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Signing Day Central  

DAVIS, Calif. – Eleven student-athletes are the newest members of UC Davis football after submitting a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the December signing period, as announced by head coach Dan Hawkins. 

All 11 of the Big Sky champion's signees are California standouts and will arrive to campus as true freshmen.

This group of eight offensive and three defensive players excelled on the field, in the classroom, and are ready to help the Aggies strengthen their position on football's national map following a season that included the program's inaugural FCS playoff berth (as a No. 6 seed), first FCS playoff victory, an undefeated home record, the highest national ranking (No. 4) in program history, a spot in the national polls throughout the last 11 weeks of the regular season.

Throughout their high school careers, these Aggies won championships at all levels, set new school, league and section records, posted attention-grabbing stats that placed them among the nation's elite talents, and earned individual rankings from various recruiting publications and media outlets.

They played vital roles in helping their program achieve an unprecedented level of success, represented the top programs in the state (and the nation), earned a slew of top individual honors and are ready to continue their academic and athletic careers by embracing UC Davis football's core principles: quality balance of life, uncommon engineering and excellence with class.

 
Evan Bearden 
TE, 6-5, 240, Fr.  Sonora HS '19/Sonora, Calif.
Helped Sonora HS win its sixth-straight league title and advance to the CIF Sac-Joaquin semifinals in '18… Mother Lode League Most Valuable Player as a senior… Finished with 239 receiving yards, 93 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions this past season… MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2017… Two-way performer at defensive end and tight end for the Wildcats… Also competed for his school's basketball team.
 

Jehiel Budgett
DB, 6-0, 185, Fr., Monterey Trail HS '19/Elk Grove, Calif.
Led Monterey Trail to a 12-1 overall and undefeated 5-0 league record as a senior, the best season in program history… Thanks to Budgett, Monterey Trail posted the program's first 11-0 start since 2004 and won a Metropolitan League championship… Ranked No. 3 in school history in career rushing yards (2,985) and career rushing TDs (39)… Earned All-Sac-Joaquin Section and All-Metro first team honors… In his final season, Budgett was selected team captain and ran for 1,564 yards, on 159 carries, averaged 120.3 rushing yards per game and scored 25 times on the ground — all team-high figures… He also caught 19 passes for 232 yards and one TD… Including his 136 yards collected on kickoff returns, and another 53 from his four interceptions, Budgett capped his high school career with 1,985 all-purpose yards and an average of 139.3 ypg… Posted 34 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss… Forced a team-high three fumbles, recovered one and broke up five passes… No Mustang finished with more touchdowns (25), total points (144) or a higher points per game average (11.1) in 2018 than Budgett… Earned first team all-league and all-section accolades as a junior for ending the year with 913 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, six interceptions, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles… Two-sport student-athlete also represents Monterey Trail's track team.

Chaz Davis
WR, 6-3, 185, Fr., Bear Creek HS '19/Stockton, Calif. 
Earned first team all-conference, Offensive Player of the Year and first team All-Receivers honors for the second time in as many seasons… Caught 57 passes for 712 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior… Selected team captain… Averaged 12.5 receiving yards per catch and 89.0 yards per game… Including kickoff and punt yardage, Davis finished the 2018 season with 1,069 all-purpose yards… Averaged 133.6 all-purpose yards per game… Caught 43 passes for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior… Averaged 20.5 yards per catch, 108.4 all-purpose ypg and scored 11 times in 2017… Posted 1,753 yards, on 124 receptions, 21 receiving and 25 total touchdowns as a sophomore… Also competes for Bear Creek's basketball and track teams… Four-year honor roll recipient… Received the President's Award for Educational Achievement… Recently received the BCHS Principal's Honor Award for outstanding academic achievement, given to students who hold a 4.0 GPA or higher… Participated in the school's mentorship program, Black Student Union and BC Latino… Said Davis, "I am interested in UC Davis because of its core values, history and loyalty. The opportunity to work with the coaching staff is a great honor. I admire the people, and the stories I hear about what it means to be an Aggie. I am ready to live the experience and contribute to a great journey."

