The first day of spring doesn’t officially arrive until March 20, but spring football gets started Monday for the San Diego State football team.
There’s no time to wait. Nearly half the roster again is populated with new faces. Starters need to be identified at most of the skill positions following last year’s 3-9 record.
The Aztecs will work out 15 times over six weeks, leading up to the AztecFAST Showcase on April 19 at Snapdragon Stadium.
Here are five things to watch:
1. Quarterback competition
There are three new players in SDSU’s quarterback room, though the competition for QB1 is expected to be between junior transfers Jayden Denegal (Michigan) and Bert Emanuel Jr. (Central Michigan).
The 6-foot-5 Denegal was a backup for the Wolverines the past three years. He starred at Apple Valley High School, throwing for more than 4,600 yards and 69 touchdowns (he also rushed for 14 TDs) before heading to college.
The 6-3 Emanuel, who hails from Houston, was sidetracked by injuries with the Chippewas. He was noted more for his running (145 carries, 844 yards, 12 TDs) than his ing (27 of 51, 439 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs).
For the second straight season, a true freshman will compete in the spring.
Last year, Danny O’Neil graduated early from Indiana’s Cathedral High School to be here for spring ball. He won the job in the summer, started throughout the season, then transferred to Wisconsin.
This year, SDSU welcomes freshman JP Mialovski, who graduated early from Long Beach’s Millikan High School, where he ed for 4,365 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career while rushing 99 times for 399 yards and nine TDs.
Junior returner Kyle Crum and junior walk-on Travis Throckmorton (Oregon State) round out the room.
2. The O-line
SDSU’s success could hinge on an offensive line that last year was inconsistent, in part because it was depleted by injuries and transfers.
The impact of injuries will still be evident during the spring, with starting left tackle Joe Borjon continuing his recovery from a surgically-repaired ACL.
A transfer from Arizona who was injured early in the 2024 season, Borjon is expected to be ready to go when the season begins. SDSU also welcomes back starters Christian Jones and Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli.
Practice observers will be most keen to get a glimpse of newcomers Mason “Yeti” Baker (American River College), Dallas Fincher (Michigan State), Bayo Kannike (Utah Tech) and Cam May (Howard).
Baker, Borjon, Jones and May give the Aztecs four O-linemen who stand 6-foot-8,
They still look up to 6-9 freshman Ashdon Wnetrzak, who graduated early from Chatsowrth’s Sierra Canyon High School to be here.
Another notable true freshman is La Jolla High’s Jett Thomas.
3. Judgment to rush
Running back Marquez Cooper had nearly 75% of the Aztecs’ carries last season.
Cooper’s departure means the Aztecs will be searching for someone else who can take the ball and run with it.
Senior Cam Davis (14 carries, 76 yards) and junior Lucky Sutton (5 carries, 35 yards) are the top returning candidates.
“I like the physical development of Cam and Lucky and where they’re at,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said.
New to the competition is Coastal Carolina transfer Christian Washington. A San Diego native and Helix High School graduate, Washington rushed for 537 yards and five touchdowns for the Chanticleers following two seasons at New Mexico.
The backfield also includes redshirt freshman Cincere Rhaney, who missed last season after tearing an ACL in summer workouts and may need until this summer before he is at full strength.
4. Looking for playmakers
Explosive plays, runs of at least 15 yards and receptions of at least 20 yards, were fewer and farther between than one would desire, leading Lewis this spring to send out a search party “to find out who our impactful playmakers are.”
“Offensively, we did not have near the number of explosive plays that we need to win consistently,” Lewis said. “When you really take the dive into the season and do the autopsy of everything that happened, our three-and-out rate wasn’t crazy bad, but one thing that was glaring was the lack of explosive plays.
“And how do we as a staff do a much better job of creating the space to get those players In those positions to have that.”
The biggest question is who will catch es.
Sophomore Jordan Napier (43 catches, 440 yards, 4 TDs) had a breakout season last year — including six games with a reception of at least 29 yards — but he is the only returner among SDSU’s top eight -catchers from 2024.
The most notable newcomer is senior Miles Kitt-Denton, who had 25 catches for 453 yards and five touchdowns last season at Northwestern State (La.).
Texas A&M junior transfer wide receiver Jacob Bostick also bears watching.
5. Defense under new direction
SDSU returns eight starters on defense as well as a handful of backups, so there’s plenty of experience in the 4-2-5 scheme that was introduced last season.
The Aztecs have a new defensive coordinator: edge rushers coach Rob Aurich was promoted to replace Eric Schmidt, who left to become head coach at North Dakota.
How will Aurich’s imprint be different on the defense? That remains to be seen. Last year, SDSU ranked 99th in the nation in points allowed per game (29.6) and 115th in total yards allowed per game (421.3). Not good.
“We’ve got work to do.” Aurich said shortly after being named DC. “We feel that we underachieved. I think there’s some things we can do to put ourselves in situations where the defense can perform at an elite level, and I think we can be good really quickly.”
Aurich assured that when fans watch the Aztecs’ defense this season, there will be three things that stick out: “They know what to do. They know how to get there. And they finish with violence.”
