DEFENSIVE LINE OUTLOOK
Fresno State brings back a wealth of experience along the defensive line and with All-Mountain West selection Devo Bridges among 13 returners, they'll need to anchor a defense that lost significant contributors at other positions.
An area of concern last season was run defense, particularly late in the year when the line was banged up physically. The Bulldogs ended up ranked sixth in the Mountain West against the run, allowing an average of 166.2 yards per game, and in each of the final three games of the regular season they gave up more than 250 yards on the ground.
Coach Jethro Franklin looks to clean that up this season, adding even more experience to the trenches with three Division I transfers.
"We have experience, and there's no substitute for that," said Franklin. "There's no substitute for guys that have played in games, been to battle, played in Valley Children's Stadium, played on the road. It's a luxury to have, but we are going to keep working every day and keep the 'next man up' mentality."
Who's back: Bridges, the only preseason All-MW selection on the Bulldogs' defense for the second consecutive year, remains one of their most versatile players and is one of two on the defensive side of the ball that started every game the past two seasons (27 games). Bridges, who has played defensive tackle and defensive end throughout his career, has displayed his strength and physicality along with his agility and speed.
He led the defensive line last season with a career-high 51 tackles (30 solo), while adding 8.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, one interception, eight quarterback hurries and one pass breakup.
Gavriel Lightfoot had another impressive season for the Bulldogs. In his sophomore campaign, he started at defensive tackle in all 12 games he played. He had 20 tackles, added 1.5 TFLs and three quarterback hurries. Jacob Holmes saw action at tackle in all 13 games and was very productive in limited snaps. Holmes led the Bulldogs with 5.0 sacks and was third with 7.0 TFLs, playing just 19 snaps per game.
Charles Remlinger, Jahzon Jacks and Merhauti Xepera all played in all 13 games with at least one start last season. The Bulldogs' depth also includes Kavika Baumgartner and Ezra Christensen, who emerged as primary backups during their first seasons with the Bulldogs, playing in 12 games.
Sione Noa logged snaps in 10 games. The group also returns Isiah Chala, Jr., Mordecai Hines and Julius Gandy.
Who's new: Five newcomers join the group including three Division I transfers and two freshmen.
There was a lot of buzz around USC transfer Korey Foreman throughout spring ball. He played 26 games in three seasons with the Trojans, utilizing his redshirt season in 2023, and now has two years of eligibility remaining.
Foreman was the No. 1 recruit in the nation out of high school, as a five star recruit he became the highest ranked recruit in program history.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound pass rusher was a 5-star recruit and rated by one recruiting service as the top recruit in the nation coming out of Centennial High School in Corona, Calif. in 2021, where Foreman and Lightfoot were teammates. In his first spring with the Bulldogs, he consistently showed the ability to disrupt an offense and wreck plays during team periods when matched up against the No. 1 or No. 2 offenses.
Foreman, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, had 25 total tackles and 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks in 26 career games for the Trojans.
He also displayed his athleticism and play-making ability in a 2022 game against crosstown rival UCLA, dropping into coverage from the edge and picking off a pass late in the fourth quarter to seal a 48-45 USC victory at the Rose Bowl.
"Sky's the limit for him," said Franklin. "I have the expectations for him that I do for Devo and Gavriel. He's getting the defense down and he's learning how to do things the Bulldog way, which is going to allow him to be successful for us this season."
Deijon Laffitte also comes to the Valley from USC. He utilized his redshirt last season as a true freshman. As a senior at Colony High School in Ontario in 2022, he recorded 51 tackles and 8.0 sacks and was selected PrepStar All-Western Region. Laffitte is a Bulldog legacy, both his grandfather and father played football at Fresno State.
Jairus Satele joins the Bulldogs after spending two seasons at San Jose State, and has three years of eligibility remaining. He played in nine games for the Spartans last season, recording 3.0 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Satele is also a Bulldog legacy as his late father Fai Satele played defensive line for the Bulldogs from 2000-03.
Auckland Asiata was a three-year starter at Sutter Union High School. As a senior in 2023, he totaled 72 tackles, 17.0 TFLs, 8.0 sacks and 29 quarterback hurries. Asiata was rated the No. 103 edge rusher in the nation.
Damarrion White, a three-star recruit out of Granite Hills High School, was a two-time second team all-league selection and earned a first team All-CIF nod. He finished his senior season with 59 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and 20 hurries. White graduated high school early and enrolled as a mid-year at Fresno State that following semester.
What to watch: With the loss of two starters in Isaiah Johnson and Johnny Hudson, Jr. and a room full of veterans and experienced newcomers, you can expect a highly competitive fall camp from this group.
In this position group, staying ready is crucial. In 2023, Fresno State had 16 defensive linemen on the roster, and every single one of them saw playing time on defense, with some also contributing on special teams. Thirteen of them logged 100 or more snaps over the season.