DAVIS, Calif. — For UC Davis offensive lineman AJ Hasson, finding the right college was never just about finding the right football program.
 
Hasson, the son of former UC Davis football captain Paul Hasson and UC Davis women's basketball Hall of Famer Aimee Hasson (formerly Aimee Conner), grew up down the road from campus and attended many Aggie events throughout his life.
 
While his football journey ultimately ended back in his hometown, AJ never initially planned to become an Aggie.
 
Hasson was a standout high school player for the Davis Blue Devils football team, rated a three-star prospect. By his senior season, his talent caught the eyes of many Division I schools, including the one less than two miles from his high school. Throughout his time at Davis High, he played snaps at nearly every position on the field while specializing as a tight end and lineman.
 
His talents earned him many awards, including the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro Football Team on offense, Delta League Co-All-Purpose Player of the Year, and All-Delta League First Team during his junior year in 2022. His senior year only brought more awards and accolades as he was named the 2023 Delta League Offensive Lineman of the Year and First-Team All-League.
 
By the halfway point of his senior year, AJ had racked up over 10 Division I offers and ultimately committed to Washington State in late fall of his senior year. When asked if he ever felt pressure to go to or commit to UC Davis, Hasson responded, "No, it was quite the opposite, actually. My parents supported all of my decisions regarding my athletic career and made sure the last thing I felt was an obligation to go to UC Davis."
 
"I chose Washington State because I built up a really strong relationship and connection with the coaches, and there was good chemistry between the team. I actually modeled what I was looking for in a team after my mom's experience here at Davis. I wanted to try and find that type of tight-knit community that she found here. "
 
Hasson was not just an exceptional athlete in high school but excelled in academics as well. In order to get more practice time with his new college team, AJ graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at Washington State for the 2024 spring semester. When asked about how he felt about seeing his son accomplish this, Paul responded, "It was just so special, and Aimee and I were so proud of him. We always knew of his capabilities and talents, and we were just so excited to see what he would do at the next level."
 
During his time at Washington State, Hasson suffered a serious concussion during spring practice that put him out for the rest of the offseason and eventually the entirety of the 2024 season. While recovering from an injury and watching the Pac-12 Conference realign, Hasson suffered another blow when offensive line coach Jared Kaster, who recruited Hasson to Pullman, left to become the assistant head coach at Wake Forest.
 
In hopes of keeping alive the close community he was trying to build, AJ hopped in the transfer portal in late December 2024 and joined his former coach at Wake Forest in January 2025.
 
While with the Demon Deacons, Hasson was still recovering from his injury and was forced to adjust to a completely new environment. Even though he transferred with a handful of his former teammates, the culture he had been searching for slowly began to change. At Wake Forest, Hasson was obligated to live in the dorms for the next two years with several other teammates, all with conflicting schedules, which made finding time to rest difficult.
 
Additionally, Hasson has celiac disease and required certain meals that Wake Forest often could not accommodate. "On most days we had to rely on the school dining facilities, which had limited options. I also could not cook while I was there because I lived in the dorms and didn't have access to a kitchen."
 
Despite all of these changes, Hasson had not made any improvement in his recovery process. After long and careful consideration and consultation with his family, he decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of the spring semester.
 
Not long after Hasson entered the portal for a second time, UC Davis contacted him in hopes that he would return to Northern California. When asked about how long it took for Davis to call, Hasson said, "Not long. We've always been in contact, but not in the 'We're trying to recruit you' way. It was because I grew up with them and they were really like family." Hasson spent almost no time in the portal and committed to UC Davis on May 9, 2025.
 
In his first full season with Davis last fall, Hasson made an immediate impact, playing in 12 of the team's 13 games while taking snaps at guard and tackle, often being brought in as a sixth lineman on run plays. Hasson's contribution on the line helped the Aggies establish one of the most potent rushing offenses in the country, racking up over 2,600 yards and ranking as the 27th-best rushing offense in the nation.
 
With their son back in his hometown playing a sport that he loves, Paul and Aimee were ecstatic. "It's so special. We both know how special UC Davis is and how strong the sense of Aggie Pride is; everything about Davis is just different," Paul said.
 
"It's always been home," AJ exclaimed. "The culture here is unlike any other, and it's such a good community. It feels like family here, and I'm so happy to be back and play for the Aggies." 
 
Now fully healthy and playing as the starting right tackle for the Aggies in 2026, Hasson's story has finally come full circle. He is now anchored in love with the same team that he has admired for his entire life.

