SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State football team held their second practice of the 2026 fall camp on Thursday at the on-campus facility.<\/p>\n
The practice ran for roughly two hours under clear skies with temperatures in the upper-70s to mid-80s. The Aztecs saw action on both the turf field and the grass field in helmets and \u201cspider pads\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prior to taking the field, the team held special teams and position group meetings inside the Fowler Athletic Center. SDSU\u2019s on-field practice was nearly identical to yesterday\u2019s opening practice. The team started the morning with various warm-up and stretching routines before kicking off practice with special team\u2019s drills. Other activities on the turf included position drills, ball security and tempo reps. Once the team transitioned to the grass field, they focused on tempo 1-on-1s, tempo skelly, 1-on-1 skelly and team tempo.<\/p>\n
One of the most exciting storylines of the 2026 offseason has been the improved health and overall development of returning, starting quarterback Jayden Denegal<\/a>. Along with the additions of transfer Stone Saunders<\/a> and freshman Brady Campbell<\/a>, as well as the return of redshirt freshman Draiden Trudeau<\/a>, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Johnson<\/a> spoke highly of his position room.<\/p>\n \u201cSo obviously, JD [Jayden Denegal<\/a>] brings back a ton of leadership for the offense. Obviously, he brings back the experience, which is really good. But the biggest thing for me is he’s bringing back that level of maturity in the offense of a guy who’s gone through this system before. Stone [Saunders] to me is a guy that has the arm talent to be able to touch the entire field. That is always something that we need to have in the quarterback room, and I think 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. Dre [Draiden Trudeau<\/a>], is a very good athlete. He’s the athlete of the group. I mean, he does a great job. Energy, juice, Dre is pretty much the glue in that room. And then Brady [Campbell], again, it’s really early for him right now. His job is to be present and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n During last season\u2019s fall camp, the Aztecs underwent a position battle between Denegal and Bert Emanuel Jr.<\/a> with Denegal emerging as the program\u2019s starting quarterback for the 2025 season. With Denegal back for his second year on The Mesa SDSU returns over 1,800 passing yards from last year\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n When asked about the benefits of working with an incumbent starter Johnson said, \u201cI mean, it’s the first time for me personally in four years I’ve had a returning, starting quarterback. So that is naturally different. You’re naturally having higher level conversations between myself and Jayden. But even with Stone, with him being able to early enroll, be here for the spring, he’s gotten countless reps in the spring that we’re able to add onto, so it’s not like we’re starting at a base ground level. The conversations are a lot more in depth, which is really good. It doesn’t feel like we’re having the same conversations over and over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n Denegal, a senior from Apple Valley, California, came to SDSU after three years at Michigan, serving as the backup quarterback in the Wolverines\u2019 National Championship season in 2023. Denegal completed 143-of-243 passing attempts for 1,807 yards and nine touchdowns while starting 12 games for the Aztecs last season. He also added 109 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Despite playing through injury, Denegal still managed to help lead SDSU to a 9-4 record. His 15-for-18 passing performance for 186 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions against Cal, led the Aztecs to their first victory over a “Power 5” opponent since 2021. His passer rating of 256.9 against Colorado State was the highest from a San Diego State quarterback since Jalen Mayden<\/a> in 2022 and he posted a career best two rushing touchdowns in the Aztecs win over Boise State. It was the program\u2019s first victory over the Broncos since the 2021 season.<\/p>\n Denegal spoke about the growth of the offense and his expectations for the unit with a year of experience under his belt saying, \u201cI want to be a more efficient passer. I definitely was struggling with passing because I had problems with both shoulders, and so with my throwing shoulder being better, and then my left shoulder being better, knowing I can take some hits I can play a little more aggressive. We’re going to incorporate the tempo more. I feel like we kind of slacked with that a little bit last year. We want to be playing faster and playing with more explosive plays. Not as many three and outs. We want to get that first down and get rolling and have some explosive plays.