San Diego State begins spring practice on Monday with more optimism in the air following a 9-4 season, but there are several starting positions and backup roles to be determined.
The roster is again populated with newcomers. And for the second straight year, there is a new coordinator on the defensive side of the ball; cornerbacks coach Demetrius Sumler was promoted to DC after Rob Aurich left for Nebraska.
“We’ve got to figure out who we are,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “We’ve got a great collection of talent … Roles will start being defined here in a quick, fast hurry.”
The Aztecs will work out 15 times over six weeks, culminating with the May 2 Spring Game, which will be held on campus at the SDSU practice fields.
Here are five things to watch:
1. The quarterbacks
There are only three quarterbacks listed on the spring roster — returning senior starter Jayden Denegal, Kentucky transfer Stone Saunders, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman walk-on Draiden Trudeau. Senior Bert Emanuel Jr. is moving to wide receiver (more on that in a moment) and freshman Brady Campbell doesn’t arrive until the summer.
Denegal, who missed the New Mexico Bowl after having surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder in mid-December, is supposed to be full-go in spring practice. He was less than 100% virtually the entire 2025 season after getting injured in the season opener against Stony Brook. Coaches are eager to see how Denegal looks and progresses now that he is healthy again.
“Jayden’s going to get a lot of reps, Stone’s going to get a lot of reps, ‘All-Day Drae’ is going to get some reps as well,” Lewis said. “The beauty of our style of play is there’s going to be a ton of reps to go around.
“I’m looking forward to them enhancing their best, to stretching their edges, to figure out what windows can we fit throws into to how do we develop relationship and timing with the new speed that is around them so that we can cultivate the details of our craft when it comes to the throw game and do that at a much higher level because that wasn’t to the standard of our performance.”
Denegal’s availability is critical to building rapport with the wide receivers corps, which includes transfers Justius Lowe (Oregon) and Marshel Sanders (College of the Sequoias). Returning starter Donovan Brown as well as Nathan Acevado, Will Cianfrini and Jaylon Hawkins will also get more acquainted with Denegal, who missed significant practice time during the season in order to be available for games.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on sophomore running back Javion Kinnard. Kinnard had more receptions (18) than rushes (12) last season while at Colorado State.
The receivers will get more reps than usual while returning starters Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick are limited while rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgeries.
San Diego State quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., center, runs down the field during the New Mexico Bowl game against North Texas at the University Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Jessica Baca / Albuquerque Journal)
2. Playmaker needs to play
Emanuel Jr. suggested the move to receiver during the offseason to give himself a better chance of getting on the field. A position switch benefited his father, Bert Emanuel Sr., who was a standout quarterback at Rice before playing eight years in the NFL at receiver.
Emanuel Jr. started at quarterback in the New Mexico Bowl, carrying 11 times for 170 yards. He had bursts up the middle for 72 and 69 yards, the longer run for one of Emanuel’s two rushing touchdowns. All that was in 1 1/2 quarters. A shoulder injury sidelined Emanuel Jr. midway through the second quarter.
“Bert’s doing a great job learning the wide receiver position,” Lewis said. “We’re excited to watch him for 15 practices embrace that role. We know what he’s capable of from the year he spent in our program as a quarterback.
“He’s another one of the offensive weapons that we talked about. We’ll be able to utilize his talents in a lot of different ways.”
Lewis said Emanuel will still get some snaps at QB in practice, but the focus will be on wide receiver.
“He runs fast. He’s physical,” Lewis said. “I have no idea about his ability to track a ball. We’ll find out. He’s played a lot of catch in his life as a quarterback, so that usually helps general hand-eye coordination. So we’ll see. It’s one of those exciting stories that we’ll figure out what it is. He will have all the opportunities in the world to make an impression.”
Safety Dalesean Staley (9) is one of the few returning starters on defense. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
3. Defensive changeover
SDSU must replace eight starters on defense. That includes five players who transferred — edges Trey White (Texas Tech) and Ryan Henderson (Texas A&M), linebacker Owen Chambliss (Nebraska) and safety Dwayne McDougle (Nebraska).
Starting cornerbacks Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips both graduated. SDSU’s top returning defender, linebacker Tano Letuli, will be out during the spring as he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery.
The Aztecs brought in a dozen transfers on defense, including edges Kai Wallin (Oregon State) and Nate Henrich (Gannon University) and linebacker Sione Hala (Weber State).
There was a big focus on the secondary, where the Aztecs lost four of five starters. Incoming transfers include cornerbacks Isaiah Green (Portland State) and Jason Oliver (Sacramento State) and safeties Solomon Davis (Oregon) and Jalen Thomeson (Ohio), who had a team-high 86 tackles for the Bobcats.
San Diego State’s Joe Borjon (78) moves to left tackle to replace the graduated Christian Jones (70). (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
4. Rebuilding the O-line
The offensive line gets a makeover, with new position coach Bill O’Boyle coming in after Mike Schmidt left for Kansas State.
Junior starter Joe Borjon moves from right tackle to left tackle. Senior guard Kalan Ellis is another returning starter, although he will be sidelined in the spring while he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
Senior backup Cam May, who has 11 starts in his college career, is bidding for a starting role. So are senior returner Dallas Fincher and sophomore returner Michael Watkins, among others.
Transfers who bear watching include the Luniewski twins, Charlton and Mercer, sophomores who transferred from Michigan State; senior Dennis Jones (Texas Southern); and junior Matthew Montgomery (Western Illinois).
Lewis said coaches are looking to identify “the five best offensive linemen out of the 19 scholarship linemen that we have, that we can work through as quickly and as urgently as possible to solidify who are the best five that can play together.” The Aztecs lost left tackle Christian Jones, center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli and right guard Bayo Kannike to graduation.
San Diego State’s Tashi Dorje has an opportunity to be the Aztecs’ new punter. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
5. New specialists
Kicker Gabe Plascencia and punter Hunter Green both have moved on. Plascencia has his sights set on playing in the NFL after setting a school record for field goal accuracy. Green transferred to Washington after ranking 19th in the nation with 47 yards a punt.
SDSU’s specialists have been special for the past decade, so there is pressure to perform for heir-apparent kicker Nick Clegg and punter Tashi Dorje, who were understudies last season.
Clegg did not appear in a game, but showed promise in practice. Dorje ranked third in the nation last season with a 50-yard punting average. Small sample size — three punts — but he, too, looked the part in practice. He must show consistency. Dorje nearly left, announcing he was entering the portal before changing his mind hours later when Green went to Washington.
Neither Clegg nor Dorje will just be given the jobs. There will be daily competition. Both have the inside track at their respective positions, however.
“The best kicker is going to play,” Lewis said. “Who gives us the best chance to win? Who is the most consistent? Who can we trust? That’s who is going to go out there.”