Before Ryan Coogler took over Hollywood, he was a record-setting Sacramento State wide receiver

Derek Mason remembers calling Alonzo Carter in 2003, right after taking the assistant head coach job at Saint Mary's. A newcomer to the Bay Area, Mason needed to find some players to join the now-defunct FCS program. Carter, then a high school coach at McClymonds High School, has long been hailed as The Godfather of Oakland recruiting. 

Of course, Carter -- now the head coach at Sacramento State -- had answers. He suggested that Mason check out an overlooked kid at Saint Mary's College High School near Berkeley, California. In Carter's eyes, he was one of the best players in the Bay. 

Mason was a little surprised. Carter usually worked with prospects from the city, but Carter assured him that this kid was Oakland through and through. Mason made the 30-minute drive from Moraga to Albany. There, he couldn't help but be impressed with the quiet, shifty wide receiver who was wise beyond his years. 

"This dude was super sharp and well spoken," Mason told CBS Sports. "Not only was he an outstanding student, but he was a phenomenal athlete. I was just surprised he had gone under the radar." 

Little did he know, Ryan Coogler would go on to become perhaps the most famous person that Mason would ever coach. 

Coogler has gone on to stardom as one of the top directors in Hollywood. He directed the "Black Panther" and "Creed" films. Coogler's supernatural horror film "Sinners" is up for a record 16 Oscars at the Academy Awards on March 15, including Best Director. 

But before his generational directorial run, Coogler was a record-setting wide receiver at Sacramento State. Even two decades later, his standout football career helped him develop the vision and grit that would shape him into one of the great filmmakers of his era. 

"I think that dude was fully shaped by his high school and college football career," Mason said. "I think those things gave him the grit and grind." 

The original Deebo

Carter first met the Coogler family during his sophomore year at Saint Mary's high school. At the time, Carter led a summer track club that brought together the cream of the crop, and Coogler was high on his list. 

The early 2000s were a magical moment in the East Bay. NFL talents like Marshawn Lynch and Lorenzo Alexander came through, the latter of whom attended Saint Mary's with Coogler. 

"It was very tight, everybody knew each other… there were probably 50 to 75 cats in a four-year period that were going D1 for a multitude of schools," Alexander told CBS Sports. "You had to step up and have a certain mentality about you. Because when you walk into Oakland, everybody's gonna test you to see if you have a little something to you." 

In an East Bay landscape of big personalities, Ryan was reserved and thoughtful. Some at the time recognized that he had big ideas that he was still learning how to synthesize. But while he found his voice, Coogler let his play do the talking. 

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, he played bigger than his frame. And with future NFLers on the other side of the ball -- including multiple games trying to tackle Lynch -- he proved his grittiness. 

"He was more quick than fast, but he was very elusive," former Sacramento State coach Steven Mooshagian said. "He could make guys miss and turn a short gain into a long gain. He was very consistent… very crafty and creative in his route running." 

When he arrived at Saint Mary's college, Mason fought for him to play on the defensive side of the ball. Coogler played both ways at his small high school and projected well at defensive back. Ultimately, coach Vincent White opted to drop him at slot receiver. He was just a natural playmaker with elite hands and contact balance. 

"That dude was like Deebo Samuel, to be honest," Mason said. "I mean for that level of football with the ball in his hands, he was dangerous. I had a chance to coach against Deebo at South Carolina, and I saw how they used him -- in the backfield, in the slot, as a return guy. They always found different ways to get that dude the ball. I think he may have been a precursor at that level for what Deebo would do." 

Coogler played real snaps as a true freshman for the Gaels, a rarity at the time. The staff felt they had a star in the making. But only one year into his career, Saint Mary's decided to shutter its football program. Every player on the roster was offered the chance to stay at the school. But to play football, they'd have to move on. 

Finding himself at Sac State

Mooshagian remembers the call like it was yesterday. With the program dissolving, Saint Mary's coach Vincent White recommended that he take a close look at two of his players: Coogler and Brandon Smith, a defensive back who played for Carter at McClymonds. 