Felipe Figueroa
RB, 6-0, 200, Fr., Franklin HS '19/Stockton, Calif.
Starbucks/Black Hat selection in 2017 and 2018, an honor bestowed to elite players who compete on one of 70 high school teams, in 10 leagues that span eight Northern San-Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada counties… The 2018 San Joaquin Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year ended his senior season with 2,348 all-purpose yards: 1,375 rushing, 302 receiving, and 662 on kickoff and nine on punt returns… Earned Offensive MVP for the third time in as many seasons following his senior season... Also finished with 10 rushing, four receiving and three return touchdowns… While on special teams, Figueroa scored on kickoff returns of 99, 99 and 93 yards… Ran for 1,105 yards and scored 16 times throughout his 10 games played as a junior… Recorded 522 receiving, 377 kick return and 42 passing yards for a total of 2,076 in 2017... International Baccalaureate student… Three-sport athlete… Competes for the school's soccer and track teams... Four-year starter for Franklin's soccer team... Earned all-league soccer honors the last two seasons... Named school Sophomore Athlete of the Year... Soccer team's top scorer as a defender that same year.

 
 

Miles Hastings
QB, 6-1, 180, Fr., San Marcos HS '19/San Marcos, Calif.
Threw for 3,119 yards and 31 TDs as a junior, his first as San Marcos' quarterback… In eight games played this past season, Hastings recorded 1,932 passing yards, competed 137 of 211 passes and collected 19 TDs… Led the Knights to a berth in the CIF Open Division semifinals one season after they reached the Open Division quarterfinals…  Earned first team San Diego All-CIF and All-Avocado League first team honors as a senior... This is the third straight year he earned all-conference recognition… Two-time All-Academic honoree at SMHS… Received Silver Ribbon awards from school personnel for holding a GPA of 3.75 or higher… President of his school's Sports Club…  His mom owns a music studio (Leading Note Studios in Encinitas), his dad plays the guitar and sings, his sister is a music major at USC, his brother attended USC and is a technical musician and he plays the piano… Hastings has performed on stage: Knott's Berry Farm is his most notable venue… His dad played baseball at Penn… Said Hastings, "UC Davis has a very explosive offense with great talent and the way they throw the ball around definitely got my attention. I loved the coaching staff and players at UC Davis. I felt like their offense was a great fit for me. It's great to hear that I will be playing for a head coach with that kind of resume. I've heard nothing but great things about the whole coaching staff at Davis."

 
 

Sequoia Magdalena  
DB, 6-3, 210, Fr., Notre Dame HS '19/Sherman Oaks, Calif. 
Third-ranked recruit by HERO Sports… Competed in the 2018 Honor Bowl, one of the top football showcases on the West Coast that featured 33 of California's top recruits… Notre Dame advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs in 2018… In addition to his defensive prowess, he caught three passes, including one for a touchdown as a junior…  Named team defensive MVP and earned second-team all-league honors as a junior… Student-Athlete award recipient for holding a GPA of 3.0 or above… Also competed on his school's track & field team… Ran the 400m, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay as a junior… Active in his school's Black Student Union, Peer Leadership program and Astro Club, which focuses on quantum mechanics and anything involved with space.

 

Calvin Mouisset
LB, 6-1, 210, Fr., Junipero Serra HS '19/San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Earned All-Trinity League first team, MVP and defensive player of the year honors in his final year at JSerra… Two-time team captain… Blocked a program-record six punts this past season… Competing in the toughest leagues in California, as rated by MaxPreps, Mouisset led all Lions with 67 solo tackles, 85 total tackles and a 7.1 tackles per game average this past season… Also broke up seven passes and recovered a fumble... Football honor roll includes All-Trinity League first team, Team MVP and Defensive MVP honors as a senior, first team all-league honors in his sophomore season and Defensive MVP accolades when he was a freshman... Selected team captain for the 2017 and '18 seasons... The Lions were ranked No. 7 in the state and No. 17 in the country this past year... JSerra advanced to the quarterfinal round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs in 2018... Four-year member of the Fellowship of Lion Athletes, a school-sponsored leadership group.

 
 

Orlando Ornelas
WR, 6-0, 175, Fr., Chaparral HS '19/Temecula, Calif.
During his senior season, Ornelas was selected team captain, led the Pumas to their best start in school history (6-0), threw 12 TDs, and connected on 122 of 231 passes for 1,636 yards… Ran for 721 yards on 138 carries, and scored eight times… Ended the 2018 campaign with 2,357 all-purpose yards, and averaged 214.3 yards per game… Capped an outstanding high school career with first team All-Southwestern League honors… Also ran for 326 yards on 55 carries, scored twice on the ground, caught 18 passes for 483 yards and six TDs as a junior… On defense, he made 14 tackles and intercepted one pass that same year… Member of the Pumas' special teams unit as its kick and punt returner… His team-first mentality, and willingness to do whatever it took to help Chaparral win, ultimately led to All-Southwestern League first team accolades for the first of consecutive seasons in 2017… That year also marked the first of back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year honors… Two-time Academic All-League selection… Heavily involved in community service and volunteer projects… Selected by Chaparral school officials as the campus' "every 15 minutes" anti-DUI program representative.