\u201d<\/p>\n Alongside Denegal\u2019s health, San Diego State will also have a chance to look forward to the return of two of their premier receiving weapons in Jacob Bostick<\/a> and Jordan Napier<\/a>. Bostick missed the final seven games of the season while Napier missed the last three. Despite their injuries the duo combined for 59 receptions, 786 yards and five touchdowns through the air in 2025.<\/p>\n When asked about the return of two of his top weapons Denegal said, \u201cI think that’s what the whole fall camp is about. You know, me and Bostick, I’m going to keep coming to him. Napier is coming back from his injuries, so I’m going to keep coming to him. Donovan Brown<\/a>, like all my guys, we’re going to continue to keep building that chemistry like we’ve been doing all summer and into fall camps. Now it’s just in the pads live against the defense and everything like that. So, I think throughout camp our chemistry is going to continue to go up, but I’m super excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Newcomer Stone Saunders<\/a> will begin his first season in San Diego after having transferred from Kentucky. While he did not see game action for the Wildcats, Saunders owns an impressive high school resume where he attended Bishop McDevitt, the same school as offensive coordinator Matt Johnson<\/a>. Saunders is a two-time Pennsylvania state champion who boasts impressive high school statistics including 13,719 yards, 781 completions and 204 touchdowns during his prep career.<\/p>\n Saunders said he embraces learning from Johnson and Denegal with his focus being on his development as a quarterback.<\/p>\n \u201cI am just following with Matty J [Matt Johnson<\/a>], meeting with him, getting right, knowing what I’m supposed to do week in, week out, and then just being next to JD [Jayden Denegal<\/a>], and just be ready to go. Jayden is the veteran, he knows what he’s supposed to do. He knows the answers to the questions. He’s good at leading the team. Guys listen to him. So he’s a great guy to learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aztecs will return to the field Friday morning for the third practice of the 2026 fall camp. The first game of the season will be a home matchup against the Vikings of Portland State on Saturday, September 5. SDSU\u2019s home slate also includes a non-conference game on Sept. 19 against James Madison (7 p.m. PT), and Pac-12 home matchups with Texas State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Fresno State (Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Washington State (Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. PT) and Utah State (Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. PT).<\/p>\n Fall Camp Recaps<\/p>\n 8\/5\/2026 Fall Practice Recap<\/a><\/p>\n First Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium Info Ticket Information Family 4-Packs
The San Diego State football team will play host to the \u201cFirst Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium\u201d on Aug. 15. Admission and parking are free at the event, but\u00a0fans must claim tickets<\/a>. The Aztecs will begin scrimmaging at 5:30 p.m. PT with the gates opening at 4:30 p.m. Limited concessions will be available. There will be giveaways throughout the scrimmage, including unique Aztec apparel and more. Following the scrimmage will be an autograph session. Fans will also have the chance to participate in their own Behind the Fandom video, similar to the Behind the Helmet series currently featured on GoAztecs.com. See\u00a0Episode 1<\/a>,\u00a0Ep. 2<\/a>,\u00a0Ep. 3<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ep. 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Season Tickets<\/a>
Season tickets remain the best value for Aztec football at Snapdragon Stadium. Season ticket pricing has been lowered across the board to make tickets more affordable and accessible for the loyal fans and community. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets through San Diego State, which start as low as $175 ($150 plus $25 Aztec Club Membership), only $29.17 per game. This shift supports SDSU\u2019s focus on strengthening local connections and building a gameday atmosphere worthy of the program\u2019s next chapter.\u00a0PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS<\/a><\/p>\n
The four tickets can be purchased for $76 (plus fees), which includes parking (a combined $125 value). Additional seats can also be purchased for $20 apiece (plus fees). The four available games at Snapdragon Stadium include the\u00a0Sept. 5 opener against Portland State<\/a>\u00a0at 6:30 p.m. PT, the\u00a0Sept. 19 game vs. James Madison<\/a>\u00a0at 7 p.m. PT, SDSU\u2019s inaugural Pac-12 game on\u00a0Oct. 3 against Texas State<\/a>\u00a0at 7:30 p.m. PT and the final home game of the season on\u00a0Nov. 14 vs. Utah State<\/a>\u00a0at 6:30 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n