Nate Ketteringham, a starting quarterback since his true freshman season, has been granted his release and will transfer from Sacramento State. Skyline Sports confirmed the transfer with release documents on Wednesday.
The Sac State office of compliance letter reads: In accordance with NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3, Sacramento State grants the coaching staff at your college or university permission to contact Nate Ketteringham. Nate is a member of our Football team, and we wish him well in future academic and athletic endeavors.
Montana junior defensive end Tucker Schye smacks Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham/ by Jason Bacaj
A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Ketteringham did not like the uncertainty that currently surrounds the Sac State athletic department and wants a fresh start. It is unknown where Ketteringham will transfer but he will have three years left to play his remaining two years. Last season, Ketteringham started all 11 games for the 2-9 Hornets. He completed 50.5 percent of his passes for 1,977 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The 6-foot-4 former 3-star recruit from San Diego had his redshirt pulled midway through the 2015 season when Daniel Kniffin and Kolney Cassel both suffered shoulder injuries. When Cassel went down on a vicious hit from former Montana State All-Big Sky Conference defensive tackle Taylor Sheridan, Ketteringham was thrown to the fire in Bozeman.
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Ketteringham had a modest debut, completing 5-of-9 passes for 40 yards in Sac State’s 35-13 loss at Montana State. The following week, the growing pains continued as Ketteringham completed just 14-of-33 passes for 113 yards and was sacked five times to Southern Utah’s Big Sky Conference-best defense.
With four weeks left in the season, Ketteringham found a groove and, in turn, Sacramento State found their quarterback of the present in the kid most thought would be the quarterback of the future. Against Idaho State, Sac’s previously stagnant offense — the Hornets averaged 11.1 points per game over their first six Division I games — finally found a rhythm. Ketteringham completed 20-of-26 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the 38-13 win over ISU.
The victory served as Sac’s only Division I win and its lone Big Sky win in 2015. But Ketteringham continued to show his potential. He threw for 335 yards and a touchdown in a 36-14 loss at Cal Poly; 339 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-35 loss at Northern Arizona; and for 296 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 loss to rival UC Davis.
Former Sac St. quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/by Sac St. Athletics
“Playing Nate, I was playing the only hand we had left,” Sac State head coach Jody Sears said in an interview before last season, his third at the helm at Sac. “It was a good experience. We weren’t going to make any rash decisions. That’s what we had. We felt good about it and we felt good about the job he was doing and the competitive heart he had. He ended up being really good. I thought he did a really nice job, especially as a freshman getting thrown under the bus.”
Last season, Sac State ran the ball more effectively than in Ketteringham’s first season but struggled to protect their young quarterback. In a 68-7 loss at Montana, the Grizzlies piled up five sacks of Ketteringham and hit him relentlessly. Sac State gave up 35 sacks, the most in the Big Sky last season.
Ketteringham’s high point of this sophomore season came when he threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Montana State, one of just two league victories on the season for the Hornets.
Thus far in his Division I career, Ketteringham has completed 54.7 percent f his passes for 3,387 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He has also rushed for 258 yards and four touchdowns.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
