touchdown. Receiver Jake Woods moves to the tight end position as well.

An experienced defense looking to take a jump

The Mustangs’ defense has been a weak point for the past few seasons.

In 2023, the team allowed 57 touchdowns, the second-most in the Big Sky. But the team is returning multiple starters. For the Mustangs to be more competitive, it’ll take a leap on the defensive end.

Losing Saunders hurts the secondary, but Xavier Oliphant, Delano Franklin, Kai Rapolla and Boston Wilson all have substantial repetitions from last season. Brian Dukes Jr. has been a steady presence at safety since his freshman year and is a physical tackler.

Ponder leads the defensive line and is one of the top players at his position in the Big Sky, but the Mustangs have numerous other threats including longtime starters Antonio Vakameilao and Josh Ngaluafe.

“We expect these guys to lead this football, particularly the defense. Our belief is they can be the best (defensive line) in the conference and anything other than that is not the standard we are capable of,” Wulff said on GoPoly.com.

Victory Johnson is another addition to the defensive line. Johnson is a transfer from Colorado and moves up from linebacker to defensive end to round out the line after redshirting last season in Boulder.

The linebacker group also has starters returning. Ethan Calvert only played six games last season, but the former Utah player tied for fourth on team in tackles with 37. Je’kob Jones, a redshirt junior, tied Calvert in tackles and had five tackles for loss.

Kenny Olson put together a strong season after making 36 tackles and an interception. Judea Moon is in his sixth year of college football and had 16 tackles last season.

Coaching changes

With Cross’s departure, Wulff brought in Timm Rosenbeach as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Wulff and Rosenbach played together at Washington State, where Wulff played center and Rosenbach was quarterback.

Erik Meyer was promoted to co-offensive coordinator alongside Rosenbach and will continue to be the quarterbacks coach.

Another addition is Steve Broussard as running back coach. Broussard also played with Rosenbach and Wulff at Washington State.

After finishing his career with the Cougars, Broussard was drafted 20th overall by the Atlanta Falcons. He played in 121 games from 1990 to 1998 and rushed for 2,625 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The Mustangs open their season on the road against the University of San Diego on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Following their matchup against the Toreros, the Mustangs will travel to Stanford on Sept. 7 for a matchup against the new ACC program.

The team’s first home game is on Sept. 14 against Division II Western Oregon.