Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion reached into Southeastern Conference territory and plucked a surprise commitment from four-star wide receiver Xavier McDonald.

McDonald, from Morton, Miss., is the highest commit in the history of the Hornets program. He committed to the school on Friday.

McDonald had offers from numerous Power Four conference schools, and on June 27, he released the list of his final four: Sacramento State, North Carolina, LSU and Ole Miss. He took official visits to three of them, substituting a visit to Mississippi State for a North Carolina visit.

The 247Sports composite ranks him as the No. 16 wide receiver in the country.

The offensive-minded Marion was named head coach of the Hornets last December after two seasons as offensive coordinator at UNLV.

Sacramento State is in the midst of an upgrade to its athletic program. It is building a multipurpose stadium and has secured more than $35 million in NIL funding. The Hornets have added former Sacramento Kings player Mike Bibby as their basketball coach and Basketball Hall of Fame member Shaquille O’Neal as the general manager.

Sacramento State football is an FCS-level program that plays in the Big Sky Conference. During the 2026-27 academic season, all teams except football will move to the Big West Conference.

Per the 247Sports composite, Sacramento State has the No. 56 recruiting class of 2026, sandwiched between South Carolina of the SEC and Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

–Field Level Media