DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis football team is 16th in the latest Football Championship Subdivision rankings, and the Aggies have a talented defensive tandem in linebacker Porter Connors and safety Rex Connors , twin brothers and fifth-year graduate players from Pleasant Grove, Utah, anchoring their defense.
Porter Connors currently leads the team with 42 tackles, including two for loss, while Rex Connors, who has yet to play this season while continuing to rehab a knee injury sustained last fall, is the school's career leader with 313 tackles.
Even though they've been playing their college ball a few states away from where they grew up, their Utah roots remain strong.
"Growing up in Utah, was around family all the time. Love going to the canyon and hanging out," Porter said. "The toughness thing, being from Utah, that's one trait that gets instilled in you."
Rex Connors, who besides being Porter's brother, is also his roommate, agrees about toughness defining players from the Beehive State at any level. "The football in Utah, especially when I was playing, was very physical," Rex Connors said. "That's what helped me form how I play the game. Also, we had great competition. There's guys I played against in high school that are in the league right now, just a lot of great talent."
Both Connors brothers were standouts at Pleasant Grove and one of their favorite memories was when, as sophomores, they played a playoff game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, home to the University of Utah.
"Playing in a stadium like that is always super fun. Being able to play in that big of a place and to play a game with those high stakes, semifinals of a state championship, it was surreal," Porter said. "Still look at pictures of that day all the time and relive it."
One constant from their shared time at UC Davis is that the Aggies have frequently played in Utah. In 2021 and 2023, it was trips to Ogden to face Weber State. In 2024, it was a date with Southern Utah in Cedar City and last season, it was to St. George to face Utah Tech plus a home date against Weber State.
On Oct. 17, the Aggies face Southern Utah in the Connors brothers' latest visit to their home state, a date they both have circled on the calendar.
"Yeah, it's always fun to play back home. My friends and family are able to come watch me play, so it's always exciting to go play in front of them and see everyone after the game," Rex Connors said. "It's always fun to get back to Utah for a little bit."
Last September, their built-in support system proved invaluable as they both sustained season-ending knee injuries in a Sept. 25 game against Weber State, limiting them to just four games each last season.
"The football in Utah, especially when I was playing, was very physical. That's what helped me form how I play the game. Also, we had great competition. There's guys I played against in high school that are in the league right now, just a lot of great talent."
"It was tough. I went down first and then I think a couple of drives later Porter showed up in the (medical) tent too," Rex said. "We were all getting hurt at the same time, but it was also just a blessing because usually when you get hurt, you're by yourself and don't have a whole lot of people with you. We were very fortunate in the sense that a lot of people I came in with in my class, we all got hurt that year, so we were all rehabbing together. That just made it easier."
Of course, Porter agrees that rehabbing alongside his brother and friends on the team helped make the process a bit easier to take.
"When you're going through a season-ending injury, having someone there who is going through the same thing and can relate with you is huge. Having all those extra teammates that came in with us to be there with me, it was just a real good support system," he said.
Since the Connors brothers get along so well and have been roommates since arriving at UC Davis, some might think playing together in college was always the plan. That's not the case. Rex and Porter never saw themselves continuing as teammates beyond high school, but neither one can complain about how well things have worked out for them at UC Davis.
UC Davis' Porter Connors makes a stop. | UC Davis Athletics
In fact, Rex explored following in his parents' footsteps as his father played football and his mother ran track at Utah State, but those aspirations were derailed when that Aggies team never offered him a scholarship.
"We never settled on playing together. We were going to wait and see what options we had and were going to go where each of us wanted to go. Ultimately, it ended up being Davis," Porter said. "I committed a month before he did. We both ended up going to the place we wanted to go. It made the most sense to live with your brother. We get along really well. We don't really have very many disagreements and are usually easygoing, so it's (been) pretty smooth."
One thing they've both enjoyed about their time at UC Davis is the chance to measure themselves each fall against some notable Division I programs. This season, the schedule took them to SMU in mid-September and the Mustangs were ranked 19th at the time. In the past, the Aggies have faced former Pac-12 members Cal, Oregon State and Washington in the early part of their schedule.
"It's always fun to go out there and let loose, see what you can do. You truly have nothing to lose, so to go out there and see how you match up (is fun)," Rex said. "We've played some pretty good teams. We played Oregon State last year when they were ranked and we played Washington when they were ranked and now SMU. It's always fun just to go out there and play in a stadium that you kind of grew up dreaming about."
Like his brother, Porter considers such games — ones where the Aggies are heavy underdogs — great opportunities to show how two Utah natives always bring their best effort each and every week on defense, no matter the competition.
"Yeah, it's always great to go out there and challenge myself, compete and see where I really stack up," he said. "It's also an opportunity to show I belong out here on this field with this level of competition even though the score might not show it."
UC Davis' Porter Connors makes a tackle. | UC Davis Athletics
