In revenue sharing era, money talks. Fresno State’s coach doesn’t mention it. Here’s why

Fresno State coach Matt Entz provided an update on the Bulldogs’ recruiting efforts on Wednesday, a class that includes 25 high school signees, 13 transfer portal additions and five junior college transfers.

Fresno State also retained a high percentage of its players eligible to return, and in a revenue sharing era that all has come together without one conversation between Entz and a player, a parent or an agent about money.

That is not unusual — programs these days include general managers, player personnel directors and staff. Some coaches do engage the topic, and some don’t. Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel told reporters last week he had spoken to agents more than his own kids. That is why Entz avoids it, he says.

“I don’t want to have a conversation with a young man and all of a sudden it’s driven by dollar signs,” he said. “I want to talk about effort, execution, the energy that they bring, the leadership that they bring. I’m still talking about the same things that I’ve always talked about. I want to demand kids to be the best version of themselves on the field, regardless if they’re a walk-on, or they receive something from revenue sharing.

“Our players know they don’t come in here and talk about dollars. We talk about playing time. We talk about the quality of play and the things necessary for them to continue to grow from a development standpoint. I think it gets real foggy if you try to do both.”

Jake Rasmussen, the Bulldogs’ executive director of player personnel and recruiting, has those conversations and fits those financial pieces together working off an NFL model of what positions merit what percentage of money within a certain salary budget.

Obviously, some positions hold a higher value than others. A left tackle is going to make more than a guard. An elite wideout is a critical piece. Edge players are a critical piece. The quarterback position is paramount. It’s where a large chunk of the revenue sharing or Name Image and Likeness money flows.

Entz keeps up to date with the roster and revenue sharing, meeting daily with Rasmussen — ultimately, Entz said, he is responsible for what happens in the Bulldogs’ program.

But if there is a discussion to be had about a bigger share of the Bulldogs’ revenue sharing pie, the big corner office on the second floor of the Duncan Building is not the place to find it.

“His main concern is reps and playing time,” Rasmussen said. “People aren’t coming to him talking about the money, the ‘Why am I not getting this? Why am I not getting that? ’He worries about the player, not the dollar figure behind people. He has 100 things to worry about, and that’s one less thing he has to worry about, the money and who is making what, dealing with agents, dealing with all that stuff. That way he sees everybody exactly the same, holds them all to the same standard with all the accountability pieces.”

That philosophy has appeared to work for the Bulldogs this season, with the high retention rate (Fresno State lost only one starter to the transfer portal, tight end Richie Anderson) and a class that addressed positional needs and reinforced the development of a program and a style of play under Entz.

“This is still probably our first recruiting class as a staff,” said Entz, who was hired last year on the day the early signing period started, and he honored the commitments made by the previous staff. “Last year, we got some transfers, of course, but now we’re talking 43 (players on the team), 25 of them are high school and then 18 transfers/junior college players. I think what you’re seeing is hopefully an evolution of how we continue to build this program.

“A year ago we might have signed 16 high school kids and a higher number of transfers, and now you’re starting to see those numbers start to flip and to change. As long as we can continue to recruit and retain our best talent, hopefully we can continue to become a high school driven (program), and maybe in the future we can be down to 10 or 12 junior college/transfer type bodies that we bring in; immediate needs, holes in our roster, maybe replacing an injury, or we have some attrition.”

Fresno State added six of those high school recruits on Wednesday, after signing 19 in December during the early signing period. That group includes Clovis High running back Maddox Merrill, one of five running back recruits.

The Bulldogs also have seven players on the defensive line among high school and transfer recruits, seven defensive backs, six tight ends and five offensive linemen.

FRESNO STATE RECRUITING CLASS

DECEMBER HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES

QB Jacob Chambers (6-1, 170) Rancho Cucamonga

QB Deagan Rose (6-2, 210) Clovis

RB Jhadis Luckey (5-9, 180) Hayward/Clayton Valley Charter

TE Bryce McDaniel (6-3, 205) Hughson

TE Dallas Gaius-Anyaegbu (6-5, 220) Omaha/Millard South

OL Alex Rivera (6-4, 300) Lovington, N.M.

OL Efren Siuloa (6-2, 305) Laie, Hawaii/West

WR Xavier Owens (6-3, 165) Los Angeles/Edna Kerr

WR Maxwell ‘Bunchie’ Young (6-0, 175) Los Angeles/Western

DL Solomon Baker (6-3, 260) Omaha/Millard South

DL Brendan Huddleston (6-3, 255) St. Louis/Ladue Horton Watkins

DL Jake Plummer-First (6-6, 270) Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers

DL Cooper Willoughby (6-2, 245) Farmington, Utah/Viewmont

LB Zephaniah Sesay (6-1, 220) Hanford/Redwood

LB Jaydon Sutko (6-1, 220) Omaha/Elkhorn South

DB Truly Bell (6-0, 180) Antioch/Pittsburg

DB Franklin Lockard (6-2, 190) Tulare/Tulare Union

DB Isaiah Lucero (6-1, 180) West Covina/Northview

DB Chase Perino (6-0, 180) Modesto/Central Catholic

FEBRUARY HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES

RB Maddox Merrill (5-8, 195) Clovis

TE Sylas Austin (6-4, 225) Atwater

TE Brayden Ford (6-6, 240) Rancho Murieta/Elk Grove

TE Zane Gerbo (6-4, 230) Modesto/Grace M. Davis

LB Bo Ausmus (6-0, 205) Redondo Beach/Redondo Union

Ath Robert Lucero (6-4, 200) West Covina/Northview

JUNIOR COLLEGE TRANSFERS

WR Tyler Becker (6-1, 180) San Diego/Southwestern

RB Jalen Harris (6-0, 170) Berkeley/Merritt

RB Andrew Chavez (6-0, 190) Fresno City College

OL Bode Stoddard (6-7, 290) San Diego Mesa

LS Ethan Rossetti (6-0, 220) Fresno City College

TRANSFERS

QB Khristian Martin (6-4, 230) Maryland

WR Darrian Anderson (5-9, 187) Oregon

RB Tariq Thomas (5-11, 185) Bucknell

TE Joseph Appleget (6-4, 250) Northern Illinois

OL Patrick Barnett (6-6, 305) UCF

OL Oscar Weigel (6-4, 285) San Diego

K Manaki Watanabe (6-0, 182) Ashland

DL Dylan Hampsten (6-3, 245) Sacramento State

DL Micah Mosley (6-4, 235) Sacramento State

DL Maverick Noonan (6-4, 250) Nebraska

DB Preston Okafor (6-2, 185) Nebraska

DB Taylor Powell (6-4, 200) Northern Illinois

DB Croix Stewart (6-2, 205) UCLA

This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 7:32 AM.