Johnson heads to Indy For NFL Combine

By: Savannah Stoeckle / Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

February 26, 2024

2023 senior defensive back Carlton Johnson is set to represent Fresno State at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week at Lucas Oil Stadium. Johnson accepted his invitation after a stellar performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The NFL invited a total of 321 prospects to attend this year’s combine. Johnson is one of just six athletes competing from a Mountain West institution. Colorado State (2), Wyoming (2) and Boise State (1) also have players competing this week. A full list of combine prospects can be found https://www.nfl.com/combine/tracker/participants/.

The combine runs from Feb. 29 – Mar. 3. Defensive backs will participate in drills on Friday, March 1.

Fresno State has had a player represent the program at the NFL Scouting Combine for three-straight years now as QB Jake Haener and WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper went last year, and RB Ronnie Rivers participated in 2022. Johnson is the first Bulldog cornerback since A.J. Jefferson in 2010 to be invited to the Combine. He is the first defensive back overall since Derron Smith in 2015. A list of previous invitees can be found below.

Tentative Schedule

• Thursday, February 29th, 3pm ET (12 p.m. PT) – Defensive Linemen, Linebackers
• Friday, March 1st, 3pm ET (12 p.m. PT) – Defensive Backs, Tight Ends
• Saturday, March 2nd, 1pm ET (10 a.m. PT) – Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Running Backs
• Sunday, March 3rd, 1pm ET (10 a.m. PT) – Offensive Linemen

Athletes will participate in the following on-field drills:

• 40-yard dash
• 10-yard split
• Vertical jump
• Broad jump
• Three-cone drill
• 20-yard shuttle
• Bench press

Results
NFL Scouting Combine results can be found at https://www.nfl.com/combine/tracker/participants/ throughout the week. 

How to watch
NFL Scouting Combine Live Drills begins Thursday, February 29th, with exclusive LIVE coverage on NFL Network starting at 3pm ET. Full lineup below:

• Thursday, February 29th, 3pm ET (12 p.m. PT) – Defensive Linemen, Linebackers
• Friday, March 1st, 3pm ET (12 p.m. PT) – Defensive Backs, Tight Ends
• Saturday, March 2nd, 1pm ET (10 a.m. PT)– Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Running Backs
• Sunday, March 3rd, 1pm ET (10 a.m. PT) – Offensive Linemen

Live streaming of NFL Network is available across multiple devices (smartphone, PC, tablet and connected TVs) through the NFL app or NFL.com/watch for subscribers of participating NFL Network providers.

The NFL Scouting Combine is also available to stream across devices on NFL+. https://www.nfl.com/plus/learn-more and get exclusive content from the NFL Scouting Combine.

A look back at 2023

Carlton Johnson: Johnson earned second team All-Mountain West honors this season, starting in 12 of 13 games played at cornerback. He led the team with four interceptions, including a program-record three interceptions at Arizona State (Sept. 16) all against different quarterbacks. His performance against the Sun Devils earned him a plethora of well-deserved honors as the MW Defensive Player of the Week, and the national player of the week selected by the Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award. Johnson totaled 54 tackles, 1.0 TFL, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one quarterback hurry this season.

Since the end of the season, Johnson participated in the Hula Bowl and the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Moreno Valley native has only helped himself at each of his post-season all-star games. At the Senior Bowl, Johnson clocked the fastest speed by any player this season and the second-fastest speed in Senior Bowl history. 

‘Dogs host New Mexico for Senior Day

11/13/2023 7:30:00 PM | Football

By: Savannah Stoeckle / Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

RV/RV Fresno State (8-2, 4-2 MW) vs New Mexico (3-7, 1-5 MW)
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. PT | FS1 | Valley Children’s Stadium (40,727) | Fresno, Calif. 

