On Tuesday morning, UC Davis football collected its first two awards of the 2018 season when senior wide receiver Keelan Doss and junior Wesley Preece earned first team and second team Preseason All-America awards from HERO Sports.

Later that day, the outlet also unveiled its Preseason Top 25 Poll, which listed the Aggies at No. 22 — the program’s highest national preseason ranking since joining the Big Sky Conference.

“I want to thank the fans, supporters of the program and Director of Athletics Kevin Blue for everything they invested in the program,” UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins said in a press release. “The student-athletes and coaches deserve credit for all of their hard work, which placed this team in a position to earn national recognition. This ranking is evidence that positive things are taking place at UC Davis.”

During the first season of the Hawkins era, UC Davis set an extensive list of new all-time, Division I and Big Sky-era records, and finished the 2017 season as the conference’s top-rated offense for the first time in school history.

The Aggies also faced more ranked teams, or teams receiving votes, since they joined the Big Sky Conference, won five games against Division I competition — equal to the combined total from the last three seasons — and collected five Big Sky Player of the Week awards, matching the total from the last four years.

With 13 starters from last season’s team returning, a list that includes Doss, a national finalist for the Walter Payton Award (bestowed to the most outstanding offensive player in the nation), Big Sky Newcomer of the Year Jake Maier, and Preece, an All-Big Sky selection who enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 by finishing with a career-high nine touchdowns, UC Davis should be in for anther big season.

The Aggies open the 2018 season on Aug. 30 at San José State.

Throughout the upcoming season, the Aggies will face two teams ranked in the top 25 — Eastern Washington and Idaho — in addition to another three that received votes: Montana, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.