Fresno State’s Josh Hokit jumps from football to wrestling, and makes a big debut

Just 11 days after he led the Fresno State football team in rushing at the Hawaii Bowl, Josh Hokit showed he could dominate on the wrestling mat, too.

The dual-sport Bulldogs athlete made his season debut as a wrestler Thursday and pinned his opponent to highlight the Bulldogs’ 29-13 dual-match victory against Cal Poly before an announced crowd of 4,175 at Save Mart Center.

Hokit, who starred in football and wrestling at Clovis High, pinned Cal Poly’s Ryan Anderson in 4 minutes, 14 seconds in the 197-pound weight class.

Less than two weeks ago, Hokit carried the football 11 times for a game-high 64 yards as Fresno State defeated Houston 33-27 in the Hawaii Bowl.

Hokit finished the football season with 128 carries for 583 yards and seven touchdowns. He also completed 2 of 3 passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

This is the Fresno State wrestling team’s first season back in action since 2006. The Bulldogs are under the direction of coach Troy Steiner.

In high school, Hokit won a state championship at 182 pounds and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation as a senior.

Hokit missed the wrestling team’s first six dual matches while finishing out the football season. On Twitter, he celebrated his resounding return to the mat.

His return to wrestling helped the Bulldogs (2-5) snap a five-match losing streak.

AJ Nevills, a transfer from Penn State and a former Clovis wrestling star, also logged a pin in the 285-pound class Thursday.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Fresno State’s Josh Hokit jumps from football to wrestling, and makes a big debut."