With 2024 behind them, the San Diego State football team is kicking off a new season this Thursday with new hopes, a new quarterback and a key returning player.
Last season started with optimism as Sean Lewis stepped in as coach, but veered into disappointment. As ESPN summed up: “Bad stuff.”
But there’s reasons for a better outlook as the Aztecs open the 2025 season at 7 p.m. Thursday. They host the Stony Brook University Seawolves, an FCS team that is part of the Coastal Athletic Association, at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley.
The game will be broadcast live on KUSI and streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Stony Brook, part of a conference filled mostly with East Coast schools, is coming off an 8-4 record and is playing its first game against SDSU.
It’s also a landmark year with San Diego State set to depart the Mountain West, along with Boise State, Fresno State and Utah State, for the reconstituted Pac-12 next season. Boise State dominated the preseason poll, and is projected to win the MW, with SDSU all the way back at eighth.
But for the Aztecs, the opener is still their first chance to erase the bad memories of 2024. The season started with much hype and hope thanks to Lewis’ arrival. But the Aztecs stumbled to a 3-9 record, which forced them out of contention for a spot in a bowl game.
On Thursday night, most fans in Mission Valley will have their eyes focused on Aztec Jayden Denegal, who was named starting quarterback. He will be making his first career start.
“Jayden’s done an unbelievable job coming in since day one, working, earning the respect of the team,” said Lewis, in tapping Denegal earlier this month.
Denegal transferred from Michigan, where he played three seasons and was the backup quarterback to J.J. McCarthy during the Wolverines’ national championship season in 2023. He appeared in seven games at Michigan, completing 4 of 5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing four times for 10 yards.
Lewis said Denegal’s leadership impressed his teammates and helped him win the job.
“Every day, he was the same person, the way that he showed up, the way that he approached his work,” said Lewis. “I was very impressed from day one when he came in, just about how he put his head down and went to work. He didn’t do it in a boastful way, but by doing it in that way and in the same manner, he earned the respect of his teammates and became a part of the locker room.”
He added: “And then ultimately, there was probably a pivot that occurred the tail end of spring and throughout the course of the summer where just getting feedback from the guys on the team that the leadership that Jayden had exhibited and the way that he showed up from day one and all the way through this third quarter of camp.”
Denegal is a Californian who threw for more than 4,600 yards during his prep career at Apple Valley High School. He had 24 touchdowns in his senior year.
“I love Coach Lewis and his offense and his mindset, everything that we talked about when I was in the portal,” said Denegal. “So, it was different, it was a new experience for me. Getting in the portal, coming from Michigan back home to California, but I love my decision and I’m very happy that I came home.”
Denegal will be joined on the roster by a key returning player, Mountain West preseason defensive player of the year Trey White.
White had 60 tackles last year, including 40 solo, 18.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. His 12.5 sacks were tied for the third most in SDSU single-season history and tied him for fifth place in FBS football last year.
For Lewis, it all adds up to expectations for a better season.
“I’m really pleased with the effort we had in fall camp,” Lewis said. “We wanted to start fast and thought we did that this camp. We were much further along this year compared to last (year.)”
