New coaches, postgame concerts and the promise of a new stadium are putting Sacramento State’s athletics front and center this fall.
From Shaquille O’Neal to Quavo, Sac State has been welcoming big names as it works to raise its national athletics profile, including through “Live at the Hive,” a series of postgame concerts drawing large crowds.
Students at the football games on Oct. 18 and 24 who came for the games and the concerts said the events boost energy and school spirit. Ethan Krieger, a senior recreational therapy major who attended the Lil Yachty concert following the homecoming game said the “hive is buzzing” and that postgame shows add excitement to the campus.
“I always want to come support Sac State, even if there’s no artist,” Krieger said. “But with the artist being here, I definitely had to come and show my support.”
Erik Alcala, a junior graphic design major, said that Lil Yachty’s performance felt personal. He said events like this will make students feel proud of being Hornets.
“Lil Yachty is a big part of my adolescence,” Alcala said. “I’m here to be myself, to show who I am in front of these people.”
Students who attended the Lil Yachty concert, which had over 20,000 attendees, said Sac State was unprepared and disorganized, leading to safety issues.
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At the Oct. 24 game, sophomore criminal justice major Rushlee Esquejo said the football games got busier after the concerts were announced. Esquejo said the performances make the experience better, and it’s a unique opportunity for students to watch big artists for free.
“I feel like the games gained a lot of popularity when people knew that Lil Yachty was going to perform,” Esquejo said.
Sac State’s “Live at the Hive” postgame performances feature popular rap, hip-hop and R&B artists such as J Álvarez, DDG, Mariah Angeliq, Lil Yachty, Quavo and Blxst. While the cost of these concerts aren’t publicly disclosed, Lil Yachty was paid $200,000 at University of North Florida for a one-hour campus performance, according to The Spinnaker at UNF and reported by the Sacramento Bee.
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The university’s athletics marketing and promotions, totaling nearly $40,000 in 2024, come amid a series of funding issues that have erupted over the past year. This comes as Sac State faces immense financial pressure from a California State University-wide 34% tuition increase, a hiring freeze and a recent 33% cut to the library’s budget.
Sac State originally grappled with a $37 million budget deficit, leading the provost to cut class offerings in half last spring. The 2025 Budget Act reduced the gap to $30 million. A September update from President Luke Wood said solutions were achieved to address around $28 million of the deficit, and the remaining $2.9 million would be covered by reserves, eliminating the deficit this year.
President Luke Wood told The Sacramento Observer in August that elevating the university’s athletics is one of the most effective ways to create a national brand and increase enrollment, thereby increasing revenue. He said that while academic funding has decreased, athletics funding comes from an entirely separate pot.
Yet students who know about the financial pressure the university faces, like senior psychology major Ryan Zepeda, say it can still be tough to watch. Zepeda said it has been frustrating to see Sac State focus on athletics while academic resources are simultaneously cut.
Zepeda said he was excited to hear about the university earning its R2 status, as it joins the ranks of universities known for their high commitment to research. Zepeda said he doesn’t see it promoted nearly as much as athletics.
“I had to find out that we became an R2 school from my McNair Scholars Program, but I have yet to see it on a billboard,” Zepeda said. “When I pass a billboard, it’s Shaq or Bibby or a concert after the football game.”
Now playing on Highway 50: Hornets WIN!
Sacramento State Football beats Northern Colorado 40-35 on Homecoming in front of a full stadium of more than 20,000 fans! #StingersUp #GoGoSac pic.twitter.com/DytLfmvk3d
— Sacramento State (@sacstate) October 19, 2025
Zepeda said the concerts are a good idea, but their execution has been disappointing. He said several aspects of the performances should’ve been prepared and communicated beforehand.
“The concerts are great but then it’s also disappointing when Sac State is ill-prepared,” Zepeda said. “It’s more like a waste of money when they’re not utilizing it properly to get the right barriers and speakers.”
Despite the NCAA denying Sac State’s independent application this year, Wood remains a strong supporter of elevating Sac State football to FBS status. After Shaq, Mike Bibby and Brennan Marion joined Sac State athletics, Athletic Director Mark Orr told The San Francisco Chronicle in August that corporate partnerships doubled. SAC12, an independent coalition backing Sac State athletics, has pledged more than $50 million over the next decade to support the move toward a Pac-12 future, according to The SF Chronicle.
The buzz around Sac State football hasn’t come without controversy. Marion was recently fined $10,000 by the Big Sky Conference for a sportsmanship violation, and Wood went viral after trading jabs with the Montana Grizzlies ahead of the Oct. 24 game – which Sac State lost.
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The Hornets’ performance this season has been solid but not spectacular, with a 5-4 record at the time of publishing. Sac State leads the Big Sky Conference in penalties and ranks among the most penalized teams in the country.
Zepeda said Sac State is putting significant effort into promoting football, but the team is still finding its rhythm. He said it might not be at the level to consistently sell out a stadium like the proposed Cal Expo site.
“If they were sweeping the teams they’re playing against and winning in all of their divisions, then I’d understand,” Zepeda said. “But they’re not really doing that.”
Regarding the postgame performances, sophomore interior architecture major Bella Shirado said she was excited for Lil Yachty’s concert but found it disappointing after experiencing what she described as a chaotic crowd and poor control.
“I was just getting really smushed and I couldn’t breathe,” Shirado said. “People were just being rude and pushing … it wasn’t really good.”
Junior computer science major Kai Sanchez said the concerts attract new audiences who might not normally attend football games. He said his excitement for the concerts didn’t change after hearing about the safety concerns.
“It makes it more inviting to people that don’t really care about football,” Sanchez said. “It gives them a reason to come.”
