UC Davis head coach Tim Plough wonders why there are folks who continue to doubt running back Jordan Fisher. Any questions should have been answered in 2025 when Fisher ran for 1,121 yards, caught 26 passes for 287 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. What else does the junior need to do?
Fisher is 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, so Plough has had to address doubts about whether Fisher has the strength to run between the tackles or the durability to handle 20 carries per game. Plough has his own doubts about anyone who can shortchange Fisher’s talent without looking beyond his size.
Plough took a few minutes to vent his frustration after the first spring practice April 3. All spring practices are open to the public. The spring game at 10 a.m. Saturday will also be open. The 112th Picnic Day in Davis is also on Saturday.
Finding a parking sport Saturday might be as difficult as Plough biting his tongue when anyone tries to sell Fisher short. “Anyone doubting Fisher’s ability doesn’t have eyeballs,” Plough said. “I think Fisher put any doubts about his ability to rest last year. He’s a special player, a special young man.”
Fisher will never come close to matching Lan Larison’s workload in 2024. Larison touched the ball an average of 24.7 times per game as a senior with 284 carries and 62 receptions. Plough would prefer to have two backs split the workload instead of having to be dependent on one like Larison.
UC Davis had that in 2025 with Fisher and redshirt freshman Carter Vargas until Vargas sustained a knee injury against Idaho State on Nov. 1. Fisher had nine touches and Vargas eight in the first half of the 38-36 loss to the Bengals. With Vargas sidelined, Fisher had 16 touches in the second half.
The loss of Vargas forced Plough to rely on Fisher, who ran for 108 yards on 22 carries after not having more than 16 attempts in any of the first seven games. With Vargas transferring to Cal, Fisher will need a new sidekick in 2026. It could very well be Weber State transfer Chauncey Sylvester.
At 5-10 and 205 pounds, Sylvester could give the Aggies a short yardage specialist. He played in five games with the Wildcats in 2025, rushing for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Other backfield candidates are returnees Mateo Perez, a senior who also returns kicks, and redshirt junior Kai Acia.
Perez was injured last season and appeared in just four games. Acia’s playing time increased after Vargas was lost. Acai set a season high for carries with nine against Sacramento State on Nov. 22. He matched that number a week later in the 47-26 victory over Rhode Island in the FCS playoffs.
Fisher rushed for 140 yards against the Rams and put the Aggies ahead to stay at 25-20 with a 50-yard touchdown jaunt in the third quarter. It was the sixth 100-yard game of the season and his second-highest rushing total. He gained 170 on just 12 carries against Southern Utah on Sept. 20.
Running the ball against Illinois State in the FCS quarterfinals was not as easy. Fisher was limited to 70 yards on 13 carries and was stuffed for a 1-yard loss in the second quarter when UC Davis gambled on fourth-and-2 at the Illinois State 3. That left the Aggies with a 21-17 deficit at halftime.
The margin grew to 42-17 by the time Fisher caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Caden Pinnick with 2:11 to play. The Aggies’ inability to convert the fourth-and-3 rekindled doubts about Fisher that have become all too familiar for Plough. He has 12 games in 2026 to prove all the skeptics are wrong.
