Butte College football signing class increases to 21 with two additions

From left to right: Madison Middleton, Cody Carlson, Victor Hernandez, Senorina Hernandez and Carlos Hernandez stand together at a signing ceremony for Cody and Victor on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at Butte College in Butte Valley, California. (Justin Couchot/Enterprise-Record)

BUTTE VALLEY — Two players who play on opposite sides of the football field, who come from two different states, had fierce rivalries in practice, but played three together and finished their Butte College football careers in a memorable way.

Lake Oswego High School alumnus and defensive lineman Cody Carlson signed with Division I Utah Tech, and Durham High School alumnus and offensive lineman Victor Hernandez signed with D-II Eastern New Mexico in a ceremony Thursday at Butte College. They increased the Roadrunners’ total of 2023-24 signees to 21.

Both Carlson and Hernandez spent three years at Butte College, following a 2020-21 senior year of high school riddled by the pandemic. Both players learned a lot at Butte College, but in different ways.

For the Butte County local Hernandez, he gained a bond with players from across the country, including the Oregon-native Carlson.

“I’ve always treated football as a family, and meeting all these new people made me feel like I’ve grown into this type of family. A Butte College family,” Hernandez said.

For Carlson, who was a captain for the Roadrunners in his sophomore season, the biggest thing he learned was that you’re going to get what you put into something. He came in looking to start right away, but along with Hernandez, both players redshirted their freshman year, before playing the final two years on opposing sides of the line.

“When I first came in here, I wasn’t putting in the effort, I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to, and it showed,” Carlson said. “I wasn’t getting the playing time, I ended up redshirting, and realized that my freshman year. I turned it around my freshman year and really put it into play my sophomore year.”

When Carlson was named captain his sophomore year, he said it was unexpected, but he was honored. It showed him that he had truly put in the work, did what he needed to do to show his teammates that, and became a leader.

After three seasons in the Roadrunners’ program, in the Northern California Bowl against Reedley, both players’ careers were capped by stellar performances. Carlson was named Defensive MVP after having eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and three tackles-for-loss, while Hernandez had a pancake block that put the defensive player onto his back in the end zone on Christian Vaughn’s rushing touchdown with 12 seconds left in the Roadrunners’ 30-24 victory.

“We needed a big play, and he came up big,” said Butte College coach Robby Snelling of Hernandez. “Cody was making big plays all game and impacting the game. Both finished on a high note, finished on a nine-win season, bowl win, both played a huge role in their last win here, and now’s the ultimate payoff at the end of getting a scholarship and an opportunity. I think both of them are going to a good situation.”

Recruitment journey

While Hernandez and Carlson may have had similar journey’s on the field, their recruiting journeys were different in some ways.

Carlson seemed set to return to his home state of Oregon and play for Southern Oregon, but the coaching staff at Utah Tech told him exactly what he needed to hear.

“They said I was going to come in and use my last two years, and not go somewhere where I was going to sit and not play,” Carlson said.

For Hernandez, he had his eyes set for playing for his lone offer from Simpson College, where he would be staying local in the north state. Upon graduation, other offers began coming in, and it was the future of his education that drew him out of California.

Hernandez and an assistant coach from Eastern New Mexico bonded over talks about barbecue in New Mexico, and then the coach asked about his major. Hernandez will major in business administration, but also had interest in the culinary program. His interest went as far as Hernandez almost stopping playing football to pursue culinary arts.