Opponent: Southern Utah (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Time: 5:00 pm PT/6:00 pm MT
Location: Eccles Coliseum/Cedar City, Utah
Watch: ESPN+ - JT Wistrcill (Play-by-Play), Lyle Santos (Analyst), Sammy Miller (Sideline)
Listen: Sactown Sports 1140 AM - Scott Marsh (Play-by-Play), Scott Gordon (Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game Notes: View Here
 
GAME 6 NOTES:

• Jordan Fisher enjoyed his most successful night as an Aggie against Eastern Washington, finishing with a career-high 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns on a season-high 20 carries. The performance tied the fourth-highest single-game rushing total by an Aggie, and the 19th time an Aggie has rushed for 200 yards or more. It was also his fourth career game with two or more rushing touchdowns.
• Fisher's 87-yard touchdown at 2:33 in the second quarter was the longest rush of his career. It also tied for the seventh-longest rush in school history, and the longest since Manusamoa Luuga's 90-yard rush against Southern Oregon on Sept. 10, 2016, which also went for a touchdown. The senior hit a top speed of 21.85 miles per hour during the run, which ties Deonte Banks of the New York Giants for the second-highest speed by the fastest ball carriers in the NFL this season.
• Zach Jones dazzled in all phases last time out, scoring three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) while finishing with a season-high 163 all-purpose yards on just four touches (1 rush, 67 yards; 2 receptions, 60 yards; 1 kick return, 36 yards) against the Eagles. He now has six touchdowns in 2026 (three receiving, two punt returns, one rushing), and is the first Aggie with at least one rushing, one receiving, and one return touchdown in the same season since Lan Larison in 2021 (three rushing, one receiving, one kick return).
• Samuel Gbatu Jr.'s 50-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter marked his longest play of the season, and his fifth receiving touchdown of 50 or more yards in his career. He finished with 92 yards on six receptions in the victory over Eastern Washington.
• Treynor Cleeland impressed from the pocket in the victory over the Eagles, going 15-of-27 for 278 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. His 56-yard touchdown pass to Xzavior Guess in the fourth quarter set a new mark for the longest play of his career. It also marked his fourth time in six games this season with two or more passing touchdowns. On the ground, Cleeland tied his career-high with seven rushing attempts for a career-high 35 yards.
• Porter Connors was a menace for the UC Davis defense against Eastern Washington, finishing with 11 tackles, including tying his career-high with eight solo tackles. It marked his fourth game this season and his eighth career game with double-digit tackles. He also recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks (-5 yards) and 2.5 tackles for loss (-5 yards). Following this performance, Connors is now first in the Big Sky in sacks (3.5), tied for sixth in solo tackles (29), and eighth in total tackles (53).

SCOUTING THE AGGIES:

• Gbatu Jr. continues to cement himself as one of the best players in UC Davis football history as the wide receiver has now climbed into fourth all-time in receiving yards (2,975) and receiving touchdowns (26). He is now just 25 yards short of 3,000 career receiving yards and would become just the fourth Aggie all-time to achieve this feat.
• Multiple Aggies continue to rank amongst the national leaders in various statistical categories as Fisher is now ninth nationally in rushing touchdowns (7), eleventh in total touchdowns (8), fourteenth in rush yards per carry (6.55), and sixteenth in rushing yards (570) and rushing yards per game (95.0). Alongside Fisher, Gbatu Jr. ranks third nationally in receiving yards (663) and receiving yards per game (110.5), and fourth in receptions per game (7.33).
• With its next win, UC Davis will officially record its 60th win as a member of the Big Sky. The Aggies currently hold a 59-53 overall record in Big Sky competition heading into Saturday, good for a .527 win percentage.
• Through six games this season, UC Davis is 4-0 when scoring 30 or more points, 4-0 when outgaining its opponent, and 4-0 when gaining 300+ yards of total offense. Getting out to an early advantage will also be key, as the Aggies are 3-0 when leading at halftime this season.

THE SERIES VS. SOUTHERN UTAH:

• Saturday's game between UC Davis and Southern Utah will mark the 25th meeting all-time between the two programs. The Aggies hold a 15-9 lead in the series, including four straight wins over the Thunderbirds. Most recently, the Aggies prevailed 50-34 in Davis on Sept. 20, 2025.
• A victory on Saturday night would give the Aggies their fifth consecutive win over Southern Utah, and third straight win on the road in Cedar City. UC Davis won its last game on the road at Southern Utah, picking up a 33-25 victory on Oct. 29, 2019. Overall, the Aggies are 6-6 all-time in Cedar City. The largest margin of victory (31 points) at Southern Utah came in a 34-3 win over the Thunderbirds on Oct. 29, 2011.

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ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:
UC Davis Athletics represents one of the nation's premier public universities on the NCAA Division I stage, with more than 650 student-athletes competing across 25 sports, including 16 programs in the Mountain West Conference. Located in California's quintessential college town, UC Davis combines championship-level athletics with the academic excellence of the nation's #8 public research university and is home to the nation's No. 1 programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and sustainability. With a growing national media presence, bold investments in facilities and the student-athlete experience, and a tradition of developing champions in competition, in the classroom, and beyond, the Aggies are elevating UC Davis on a national stage.