Duncan Smith 
TE, 6-4, 250, Fr., Burbank HS '19/Burbank, Calif. 
Led a defensive unit that helped the Bulldogs win a league championship — its first outright title since 1972 — and advance to the CIF semifinals during his junior season… Earned first team all-conference honors as a senior, and capped an outstanding career at Burbank High School by posting 700+ receiving yards for the second straight season… Set a new school record for the most receiving TDs in a career, and now ranks second in career receiving yards, third in career receptions and holds a top-five career sacks total… Of the 38 receptions that took place throughout his senior season, a team-high 12 were touchdowns… Ended this past year with 751 receiving yards and averaged 19.8 yards per catch, both team-high figures… Thirteen of his 50 tackles were for a loss, another team high… Also finished with 32 solo tackles and a 4.5 tackles per game average… Singlehandedly responsible for one-fourth (5.0) of Burbank's 20 sacks; no Bulldog collected more yards for loss than Smith and his 24… Also broke up three passes, forced three fumbles and recovered one… During his junior year, Smith caught 55 passes for 774 yards and 11 TDs as a tight end… Also recorded 60 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two PBUs, forced two fumbles and recovered one as a defensive end… Those attention-grabbing stats led to Pacific League Offensive Player of the Year and All-Area honors in 2017… In his final two seasons, 33 of Smith's 93 receptions were for touchdowns... Also recorded 1,525 yards and 13.0 sacks… Coached youth sports in Burbank... Visits family in Wisconsin each summer... His grandfather played football and rugby at Dartmouth.

 

 

Blake Thorpe
TE, 6-3, 225, Fr., Las Lomas HS '19/Walnut Creek, Calif.
Three-star recruit by 24/7Sports… One of the top Class of '19 recruits, as ranked by HERO Sports… It was Thorpe's play that helped the Knights enjoy a historic turnaround from a winless program in 2016 into one that ran the table throughout the 2018 regular season, defeated its opponents by a combined score of 586-74, finish 12-1 overall, undefeated in league play and win a league title… Las Lomas advanced to the North Coast Section semifinals this past season… Ended his senior season with 56 catches, 1,013 yards and 17 touchdowns… Earned All-Diablo Valley Athletic League first team offense honors as a senior… Caught 65 passes for 955 yards and 12 TDs throughout his junior season…  He will graduate as the school's all-time leader in career receptions, touchdowns in a single season and catches in a single game... Named team MVP during his freshman and junior seasons... Earned Scholar-Athlete recognition as a football and basketball student-athlete... Also competed for Las Lomas' basketball team, which defeated Palo Alto in the NorCal championships in March, 2018, and earned a second place at the state championships... Member of his school's National Honor Society and Boys Team Charity chapter (volunteer service organization).

 
 

Trent Tompkins
QB, 6-0, 200, Fr., Central HS '19/Fresno, Calif. 
Ranked No. 36 out of 691 students in his class… Four-year Academic Letter Principal's Honor Roll honoree for holding a GPA between 3.85-4.0… Central High School ended his sophomore season as section runners-up, but won back-to-back section championships the following seasons… Led the Grizzlies to three straight Tri-River Athletic Conference titles… Set new school passing records, and new Central Section records, for the most touchdown passes in a single season (65), regular season TDs (47), single-season passing yards (5,001) and regular season passing yards (3,438), all recorded during his senior year… Tompkins ended his high school career ranked No. 2 in Central Section history with 11,743 career passing yards and 138 career TDs… He was the only player in the nation, in 2018, to throw for 5,000 or more and rush for 1,000+ yards… Finished second in the nation in passing yards, touchdown passes and total yards… These attention-grabbing stats led to CHS Athlete of the Year honors… With Trent leading the team's offense for three seasons, the Grizzlies posted a collective 36-5 (.878 pct.) record… Senior season honor roll included all-state, section and league MVP awards… During the 2017 season, Tompkins recorded 3,624 passing yards, 37 TDs and 500 rushing yards, which helped him earn all-state, All-Central Section and Tri-River Athletic Conference Offensive Most Valuable Player accolades… Also competed for the school's baseball and basketball teams… Trent's father played college basketball and is a world champion BMX racer… His mother was a cheerleader at Fresno State.

AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley.
 
The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.