A new era of Fresno State football is here and it’s riding on the broad shoulder of Matt Entz.

“I’m truly blessed to be here. I look forward to being a part of this community, the Central Valley, and more importantly this great football tradition and program,” said Entz at his introductory Thursday news conference on campus.

Entz comes to the Bulldogs from USC, where he was assistant head coach and linebackers coach. Earlier in his career, he led North Dakota State to two FCS national championships and a 60-120 record.

“It’s an exciting time in college football,” he said. “The landscape has changed dramatically over the last four or five years. We’re wrapping up a very storied tradition and history in the Mountain West conference and get ready to jump into the Pac-12. That’s an exciting time for this program and this community and this university and I couldn’t be more excited to be here.”

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Transition from Skipper to Entz

Entz replaces interim head coach Tim Skipper. The Bulldogs performed below expectations in a 6-6, bowl-eligible regular season. Skipper took over for Jeff Tedford on July 15 after the veteran coach retired, citing health concerns.

Fresno State President Dr. Saul Jimenez-Sandoval said that Skipper has been asked to coach the Bulldogs in the bowl game but he didn’t reveal Skipper’s answer.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the great job that Tim Skipper did this year,” said Fresno State Athletic Director Garrett Klassy. “Faced some adversity. Went through a difficult process. He held this team together this year and he’ll always be a Bulldog.”

What They’re Saying About Entz

“This is a moment for me, and all of you and for all of us, to celebrate our future of excellence with coach Entz,” said Jimenez-Sandoval. “We are all confident that our coach will inspire our players, energize our fans and continue the tradition of Bulldog excellence.”.

Klassy said that Entz checked all the boxes he and the selection committee were looking for in the next coach.

“We wanted to hire a proven winner, a strong leader who shared the values of the Valley and the history of Fresno State,” said Klassy. “A top recruiter, an exceptional teacher, and someone who can navigate the evolving landscape of college football including the transfer portal, NIL, and revenue sharing.”

“The central focus was finding somebody who embodies our work ethic, values, and community spirit. One name consistently came back to us throughout the search, and it was obviously coach Matt Entz.”

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Challenges Ahead for Entz

He is the 23rd head coach in program history and his hiring comes at a crucial time.

Key players such as quarterback Mikey Keene, wide receiver Jalen Moss, and cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton declared to enter the transfer portal. Running back Malik Sherrod, wide receivers Raylen Sharpe and Tim Grear and defensive tackle Jacob Holmes all left for the portal after news broke that the school went with Entz over Skipper.

All three of the Bulldogs First-Team All-MW selections are seniors, as are about a dozen more players. And Entz’s widely reported hiring was finally confirmed by Fresno State on Wednesday evening, which was National Signing Day for recruits.

“The next things I want to do as my priority is the current roster,” Entz said. “A few have entered the transfer portal, and I want to have conversations with them about where we want this program to be and how I envision this program and hopefully they want to be a part of something special.”

“I want to build players from within. I want to have a strength and conditioning program and a have nutrition program that’s second to none. So when kids get here, they understand that I’m going to start at this level and I’m going to finish at this level. They’re going see and believe in the process.”

Offensive Strategy and Preparation

The Bulldog offense struggled this year. They could’ve won more games had they scored consistently, especially in the fourth quarter.

His plan: “I’m going to challenge our offensive staff to do all the things that I hated to defend. Somewhere out there, somebody is up late at night, early in the morning, sleepless, because they got to figure out how to defend all these other situations and these unique formations, trades, shifts, and motions that Fresno State is showing them on film.”

Added Entz: “We’re going to be so prepared that we can’t get it wrong. We’re going to put our young men in situations on the practice field so that when they arise on a Saturday night in the fourth quarter we don’t flinch. We act like we’ve been to that movie before. We’re prepared and confident that our coaches have put us in this position before.”

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