QUICK LOOK

• With a win on Saturday, Fresno State would finish the season with a 6-0 mark at home in 2023. It would be the first time since 2018 that the Bulldogs saw a perfect home record, and the 21st in program history.
• Fresno State will currently honor 12 seniors on Saturday – all 12 have exhausted their eligibility. A full list will be unveiled closer to game day.
• Fresno State does not leave the state of California for the remainder of the 2023 regular season games. With one home game, and road test at San Diego State, the Bulldogs do not travel more than 350 miles in games in November.
• As we approach the home stretch of the 2023 season, each game remains important, and the games in November are always ones to remember. As Fresno State head coach (four seasons), Jeff Tedford has a 13-6 record in the month of November including two undefeated seasons in the month (2017, 2022). 
• Fresno State baseball legends Aaron Judge and Mike Batesole will be honored with a jersey retirement celebration during halftime of the Fresno State football game on November 18 at Valley Children’s Stadium, followed by a formal jersey retirement ceremony the next day, Sunday, November 19, at 1 p.m. at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.
• Any time Fresno State gains one turnover, it gains at least one more. The Bulldogs have had six games with two or more turnovers this season, and four games with zero including last week at San Jose State. 
• Keene has connected with nine different receivers for touchdowns this season. All but two players with a catch have recorded at least one receiving touchdown. 
• Fresno State has eight different players with at least one interception. The eight different players with an interception is the most for the Bulldogs since the 2019 team had eight. The 2018 team had nine. 
• Malik Sherrod had Fresno State’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2008 against Boise State (Nov. 4), returning the final kickoff of the first half 95 yards to the house as time expired before halftime. Fresno State had 647 kickoffs without a return for a touchdown until that Nov. 4 game. Sherrod had the 11th kickoff return for a touchdown in Fresno State program history.
• Kicker Dylan Lynch is riding a streak of eight consecutive made field goals, and a streak of 10 games with at least one field goal made. 
• Lynch is the first Bulldog kicker to have two FGs of 50+ yards in a single season since Kevin Goessling in 2010.
• ABOUT THE MATCHUP
• Fresno State looks for its third-straight win in the series with New Mexico. 
• The Bulldogs look to win their fifth-straight at home in the series with New Mexico. The last Lobo victory in the Central Valley came in 1994.
• Fresno State is going for an undefeated home season on Saturday, its first since the 2018 season. 
• Fresno State looks to extend its home winning streak to 10-straight games, and its home MW winning streak to nine. 
• Saturday is Senior Day at Valley Children’s Stadium

‘Dogs kick off 2023 season at Purdue

By: Savannah Stoeckle / Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications

August 28, 2023

Fresno State (0-0, 0-0 MW) at Purdue (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, Sept. 2 • 9:00 a.m. PT • Ross-Ade Stadium (57,282) – West Lafayette, IN

QUICK LOOK

• Fresno State closed the 2022 season with a 10-4 record, and as Mountain West and LA Bowl champions. 
• The Bulldogs became the first team in FBS history to open a season 1-4 and finish with 10 wins in 2022. 
• Fresno State is riding a 9 game winning streak, the third-longest active winning streak in the FBS.
• Fresno State finished the 2022 season ranked No. 24 in the AP and Coaches poll. It was the fourth time in program history (1992, 2004, 2018 and 2022) that the team appeared in the final rankings. 
• Head coach Jeff Tedford is back in his second stint as the program’s head coach, having previously coached the ‘Dogs from 2017-19 before stepping away for health concerns. 
• Fresno State retained its entire coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball under defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. 
• The ‘Dogs added two new position coaches to the offense in Brian Armstrong (OL) and Aaron Prier (RB). 
• The ‘Dogs have a new offensive coordinator for 2023 as Tedford promoted Pat McCann from wide receivers coach to OC in January 2023. Matt Wade was also elevated from offensive quality control to quarterbacks coach.
• Fresno State was picked to finish third in the Mountain West this season. The ‘Dogs received five first place vote. 
• Two Bulldogs were on the MW preseason all-conference team in offensive lineman Mose Vavao and defensive lineman Devo Bridges
• For the first time since the 2020 season, Fresno State will have a new starting quarterback as Tedford announced UCF transfer Mikey Keene will
• ABOUT THE MATCHUP 
• Fresno State and Purdue will meet for the first time in program history on Saturday. 
• This week’s travel trip is the furthest in mileage for Fresno State this season, traveling 2,222 miles to West Lafayette.
• Fresno State is facing a current Big Ten member for the first time since defeating Rutgers in overtime in 2013 (52-51). Rutgers was not a member of the Big Ten that year. 
• The last true Big Ten opponent the ‘Dogs have faced has been Nebraska on Sept. 3, 2016. Fresno State lost, 43-10 on the road. 
• Fresno State is playing on the Big Ten Network for the first time since 2016 (vs. Nebraska)
• Fresno State is 59-38-4 in its season openers all-time. As head coach of the Bulldogs’ program, Tedford is 3-1 in his season openers with wins in the 2017, 2018 and 2022 openers.
• Fresno State is opening the season on the road for the first time since the 2019 season when the ‘Dogs opened at USC. 
• Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere. Fresno State has 40 wins all-time against current Power 5 programs.
• Fresno State has defeated a Power 5 opponent in back-to-back seasons.