Turlock High grad Danny Velasquez always had a dream of playing college football with the Fresno State Bulldogs and he is one step closer to achieving that dream after he committed as a preferred walk-on.
The preferred walk-on is essentially an opportunity for Velasquez to earn a scholarship.
“So, what they told me is that they are interested in me and they are giving me an opportunity to come in the spring and earn a scholarship,” said Velasquez.
Fresno State currently has Velasquez listed at quarterback, but he said he would be willing to play any position.
The former THS Bulldog’s journey to becoming a Fresno State Bulldog wasn’t a straight path.
“The best way to describe my journey is it’s God’s plan, just have to trust it and roll with the punches. I feel that I have to keep my head high and keep working. There were a few times when I felt down and out but kept working and persevering,” said Velasquez.
The Turlock High standout took the reins as quarterback at Modesto Junior College in 2017. While at MJC in the fall of 2017, Velasquez tossed for 1,960 yards to go with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 11 games played while he rushed for 810 yards on 125 carries, while scoring 10 times on the ground.
Following a season at Portland State, Velasquez decided to return to MJC and give it one more shot to reach the highest level of collegiate football and make his dream come true.
In fall of 2019 at MJC, he improved his completion percentage to 58.7 while tossing for 1,948 yards to go with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 735 yards on 130 carries and scored nine times in 12 games played, despite being injured.
During the fall Velasquez had to deal with injuries after the first month, but there were still D-I offers and other schools that were interested.
Some of those schools included Western Michigan, University of Lamar, Cal Poly and Valparaiso.
Velasquez was seriously considering Tarleton State, when he got a call from his coach at MJC who told him that Fresno State would like to speak with him.
“I gave them a call, talked to them, I got in touch with my loved ones and told them I was going to go to Fresno State,” said Velasquez.
Velasquez has two years left of eligibility.
“I mean my number one goal is to come in and try and make a name for myself, earn a scholarship, and compete and learn from all these guys and improve and become a better player,” Velasquez added. “I grew up going to these games, I remember Isaiah Burse, Derek Carr, Davante Adams, I remember they dominated and would play all these teams and I always dreamed of playing here and I finally get my opportunity.”
