Editor’s Note: Offensive tackle Ray Navar was recently added to the Preseason All-Conference team. His name was not released until after press time.

Before Sacramento State’s 2008 football season kicked off, two Hornets received preseason accolades. Hornets’ linebackers Cyrus Mulitalo and Mike Brannon were named to The Sports Network’s Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-American team. Mulitalo was one of four linebackers named to the first team, while Brannon was named to the third team.

“I have high expectations for myself, so it is an honor to have this award, but I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Mulitalo said. “I work hard.”

This preseason honor is just the latest for Mulitalo and Brannon, as both players were also named to the Big Sky Conference’s preseason first team.

“I was just happy, finally seeing hard work pay off,” Brannon said. “Better then that I’m finally glad to see Sac State really getting a reputation for working hard.”

Looking at last season stats, it’s not hard to see why Mulitalo and Brannon are receiving these preseason honors. Last season Mulitalo recorded 98 tackles; he had double-digit tackles in 10 games and never had less then six tackles in each of the team’s 22 games. Of his 98 tackles 13.5 were tackles-for-loss.

For his career Mulitalo enters the season already fifth in school history for career tackles and tackles-for-loss.

Mulitalo best describes his style of play in one word, “beast,” and with stats like this it would be hard to argue against him. Mulitalo is also a preseason contender for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the nation.

“Cyrus is more of a true inside linebacker, very instinctive, really gets to the ball well, understands the game, and probably the smartest player on the field,” head coach Marshall Sperbeck said.

Just think Mulitalo almost didn’t come to Sacramento State. Originally, the Hornets were out of scholarships and wanted Mulitalo to walk-on to the football team. As he contemplated his options of walking on or going to a junior college, a scholarship opened up after a player dropped and the scholarship was given to Mulitalo. The rest is, as they say, history.

Brannon describes his style of play as, “hungry,” and with a breakthrough season last year were he recorded 91 tackles, and a team best 18 tackles-for-loss, it’s not hard to see that Brannon is eating up the competition.

Brannon already holds the school’s Division I-AA Football Championship Subdivision era sack record with 18.5 sacks; he needs seven more sacks to set the all-time mark. He is also 5.5 tackles-for-loss shy of the school record, and will likely be in the top 10 in school history in career tackles needing only 13 more.

“He’s a very good athlete, he runs well, we’ve been playing him in different positions, he’s played defensive end, he rushes the quarterback real well,” Sperbeck said. “He’s just an exciting football player.”

These preseason accolades pad an already impressive football resume for both Mulitalo and Brannon. In 2007, both players were named honorable mention All-America by The Sports Network at linebacker and both earned first team Big Sky honors. In 2006, Brannon was named second team all-Big Sky as a defensive end and Mulitalo was named honorable mention All-America and first team All-West Region by Football Gazette.

With their ever growing resumes, both players are hoping to take their skills to the next level of competition and to hopefully get a phone call on draft day.

“Just like a job, the more recommendations, the more abilities that you bring to the table the better your chances are of getting that job,” Mulitalo said. “In my case the more awards I receive, coming from a Div. I-AA school helps my resume to get me to the next level.”

Not only will these achievements help both players to get noticed by professional teams, but now their opponents will also sit up and take notice. Both players will now be focal points in the other team’s offensive game plans. Teams will now be on the lookout for number 42 (Mulitalo) the guy with the long hair, and number 3 (Brannon).

“I’m going into every game with a target on my back. The offensive linemen, the running backs know who I am now,” Mulitalo said. “I have to work even harder on the practice field knowing that they’re trying to game plan against me. That enables me to push myself, to drive myself harder.”

Mulitalo and Brannon want more then just individual accolades, they want their team and school to gain some respect in the Big Sky Conference. To do this the team needs to do one thing: win.

“My season goal is mainly to put everything, the All-American, All-Big Sky stuff out the window, and to win,” Brannon said. “To become at least 6-5, to bring this program to a different level, to go from losers that people in our Big Sky community think we are to winners.”

Felipe Molina can be reached at [email protected]