FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresh off a 9-game winning streak (10-4) that included a Mountain West Conference Championship and a dominating Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl victory, Fresno State football welcomes in a new crop of Bulldogs.
The team kicked off the early signing period with 16 signees on Wednesday morning-- receiving valid National Letters of Intent from all 16, bringing in a new group of talent for the 2023 season.
The player making the biggest splash, University of Central Florida transfer QB Mikey Keene committing to the Bulldogs. As a true freshman in 2021, Keene would play in 11 games completing 123/272 (63.6%) of his passes for 1,730 yards and 17 TDs. He'd redshirt his sophomore season, playing in just 4 games, completing 72% of his passes with 6 TDs and 1 INT.
Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Keene led Chandler High School to a perfect 10-0 record in 2020, and its second-straight Arizona Open Division State title as a Senior.
Set to compete in the QB room, Buchanan's Jayden Mandel. The reigning 2022 TRAC football player of the year is considered a 3-star recruit by 247Sports. Initially committed to play baseball at Fresno State in September of 2020, Mandel would flip to play football under Head Coach Jeff Tedford in March.
Mandel is projected to leave Buchanan early and join the Bulldogs as an early enrollee.
Other players heading the '23 class, Hanford Native and San Joaquin Memorial product Brandon Ramirez. The two-way Safety/RB rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 31 TDs during his Senior campaign, leading the Panthers to the D-1 title game vs eventual champion Liberty-Bakersfield.
Ramirez is slated to play Safety under DBs Coach JD Williams and DC Kevin Coyle.
2023 Signing Class Notes