FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State football interim head coach Tim Skipper announced the Bulldogs' 2024 team captains at the annual Kickoff Dinner hosted by the Bulldog Foundation at the Fresno Convention Center last Thursday evening. Voted for by their teammates, Mikey Keene, Mose Vavao, Devo Bridges and Tuasivi Nomura were named captains for the season.
All four captains have such unique backgrounds in their careers as Fresno State Bulldogs. Two have been a Bulldog their whole career while the other two have only been a Bulldog for a short amount of time, but all four individuals lead in their own ways.
Vavao has been voted as a team captain for the second season in a row. Undoubtedly the leader of the offensive line, Vavao returns in 2024 as the most experienced player on the offensive side of the ball having played in 46 games in his career with 42 consecutive starts. Vavao has been a part of some of the most explosive offenses in Fresno State football history, joining the program and contributing as a true freshman in 2020.
A man of few words, Vavao leads by example and looks to be that for his team again in his final season.
"I feel honored to be put in this situation and carry on what the guys did last year, Levelle [Bailey], [Erik Brooks], and even Devo," Vavao said. "Just excited to hold that standard. I am ready to go. I am ready to show these guys that I am the leader they voted me as, and that they can always count on me to do the right thing. At the end of the day and when adversity hits, they'll know to look to me and the other captains. I am really honored. I love each and every one of these guys and I am ready to go."
The Bulldogs' second offensive captain has a very different timeline from Vavao, having only been with the program for a year. He has quickly earned the trust of the team in that one year. Keene, entering his second season as the Bulldogs' quarterback, has worked his way from transfer to team captain in just over a year and a half in Fresno.
"To be a team captain is an honor that I hold above anything else, on the football field at least," said Keene on being voted a team captain. "Especially at a place like this, to have pride and tradition, and what it means to be a captain. To be seen like that by your peers is truly an amazing accomplishment. I am very proud of it, and excited that I was able to work for that and earn it. I am super happy to be able to lead this team this year."
Keene transferred to Fresno State from UCF in January 2023. He battled to earn the starting quarterback job, while also fighting to earn the trust of his teammates. It was obvious that Keene took the leadership role to another level in the 2024 offseason, holding his teammates to the standard that is Bulldog football.
Similar to Keene, a captain on the defensive side of the ball didn't take long to earn the trust and respect from his teammates to earn the title of captain. Nomura, a linebacker, transferred to Fresno State at the same time as Keene, but from USC. The Corona, Calif. native suffered an injury during his first spring with the program that had him sidelined until October. Upon his return, he proved he would be a playmaker on the field.
As Coach Skipper said when announcing Nomura as a team captain on Thursday, "I swear to you, it seems like he was always a 'Dog from the jump."
His off-the-field presence is felt around the team as well. Last season, the Bulldogs defense was led by senior linebacker Levelle Bailey who was a five-year Bulldog and team captain a season ago. With the departure of Bailey to the NFL and the 2024 offseason training beginning in January, Nomura was looked to to fill the void left by the long-time Bulldog linebacker. He has seemed to do that, both on and off the field, as he is expected to start for the Bulldogs and has earned the title of team captain after a short time in the program. The Bulldogs didn't skip a beat.
"I am extremely honored," said Nomura of the captain title. "It means a lot knowing that the team feels my energy and has enough confidence and trust in me to put me in a position to lead. This is a special place and I am grateful to have this opportunity."
Bridges is one of the oldest and longest-lasting Bulldogs on the 2024 roster, joining the program in 2019. If anybody has put in the time and energy into this program, it is him. Bridges has truly climbed the ladder each year throughout his career, and is going out with the title of team captain. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2019, Bridges saw limited action in 2020 before becoming a rotational player throughout the 2021 season. He earned his first career start in 2021, starting against New Mexico.
The 2022 season was a big one for Bridges as he remained patient throughout his career, starting all 14 games. A true team player, Bridges has played as a defensive end and a defensive tackle in his career – wherever the 'Dogs needed him in order to win. That has been his mentality from the beginning, unselfish until it comes to getting to the opposing team quarterback. Then he becomes Greedy.
"It means the world to me that these guys believe in me that much to lead them the right way," said Bridges on being named a captain. "I pray and I hope that I do lead them the right way. It is something that I always wanted since my freshman year. I am a six-year guy and I am a team captain now, so it is kind of like a full 360. I am glad I am going out this way as a captain. It is a blessing."
These four Bulldogs will lead the team into their first game of the 2024 season in just under two weeks as the 'Dogs open at Michigan on August 31. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT with a broadcast on NBC.