In the mid 2000s, the transfer portal didn't exist, so references were everything. White and Mooshagian crossed paths at Pittsburgh in the late 1990s, and that friendship out east led to Mooshagian piloting a golf cart on Coogler's visit nearly a decade later. 

"You knew he was different," Mooshagian said. "I knew he was different. And that he was going to be successful just because of the way he took care of business. For a kid that age, to be as organized and driven, but he didn't let it be known. His internal drive was something I always admired about him."

Coogler quickly became a contributor at Sacramento State, finishing second on the team with 28 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior, he led the team with 45 catches for 441 yards, including a breakaway 60-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Hurd against NAU, where he celebrated by running off the field and into the Hornets' hive inflatable. 

At Sacramento State, Coogler preferred to lead by example. He was popular among his teammates for his positive attitude, often staying late to help quarterbacks get more work in. But after receiving inspiration from a writing course at Saint Mary's, he started to find his voice through film. 

It was during this time that Coogler started to make lifelong friends, including linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo. The pair bonded and lived together as roommates for a year at an apartment complex behind Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, a few minutes from campus. 

Mulitalo also got a first-hand look at what Coogler could do as a filmmaker during his time as a student. Coogler was in charge of shooting a music video with Mulitalo and other friends. Despite the lighthearted nature that comes with working on a project with some of your closest acquaintances, Coogler was all business.

"You could just see his focus and shooting like a school project," Mulitalo said. "It was essentially a music video. The direction he was giving us while shooting the film (and) six guys messing around. We were joking, but he was serious."

Coogler missed the 2006 season with a hand injury, ultimately receiving a medical redshirt to return for his fifth year of eligibility. Right as he was about to return, he suffered another injury in 2007 -- a broken cheekbone while playing 7-on-7. 

After the second setback, he started to really think about life after football. 

On to Hollywood

Brett Shelton, a former defensive back at Sac State who was teammates with Coogler, can recall the moment that changed the direction of his professional career. During summer camp, Coogler informed Shelton that he had received a scholarship offer from USC to pursue his film career. 

It was a defining moment in his life that came during a time of uncertainty.

"You could tell he was nervous," Shelton said about that conversation."That was a big leap of faith for him. That was a time when I knew he was serious. I have never really seen him fail at much. We have setbacks, but the guy is a worker."

Of course, Coogler took USC up on its offer. He enrolled at the School of Cinematic Arts after graduating from Sac State. Almost immediately, Coogler was a filmmaking prodigy. Only two years after graduation, Coogler directed his first feature film, "Fruitvale Station," which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. From there, his star rose rapidly. 

"I think he's done an excellent job of not only telling his story but our story," Alexander said. 

During his ascent to fame, Coogler brought his football family with him. Former high school teammate Trestin George, now the coach at Saint Mary's high school, was cast by Coogler in "Fruitvale Station." Carter, donning a daishiki, was invited to an early preview of "Black Panther." Mulitalo has walked the red carpet with Coogler many times, including at the premiere of Sinners.

"To think, in almost 20 years, he really hasn't changed -- other than his bank account got bigger," Mooshagian said. 

Carter is set to lead his first season at Coogler's alma mater in 2026, a full-circle moment. When he walked into his office for the first time, he plopped down a "Black Panther" toy on his desk. Two decades later, he has only one regret. 

Coogler called Carter when he was making his first short film to ask if he could come through and play a small role in the movie. Carter was flattered but told Coogler that he had track practice and just wasn't able to make it, which Coogler fully understood. To this day, it gnaws at him. 

"It's just the proudest feeling ever, but also, man, you messed up that moment," Carter said. "You could have been in his first local movie, and you missed out! So Ryan, in your next movie, man, can I make up for it? Just let me be in the background reading the newspaper…. I'm begging for my cameo."