Bulldogs keeping local football talent at home, land commitment from Memorial High star

Fresno State offered, and Mac Dalena answered. The San Joaquin Memorial High wideout made a commitment to the Bulldogs on Monday, quick and easy.

“When I got offered, they had a lot of good things to say, a lot of good reasons why they wanted me,” Dalena said. “They’ve shown me that they want me there to play for them.

“I’ve been talking to my parents and family, and I think it’s a great fit for me. I’ve liked the Bulldogs my whole life, for every reason, their football program obviously, their agriculture program for school. Everything there is what I want. I didn’t want to wait any longer because now that I have it, I didn’t want any opportunity to lose it. I’m 100 percent committed to the ‘Dogs and I’m going to stay that way.”

Dalena, a key piece in the Panthers’ Central Section Division II championship team last season, gets to stay home for college and had a unique perspective on the advantages to that. His older brother, Frank Dalena, is a wideout entering his senior season at Fresno State.

“It’s good that my brother is there,” said Dalena, who received the scholarship offer June 8 at the Bulldogs’ elite camp. “I’ve grown up with Bulldogs and I know a lot of the players and a lot of the coaches.

“It made it a little bit easier just seeing how close my brother is with this team. We’re in the valley. We’re at home. They always come over. We were thinking if I go someplace else I won’t have that same experience. Talking to my brother, he has had such a different experience staying at home. It’s more of a bond than other colleges. There’s a lot of great factors that came into my decision.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2019 at 4:45 PM.