San Diego State has opened each of the past eight seasons with a different starting quarterback.

That changes this season when senior Jayden Denegal returns behind center. SDSU’s quarterbacks room also includes redshirt freshmen Stone Saunders and Draiden Trudeau and true freshman Brady Campbell.

“For the first time for me, personally, in four years I have a returning quarterback,” SDSU’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coachMatt Johnson said with a smile after Thursday morning’s practice. “That is naturally different. You’re naturally having a higher level of conversations with me and Jayden.

“Even with Stone, with him being able to early enroll to be here in the spring, through the portal, he’s gotten countless reps through the spring that we’re able to add onto, so it’s not like we’re starting at a base ground level.”

Johnson said conversations among QBs room are much more in depth, at least for the veterans. Campbell’s head may be about to explode with all the information thrown at him since coming to campus over the summer.

“For him, it’s like drinking out of a firehose,” Johnson said. “He’s doing a good job of attacking what he can. All his reps right now are 100% mental in the classroom. He’s doing what he can, but there’s no way around it, it’s going to be fast. It’s going to be spinning.”

Our summer series previewing SDSU’s position groups begins with a look at the QBs:

Jayden Denegal started all 12 regular season games in 2025. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)Jayden Denegal started all 12 regular season games in 2025. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Jayden Denegal, 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Sr., Apple Valley

Notable: Transferred to SDSU last year after three years at Michigan, where he was a backup on the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship team. He started all 12 regular-season games for the Aztecs, passing for 1,807 yards and 9 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.

Denegal missed the New Mexico Bowl following surgery to repair his left (non-throwing) shoulder, which was injured in the season opener.

Johnson on Denegal: “JD brings back a ton of leadership for the offense. Obviously, he brings back the experience, which is really good. But the biggest thing is he’s bringing back that level of maturity in the offense of a guy who has gone through this system.”

Stone Saunders was a four-star high school recruit out of Pennsylvania. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)Stone Saunders was a four-star high school recruit out of Pennsylvania. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Stone Saunders, 6-1, 222, R-Fr., Harrisburg, Penn.

Notable: Transferred to SDSU from Kentucky, where he first attended as a four-star recruit out of Pennsylvania’s Bishop McDevitt High School.

He set state records for passing yards (13,719), touchdowns (204) and completions (781) over his four-year varsity career. He guided Bishop McDevitt to two state championships (2024 and 2022) as well as state runner-up (2021) and state semifinals (2023).

Johnson on Saunders: “Stone is a guy who has the arm to be able to touch the entire field, something that we need to have in the quarterback room. He does a really good job of attacking his work off the field so that his feet are matching what he’s seeing with his eyes.”

Draiden Trudeau prepped just up the road at Mission Viejo High School. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)Draiden Trudeau prepped just up the road at Mission Viejo High School. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Draiden Trudeau: 6-0, 190, R-Fr., Mission Viejo

Notable: Walk-on from Mission Viejo High School who returns after redshirting last season. Passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns during his prep career, highlighted by a 13-3 junior season.

Johnson on Trudeau: “Very good athlete. He’s more the athlete of the group. I said that just for JD, just to piss him off. No, he does a great job with energy, juice. He’s pretty much the glue in that (QB) room.”

Brady Campbell is the newest member of the SDSU quarterbacks room. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)Brady Campbell is the newest member of the SDSU quarterbacks room. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Brady Campbell, 6-3, 190, Fr., Bakersfield

Notable: Comes from Bakersfield Frontier High School, where he passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 38 touchdowns during his prep career.

Johnson on Campbell: “It’s really early for him. Right now his job is to sit there and learn.”

While SDSU coach Sean Lewis has become accustomed to having a competition at the position before naming a starter, Denegal is the unquestioned QB1.

“Our staff does a really good job at finding guys that are intrinsically motivated,” said Lewis, dismissing the notion an open position breeds competition. “As we sit here today, yeah, ‘Dene’ is our starting quarterback. Dene knows that he needs to continue to be the guy who positions our team in the best spot to stack wins.”