UC Davis aims for breakthrough after back-to-back FCS quarterfinal runs

UC Davis is no longer chasing respect in the Big Sky. The Aggies have already stacked back-to-back FCS quarterfinal runs, and the next step is much harder: replacing Caden Pinnick while keeping the offense sharp enough to turn another playoff trip into a real title push.

Pinnick’s departure to Washington State leaves a real hole, not a symbolic one. The Freshman All-American finished 2025 with 3,643 total offensive yards and 35 total touchdowns, averaged 303.6 total offensive yards per game, and led the Big Sky in passing efficiency at 172.4. UC Davis leaned on that production to go 9-4 overall, 6-2 in Big Sky play, score 421 points and average 32.38 points per game. The Aggies finished third in the league behind Montana State and Montana, which is the kind of résumé that usually gets a program into the conversation and not yet through the door.

What makes this team dangerous is that the roster still has real pieces around the new quarterback race. Samuel Gbatu Jr. gives the Aggies a proven wideout. Zaire Collier anchors the offensive line. Jordan Fisher returns at running back. On defense, Nate Rutchena and Drew Coefield are back, and the Connors brothers, Rex and Porter, return after both were limited by injury last season. If UC Davis is going to look like a team built for January football instead of just another good November team, that defensive core has to stay on the field.

The quarterback battle is the swing point. Jackson Kollack, a redshirt freshman with a big frame and a strong high school résumé, is the name that stands out most, but none of the main candidates has started at this level. That is the gap between UC Davis and the best FCS teams: title contenders usually know exactly who is taking the snaps before the calendar turns to fall. The Aggies still have to find that answer without losing the explosiveness that made them so hard to handle in 2025.

Tim Plough’s track record gives the program a steady hand. He took over in December 2023, was named AFCA FCS Region 5 Coach of the Year after his first season, and signed a five-year extension on Feb. 1, 2026 that runs through 2031. UC Davis Athletics has framed that move as proof of sustained national success, and the results support it.

The schedule will test how real the next jump is. UC Davis opens Aug. 29 at Portland State in the Big Sky opener, and with the conference moving to a nine-game slate, the Aggies will play five home league games. Montana, Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, Utah Tech and Cal Poly all come to Davis, California. After drawing more than 9,000 fans to UC Davis Health Stadium for the quarterfinal loss to Illinois State, the program has already shown it can fill the place for a big one. The next task is making sure the biggest games end differently.