Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Huard is the first 5-star recruit to play for Cal Poly ever.
He announced his decision to transfer to the Mustangs on January 30 from the University of Washington.
Being a Husky was always Huard's dream. His father, Damon Huard, set the QB record for career passing yards at Washington from 1993 to 1995. His uncle Brock Huard then broke that record from 1996 to 1998. His mother Julie even went there as a cheerleader.
Donning the purple and gold seemed to be Sam's destiny.
“My whole life I dreamed about playing at UW, having an opportunity to go start there and win games," Huard admitted. "I'm very thankful for my time there but it got to a point where I just couldn't do another day of just putting so much into it and I just felt stuck.”
Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Huard only managed five games of action starting only one of them in the Apple Cup against their rivals, Washington State University.
Huard saw the writing on the wall. He would have to wait even longer to regain a starting spot with the Huskies with the return of last year’s starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who helped the Huskies to an Alamo Bowl victory finishing the season at 9-2.
“I just felt God had another plan for me and I just felt like I was really led to take a leap of faith,” he said.
After entering the transfer portal in January, he landed not only a chance at redemption but a chance for a reunion.
Cal Poly’s first-year offensive coordinator, Sheldon Cross, was Huard’s head coach at Kennedy Catholic High School where he helped guide the QB to an all-time Washington state high school career passing yards record.
“To be around him again, that's been that's been a blessing for me,” Cross said.
From 2017-2021, Huard and Cross made for one of the most prolific offenses in the state going 11-1 in Huard's senior year.
“To be able to throw for a million yards and break records, it was fun to watch," Cross explained. "It's been good to be able to watch him do it live again.”
“A lot of things in high school I accomplished were because of him and my team around me and just how much he's pushed me as a person, a quarterback and as a leader."
Between Cross and the offense and all the new faces, Huard is ready to redefine Mustang football.
“We put in the work and we've grown together as a family this whole summer and this whole off-season," Huard said. "We're ready to just go e embrace the challenges of it all and really go take it one game at a time, play for each other, play fast and play for it.”
Huard will start in their season and home opener against the University of San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 2.
