AZTEC FOOTBALL ON THE DOCKET – SCHEDULING AND RECRUITING UPDATES
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SUMMER UPDATES, SCHEDULES AND RECRUITING
San Diego State will officially head to the Pac 12 on July 1. Officials giddy heading into new relationship.
Schedule review includes current and future opponents.
Aztecs add local recruits from the class of 2027. Keeping local talent key to Coach Lewis’ keys to success.
The spring semester has wrapped up. Graduates have tossed their mortarboards and tassels as they embark on their next milestone. Athletics has finished with the spring sports all complete. That doesn’t mean anyone can rest on their laurels. On the heels of the spring game in May, Aztec coaches will be reviewing the portal for any players that can be added for immediate impact. First a look back at the spring scrimmage on May 2. All three Aztec quarterbacks saw playing time, leading the offense to scores. Returning senior Jayden Denegal and redshirt freshmen Kentucky transfer Stone Saunders and redshirt freshman Draiden Trudeau all got playing time. Highlights include Denegal connecting on a 40 yard pass to freshman Daishaun Davis,. He also showed some nifty moves keeping the offense alive. Trudeau entered the game on the fifth possession and led the offense on a 13-play, 67-yard drive highlighted by a one yard scoring run by returning running back Christian Washington. Saunders was up on the seventh drive and showed his talent finding Texas freshman Derek Stevenson for a 31-yard scoring toss on an 8-play, 60-yard drive. Saunders would wind up 12-19 passing for 144 yards with one pick. Senegal was 10/17 for 92 yards and Trudeau would finish 3-3 for 23 yards. Colorado State transfer sophomore Javion Kinnard led the rushing attack with 29 yards on eight carries. The wideouts were exciting and effective with Derek Stevenson account for 40 yards on three catches. Senior Donovan Brown added 36 yards on three grabs and Kinnard added 18 more yards with three catches. Kickers Cooper DiLeva and Lane Garner split duties and both connected on a field goal.
On the defensive side of the ball, Freshman linebacker Alijah Lash and redshirt freshman safety Kaimana Tufaga both had six tackles apiece to pace the Aztecs defense. Sophomore cornerback Mike Lindsay had five stops and two pass breakups. Junior safety Jelani McLaughlin and linebacker Javair Nash also added five tackles. Senior Edge Brady Nasser accounted for the only turnover when he intercepted a tip ball thrown by Stone Saunders. Of course too early to tell, but the players and coaches were all optimistic, as the Aztecs are looking to improve upon a 9-4 season in 2025. They were 6-2 in conference for a four-way tie atop the pack in their last year in the Mountain West Conference.
Looking ahead at the schedule and broadcast schedule for 2026, shows opportunities for the Aztecs to showcase their talent across a wide geographic arena. The schedule lines up as follows:
Saturday September 5 for a 6:30 kickoff at Snapdragon against Portland State on the USA Network. They follow that with a trip to Pasadena to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl on September 12. Kickoff is set for 4:15 on the Big Ten Network. The Aztecs return home the next weekend to face James Madison on the CW Network.The next game at Toledo against the Rockets is the last non-conference game. Times and networks are still to be announced but a national broadcast is expected. The Aztecs start off the new Pac-12 season with a home game on October 3 against new member Texas State at 7:30 on the CW. I must make a small comment on the Bobcats. My daughter attends Texas State and loves the campus, environment and student engagement. The campus is beautiful, perched on a hilltop overlooking the town as the San Marcos river runs through the campus. The Aztecs and their fans will certainly look forward to a return visit to San Marcos next season. The following weekend the Aztecs are on the road for a conference game against Oregon State at 3:00 on the USA Network. The following week they return for a rivalry game against Fresno State at 7:30. This will be on CBS Sports Network. The Aztecs and Bulldogs are the only California teams that will be in the Pac-12 Conference. The following week the Aztecs are on the road as they travel to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State with a 7:30 game on the CW. They are back on the road the next seek at Washington State for a 4:00 game on CBS Sports Network. November 7 is a bye week which is a bit late in the season, but before they host Utah State for a 6:30 kick off on the USA Network. They will then travel to Boise State for a 7:30 game on the USA Network. The final conference game is the new “flex opponent”. This is due to having only eight teams playing seven games against each other. The opponent is tentatively set as a road game against Fresno State with all networks to be announced. The hope is that these matchups will help the conference’s teams position themselves for a potential appearance in the revamped College Football Playoff system.
Latest recruiting features local high school players. Coach Lewis and staff have been busy, already receiving a dozen commitments from the Class of 2027 already. They are expecting a dozen more before the end of the month. Headlining are three local players who have already come to campus. These include La Costa Canyon tight end Diego Botron, Cathedral Catholic wide receiver Isaac Cook and San Diego High safety Kye Cooper. He is a 6’1” safety who made his decision on television with Boise State and UNLV also being considered. He is the son of former Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper who is also the new San Diego High Head Coach. Cooper was a second-team all-CIF defensive selection after accounting for 70 tackles. He also plays wide receiver, catching 64 passes for 897 yards and seven scores. He also returns kicks. He looks to have some outstanding potential as his future position might be up in the air. Cook was also a second-team all-CIF selection, catching 49 passes for 1,242 yards and 12 scores. He joins fellow Dons Lucky Sutton and Tano Letuli on the Aztec roster. Bortron is a tall and strong tight end prospect who also throws the shot put for the Mavericks.
The Aztecs also added several out of the area players including LIttleton Colorado Mountain Vista wide receiver Brooklyn Bailey, Anaheim Western athlete Ayden Payne and Herriman Utah edge Kemper Castro, One of the first recruits was Austin Texas Regent quarterback Jack Devine. If the Aztecs meet the 25 recruits by the end of the month, they will have accelerated their recruiting to be completed well before the season starts.
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