For decades, San Diego State’s spring football practice culminated with its spring game, an intrasquad scrimmage that whet the appetites of fans for the season to come.
That changed last year as the Sean Lewis era debuted, with drills and skills on display as much as scrimmaging in what was dubbed the AztecFAST Showcase.
This year’s showcase, scheduled for April 19 at Snapdragon Stadium, evolves once again.
“Think NFL Pro Bowl skills competition (rather) than an actual practice,” Lewis said.
SDSU’s roster will be divided into 14 teams competing against each other in a round-robin skills tournament. Events will tentatively include games of dodgeball, tic-tac-toe, a relay race, punt/catch, move the mountain and quarterback accuracy.
Each event will be worth one point. of the team accumulating the most points will enjoy a steak dinner while their teammates eat hot dogs.
After the games, the Aztecs will have a half-hour 7-on-7 session.
The event also will include an autograph session.
“It’s going to be a day where our guys get to show off their athleticism in a lot of different ways,” said Lewis, adding, “It’s going to be a great opportunity for our fans to get to know each and every player on our team a little bit better.
“Get some autographs. We’re going to do some raffles. They’re going to be able to be a part of it. Do some relay races with our guys. Catch some punts. Really make it a memorable experience for some young ones who, hopefully, grow up to be lifetime Aztec fans.”
Lewis said there was a time where the spring game was regarded as the last opportunity for coaches to get a good glimpse of players until they returned months later for training camp.
That’s no longer the case, and it has many programs re-evaluating what they want out of a spring game.
“Our guys are going to take finals (in May),” Lewis said, “they’re going to get a couple of weeks off and we’re going to get close to nine weeks with them over the summer, where we get access on the field as well.
“It’s this fine line of balancing what we need relative to where we are and, again, protecting our toys, protecting our people (from injuries), so that we can keep the long game in mind.”
More and more programs have gone away from spring games, with some coaches saying they don’t want to provide scouting opportunities for other schools to potentially poach players. After all, the NCAA transfer portal is open for a spring window, April 16-25, giving players another chance to change schools.
Lewis said losing players to the portal didn’t influence his decision on the spring showcase format.
“No,” he said. “I know that we’ve got talented guys and they’ve all got film that’s out there on (Pro Football Focus) that all their college scouting departments have access to, so that’s not top of mind for it.”
Progress report
The Aztecs returned to the practice field Tuesday morning following a week off for spring break. It was the 10th of 15 spring workouts. Lewis said there was a little rust to remove after a week away, but he is pleased overall with the team’s progress.
“I feel really good about where we’re at,” Lewis said. “We’re not even close to being game ready right now, but I feel like we’re much further along this year right now with this team than we were a year ago.
“I think that really speaks to the continuity and consistency of the players that have been around that have a better understanding of what we’re asking for and what the standards and expectations are day in and day out. I really like where we are, but we’re not even close to where we need to be. There’s a sense of urgency to get better with each and every single moment.”
• Senior transfer offensive lineman Bayo Kannike (Utah Tech) continues to stand out.
“I’ve referenced Bayo at the right tackle spot,” Lewis said. “But, man, when he gets tired, he’s got some mental lapses.”
One of those lapses led to a false start penalty during practice. It’s something to clean up, but Kannike appears otherwise to have earned himself a starting spot.
• Lewis said junior transfer running back Christian Washington (Coastal Carolina/Helix High School) is really starting to turn a corner.
“Publicly, I’ll give him a little bit of love for the first time,” Lewis said. “He’s back healthy. He’s doing a good job. He’s settling in to the scheme and I think he and Lucky (Sutton) have been really doing a nice job.”
Lewis said Washington’s challenge has been to “do simple better. He’s been doing simple things that are required of a member of our team much better, consistently, over the long haul.”
• At this point, Washington, Sutton and senior Cam Davis will share the carries. Could one of them become the workhorse, similar to Marquez Cooper last season?
“If one of those emerge, we’ll go that way,” Lewis said. “But we’ve got a stable of backs that’s really, really talented. It’s like a spice rack with this crew. Between Cam, Christian and Lucky, they all do a little bit something different. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, but I think they all complement each other really, really well. Situationally, I think we’ll use them in a lot of different ways.”
Who’s No. 1?
With the NFL draft coming up at the end of the month, SDSU sophomore wide receiver Jordan Napier was asked if Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter should be the first player selected.
“No doubt, he should be the No. 1 pick in the draft,” Napier said. “Nobody else is doing what he does. So, why not? If somebody’s saying he shouldn’t be, it’s just hate, to be honest. We haven’t seen anybody go play offense and defense and really be dominant at both. To get a game-winning touchdown (reception), then saving a game on defense. Nobody’s doing that.”
Asked if he would like to go both ways, Napier said, “No doubt. If they allowed me to play defense, I’d play defense, for sure. If they gave me a package at safety, that’d be great.”
