Cal Poly football has a new quarterback and a drive to win after spring camp

Cal Poly football has finished in last place in the Big Sky Conference in each of the last two seasons.

But that won’t happen for a third year if Head Coach Paul Wulff has anything to say about it.

“Those days are gone,” Wulff said bluntly after the Mustangs 2023 Spring Game on Saturday, April 30.

Wulff’s comments came during the groundbreaking for the $30 million John Madden Football Center, which will be finished in time for the 2024 football season, according to Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong.

“What’s going to happen internally inside those walls when we have that completed, those guys are going to be able to take advantage of it,” said Wulff, who’s in his first year leading the team.

While the facility won’t impact the team this upcoming season, Wulff says “there’s going to be more pride” because players know there is support behind the program.

However, the improvement for the upcoming season starts in Spring Camp, while the Madden Center is still only a vision on paper.

An encouraging Spring Game for Cal Poly football

The monthlong camp culminated with the annual Spring Game at Spanos Stadium, were the team showed positive flashes on both sides of the ball.

The offense looked comfortable in its new scheme under new offensive coordinator Sheldon Cross. A total of 14 receivers caught the ball at least once on the day. The defense, which struggled with tackling last year, looked improved during the scrimmage and more physical while tallying two takeaways and four sacks.

But the engine to make the team run starts under center with University of Washington transfer and former five-star quarterback Sam Huard.

The redshirt sophomore finished 11 of 12 for 145 yards and two touchdowns, a 33-yard score to sophomore Logan Booher and a 12-yard fade route to the back corner of the end zone to redshirt freshman Tyrece Fairly-Diyem.

On the touchdown to Fairly-Diyem, the offense had a run play called. But the defense showed man coverage. So Cross signaled for a “man beater” play.

“I just trusted (Fairly-Diyem) to go win it and put it out there for him, and he made a great play,” Huard said.

Huard, son of former NFL quarterback Damon Huard, brings depth and a football pedigree to a Mustangs’ squad that lost its two leading pass catchers last season.

Wide receiver Chris Coleman moved on to the NFL ranks signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins, and FCS All-Freshman Team tight end Josh Cuevas departed for the University of Washington.

So the team will look to find production from other receivers.

Including the touchdown, Booher caught three passes for 62 yards. Running back Troy Fletcher caught three passes for 32 yards. Tight end Alex Grywalski also had three receptions for 22 yards.

Huard also connected with former Mission Prep football standout and University of Nevada transfer Carlton Brown.

On one play, the quarterback dropped back into the pocket while the offensive line bought him time. After scanning the field, he hit Brown in a soft spot in the middle of the defense.

The play was a clear example of what the Mustang offense could look like if the team can protect Huard and give him the opportunity to make his reads.

Mustangs look to build physicality

Last season as the team cycled through a number of quarterbacks from Jaden Jones to Spencer Brasch to Kahliq Paulette (who switched over to cornerback this offseason) to Bo Kelly, what became clear was the team needed to improve up front on the offensive line.

One new addition who could help there is a player making a homecoming.

Former San Luis Obispo High School lineman Thomas Cole transferred from UCLA to Cal Poly. The four-star recruit will look to bolster the Mustangs up front.

“We got out-muscled,” Wulff said about the team last season. “When you get out-muscled on a football field, you get beat up, and that’s what happened to us these last few years.”

Another factor will be basic experience.

Part of the Mustangs’ struggles in these past few years was due to the number of first-year college players on the field. They were simply overmatched by their older and more experienced Big Sky opponents.

“To be quite honest, when you got a lot of those young guys playing on the field, the results aren’t going to be very pretty,” Wulff said. “(Now) we’re not going to have to depend on first-year players to be a core of our roster. ... The players that have been here for the last two years grow up and get better.”

That’s true of both the offense and defense, which got its chances to shine at the Spring Game as well.

Defensive lineman Elijah Satcher recorded three sacks, and Antonio Vakameilalo added one. In the secondary, cornerbacks Boston Wilson and Thomas McNamara each nabbed interceptions.

If healthy, the Mustangs’ front seven on defense could be a force to reckon with, returning 2022 Third Team All-Big Sky linebacker David Meyer, honorable mention defensive lineman Elijah Ponder and linebacker Je’Kob Jones, who finished second on the team in solo tackles, along with several others.

“That whole defensive unit it growing. We knew a year ago these guys could hit. ... As these guys all get bigger and stronger and get healthy, we’ve got a chance to be darn good there, Wulff said.

The Mustangs are no longer a young team in one of the toughest Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the country.

From Wulff to Armstrong, there is a sense of urgency that the team take a step forward and compete for championships.

Huard’s arrival, the Madden Center and a budding group of quality players on the roster are all steps toward that goal.

Cal Poly football opens its season against the University of San Diego. Season tickets can be purchased at gopoly.com.