Matt Entz isn’t tiptoeing into Fresno State’s next chapter.
The former USC linebackers coach has arrived in Fresno with a clear message and even bigger ambitions, and he’ll bring that mindset back to the Coliseum on Friday night when the Bulldogs face the Trojans. After an ahead-of-schedule nine-win debut season in 2025, Entz has Fresno State positioned as more than just a solid story - the Bulldogs could be a legitimate Group of Six College Football Playoff contender and a leading challenger in the rebuilt Pac-12.
That belief starts with what’s coming back. Entz told USA TODAY Sports that Fresno State returns “14 of 15 starters, depending on how you want to look at it,” a number that puts the Bulldogs in the same neighborhood as some of the sport’s most experienced teams. Notre Dame and Oregon are listed with 15 returning starters, while Georgia and USC are among the Power conference programs bringing back at least 14.
Entz sees that experience as fuel for something bigger.
“I think our players are seeing that ‘Hey, this experience is bigger than just me. I can get wherever I want from Fresno State,” Entz said.
“Now, at the same time, we have another successful season, it's going to get harder and harder to retain some of these players because, again, there are lucrative opportunities out there. And I talk about that in recruiting.
We're utilizing that to keep kids here. We're going to help you get the next contract, some way, somehow.
I don't know if that's in the SEC, the Big Ten, or the NFL, but we'll figure it out as we kind of navigate this.”
It’s a big vision, and beating USC would only push it further forward. Lincoln Riley will need a sharp game plan to handle a Fresno State team led by a coach who knows the Coliseum well and is coming back with plenty of confidence.
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