In years past, the central valley’s top football talent wanted a ticket out of town. Whether it was a losing program, below-average facilities or simply the feeling that they weren’t wanted, Sacramento State was the last place local college gridiron hopefuls wanted to end up.

Sophomore running back Gerwin Williams, a one-time transfer from Division 1-A Marshall this year and a Grant High graduate, remembers a generally reluctant attitude by his peers in regards to signing with Sac State out of high school.

“It was probably the program. It’s numbers,” Williams said. “You want to win games, flat out, that’s what it’s all about. Nobody likes losing.”

It’s been an uphill battle, but the Hornets are beginning to build a program that high school recruits desire to be a part of, not eventually settle for. Head coach Steve Mooshagian credits his recruiting personnel, including coaches Lou Baiz and Scott Criner, for redoubling the team’s efforts to appeal to the area’s players.

“They’ve had to fight some battles, things like ‘Are you guys ever going to do anything over there, are they ever going to build you a facility, are they ever going to put money into the program?'” Mooshagian said.

While improving the strength of the overall program remains paramount to luring prospects to the team, Mooshagian points to both the current stadium and the Broad Athletic Facility, which is now under construction, as vital recruiting tools.

“It’s the first major step, something tangible that we have to sell. This year, with the groundbreaking and the media attention, they’re starting to see that we’re serious about what we’re trying to do,” Mooshagian said.

Another obstacle that has stood in front of the recruiting staff is the misconception that Sac State isn’t interested in recruiting from local schools, a mistake that Mooshagian said was a problem that preceded him.

“When I first got here, people would say, ‘Sacramento State never recruits Grant kids, or they never recruit these kids, or that kid.’ That must have been the way that it was. It may have been a perception or it may have been a reality. I wasn’t here so I can’t really answer that, and I can’t change what has happened in the past,” Mooshagian said.

“It’s been like that, even before I got to high school,” Williams said. “Somebody would say ‘What about State?’ Nobody was willing to be the guinea pig, if you will, or the guy that tried to go out and get it started. But you have to judge the potential.”

Ronald Richardson, a freshman wide receiver and a Grant product himself, was pursued by several schools himself before deciding to sign on with Sac State. Although it’s no secret that the Hornets have had some problems winning games recently, Richardson took it as a personal challenge.

“I felt I’d be better off here at Sac State. It’s a better environment, a better chance to do something more,” Richardson said. “I felt I could be a player that could help turn the program around, help us start winning.”

“The thing we really wanted to do was to change the perception,” Mooshagian said. “I think last year we offered 15 to 18 scholarships to the local athletes, and I think when it was all said and done, about 50 percent of them ended up signing with us. If we can do that every year, we’re doing pretty good.”

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Josh Terrell can be reached at [email protected]