From walk-on to captain, Dakota Gordon thriving at San Diego State

Anywhere Dakota Gordon played, he’s been known as a hard-nosed football player.

It started at Clovis High School, where Gordon earned All-Tri-River Athletic Conference honors, and continued at Fresno City College, where he was an All-Valley Conference selection.

Now Gordon is a senior for San Diego State (1-3), which hosts Fresno State (1-3, 0-1) on Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium in the Aztecs’ Mountain West Conference opener.

The 5-foot-10, 235-pound Clovis native arrived at San Diego State as a walk-on in the spring of 2014, then earned a scholarship before the spring semester.

“I believed I had the skills to play at the D-I level and decided to come and walk on with the intention of earning a scholarship,” Gordon said. “I transferred mid-year in the spring, which allowed me to prove what I can do and to learn the offense.”

It’s been a fun time for Gordon, who has started 11 career games for the Aztecs and is listed as a starter against the Bulldogs.

“San Diego’s offense was a perfect fit for me,” he said. “The fullback is utilized in their offense a lot.”

In 17 games, Gordon has 31 carries for 117 yards and 10 receptions for 95 yards. Gordon also is utilized a lot as a blocker, particularly for Donnel Pumphrey, the shifty 5-foot-9 running back who set a school record last year with 1,867 yards. He has 305 yards on 86 carries this fall.

“Pumphrey is a great athlete. He’s fast and has incredible vision,” Gordon said. “For not being as big as the average running back, his heart for the game and the fact that he is not afraid to lower his pads against anyone makes him great.”

Fresno City coach Tony Caviglia said he’s not surprised how well Gordon has adapted to the San Diego State offense.

“He leads by example,” he said. “He makes everyone around him better and he has that type of engaging personality without having to say anything.”

In two seasons at Clovis High, Gordon rushed 104 times for 604 yards and six touchdowns. He also wrestled and placed second at the 2012 CIF State Championships at 197 pounds. At Fresno City in 2013, he had 243 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries. He also had 13 receptions for 153 yards and two scores.

While he never received any scholarship offers coming out of Fresno City, he’s found a home with the Aztecs and last fall set career highs against Fresno State with six carries for 42 yards and a career long 21-yard run. Gordon finished the season with 110 yards on 26 carries – none for a loss, which was the sixth most in the nation and the second most by a San Diego State player since 1996.

Before this season, Gordon was named a team captain.

“I am pleased with the role I have been given,” he said. “It’s exactly what I think a fullback is supposed to do.”

Et cetera – Aztecs starting defensive back Trey Lomax is working out, but coach Rocky Long is not sure when he’ll return. Lomax has been out since the season opener after dislocating his kneecap.

Long said offensive lineman Sergio Phillips (knee) has been limited this week and offensive lineman Nico Siragusa (ankle) is expected to play Saturday. Phillips replaced Siragusa against Penn State last weekend before suffering the injury.

▪ San Diego State leads the all-time series with Fresno State 27-23-4, though the Bulldogs have won the past three.

▪ The Aztecs have won six consecutive MW home games. Their last loss came against Fresno State in 2013 (35-28).

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "From walk-on to captain, Dakota Gordon thriving at San Diego State."