DAVIS, Calif. – In the seventh installment of the season preview series, assistant coach Kevin Burke breaks down the Aggie running backs.

For the first time since 2017 the UC Davis running back room will be void of Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. The Merced native broke nearly every program rushing record, amassing 4,617 yards on the ground while scoring a total of 51 touchdowns.



"Ulonzo will be dearly missed," Coach Burke said. "He did a tremendous favor to me in being a coach on the field when my first-year hit. He will really be irreplaceable in a sense, and I really thank him for what he did. I am really excited about what we have coming up and the guys we have ready to show out this year. I am looking forward to seeing what they can do and not necessarily replace Ulonzo but compliment his game in creating something new in this offense."

Ever since stepping on campus, Lan Larison has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Aggies. Larison has earned all-Big Sky honors in each of his three seasons, including first-team accolades on special teams in 2022. The Idaho native has total over 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of the last two seasons and is coming off a 1,259-yard performance a year ago.

"Lan Larison is someone who is similar to Ulonzo that is versatile and brings a lot to the table in terms of on and off the field," Coach Burke explained. "His leadership, coachability, and values as in who he is as a person is extremely fortunate for me to have someone like that in my room."

Larison has averaged 6.0 yards per rush over his career, including a 7.5 mark in 2022 that ranked fourth in the Big Sky. His 114.45 all-purpose yards was fifth. Larison has found the endzone 14 times over his career with 11 by rush, two through the air and a 97-yard kickoff return in 2021.

"On the field you talk about a guy that can kind of do anything, think Christian McCaffrey with Stanford and Tayson Hill with the Saints, just to be able to do a little bit of everything," said Coach Burke. "We are really pleased with what he has done and really looking forward to what he can do in 2023 with the full range of the backfield under his control."

Also returning to the backfield that got valuable carries in 2022 is Jeremiah Chukwudobe and Matteo Perez.

"Jeremiah Chukwudobe and Matteo Perez are two guys that are really valuable to our offense, to our team, to me specifically," Coach Burke said. "I think they both bring a different set of skills to the team and the offense that is going to help us down the road."

Perez ranked third on the team with 181 yards on the ground while Chuwudobe closely followed with 107 yards. Perez scored his first career rushing touchdown at Northern Colorado and also hauled in two receiving touchdowns. Chukwudobe ranked second on the team with a 6.3 yards per carry average and posted a season-high 42 yards against Cal Poly.
Joining the Aggie running back room for the first time are newcomers Jordan Fisher and Kai Acia.

"Jordan Fisher has been a very welcomed addition to this program." Coach Burke said. "He is essentially the first recruit that I had, and I have been blown away with what he has been able to do on and off the field. Kai Acia has been a great addition for us as well. Kai has been a very welcomed presence in our room and in our offense."

The Aggies also bring back local product Darian Leon-Guerrero from Vacaville and Josh Ward.

"Darian Leon-Guerrero and Josh Ward have been steady guys for us," said Coach Burke. "They both have been contributing and been able to show up every day consistently, put the work in, those guys, specifically Leon-Guerrero have been having a great camp and I am really excited to see what he can do in 2023."

UC Davis will open the 2023 season on the road at Texas A&M – Commerce. The season-opener is slated for Thursday, Aug. 31, in Commerce, Texas. Football season tickets, single game tickets, group tickets and mini-plans are now on sale. Click HERE or call the UC Davis Ticket Office at 530-752-2471 for more information.