San Diego State’s AztecFAST Showcase gave little indication of what to expect during the 2025 season.
Rather than a scrimmage to wrap up spring practice, as has been common for decades, the Aztecs played games like dodgeball and tic-tac-toe and had relay races, throwing accuracy and punt catching competitions.
They ended the event with a half hour of 7-on-7, although several players weren’t at their usual positions, even switching sides of the ball. It included defensive backs at quarterback and a quarterback at cornerback.
There wasn’t much to glean for those wondering about starting spots in general and the state of the starting quarterback competition in particular.
Then again, the F In SDSU’s F.A.S.T. acronym stands for fun. And, with the season opener against Stony Brook nearly 4 1/2 months away, that was the operative word Saturday afternoon at Snapdragon Stadium.
“Fun day,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis began following the last of 15 spring workouts. “Great spring. … I’m really pleased with the elite effort of the guys and connection of the team. I think that really showed through today.”
Junior Kyle Crum, SDSU’s third-string quarterback, was all smiles after being declared “MVP” after picking off a pair of es on defense during the 7-on-7.
“Coach says all the time our practices are for us, and today is for the community,” Crum said. “It’s really to put on a show, let everybody have a little fun, get excited about the season.
“I think we got our work in our first 14 practices. It was just cool to come out today and have a little fun.”
Though Crum had himself a day, senior cornerback Chris Johnson’s job is probably safe. Johnson, a key returning starter, has been among the standouts in the spring.
“I felt like it kind of signified the work we put in through the spring,” Johnson said of the showcase. “This last day, just make it a really fun day for the guys. Throughout the spring we had our own (five or six) scrimmages, so it wasn’t really necessary to come all the way here and just have another one. … It’s kind of refreshing and a reward for all the hard work we put in.”
An estimated 1,000 people gathered at Snapdragon on a pleasant afternoon. It was about one-third the turnout for last year’s showcase, when fans were eager to get their first glimpse of Lewis’ new AztecFAST offense. The new format didn’t sit well with some hardcore Aztecs football fans. Several on chatboards and social media said they would skip the proceedings.
“I would like a good explanation for not doing a true spring game,” one fan, Rebar619, tweeted in the midst of the event. “I am pretty open-minded, but elementary school games just doesn’t cut it. If (AD John David Wicker) wants to get season ticket holders, this is not going to help. It’s hard to take the program serious with this nonsense.”
The spring game is traditionally an opportunity for fans to get a glimpse at emerging players or check in on the competition for a new starting quarterback.
Lewis was asked what he would say to those who hold to tradition, a scrimmage where they could actually get a gauge on the team, and were disappointed they didn’t get to see something similar to past years.
“We used to allow people to smoke on planes as well,” Lewis said, “And then time evolved, and we did things differently for the health and safety of everyone. It’s my responsibility to care for the health and safety of our team.
“As this has become a year-round endeavor, we’ve got multiple touch points with the guys to go through our installations and iterations of teaching and learning and winter conditioning.
“We mapped out what we needed to get done this spring. As we went through the spring work, I’m really, really pleased with where we’re at. We’re healthy to this point, so we made the call that we did.”
Lewis said he understood that some fans would be disappointed with the decision.
“But just because we’ve always done something,” Lewis said, “I don’t think that’s a good reason to continue to do it. You need to innovate. You need to continue to evolve.”
He said new players will make a “splash” and the returners who have “unfinished business” will be impactful. All in good time.
“I’m excited about the product and the team and the connection and the bond and the brotherhood and the product we’re going to put on the field in August,” Lewis said. “And that’s what’s most important for the fall.
“The guys know and understand the why behind everything that we do. As long as they understand the why and they believe in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, those are the opinions that I care most about.
“I know our fans care most about winning in the fall, so that’s the work that we’re doing. I made the decision to do what we did today to set us up for the best success in the fall.”
The players were distributed among 14 “boat” teams, in the same groups of six that have been together since winter conditioning began in mid-January. Players from different position groups and both sides of the ball have been intentionally placed together to get them away from their position-group bubbles and build bonds.
Some of the most spirited competition came during dodgeball.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Tayten Beyer had a ball bounce up off his right knee while he was falling backwards, then lunged forward to snatch the ball out of the air and end the game. Beyer threw the ball high into the air as teammates on The Great Mattsbys, offensive coordinator Matt Johnson’s team, celebrated around him.
Lewis jumped into a dodgeball game at one point. When the coach tried to nail wide receiver Brian Pierce, the senior did a backflip to evade the throw. Moments later, cornerback Bryce Phillips sent Lewis to the sidelines with a throw off the legs.
The No Sutton Movements team, coached by defensive analyst Tyler Sutton, finished first in the competition, winning all six games played.
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” starting left tackle Christian Jones said.
Jones, as a member of the winning team, will be enjoying steak at a future team meal while everyone else eats hot dogs.
