![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SUT-L-azfoot-0325-112.jpg\")
San Diego State\u2019s Stone Saunders works out during a practice on March 24, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nStone Saunders clapped his hands a moment too soon.<\/p>\n
Maybe that was to be expected.<\/p>\n
Saunders never saw the field last year as a freshman quarterback at Kentucky. He transferred to San Diego State looking for an opportunity, but his development was delayed by a broken collarbone suffered during the closing minutes in a season-opening blowout.<\/p>\n
Saunders spent the next month on the mend, waiting, watching, wondering.<\/p>\n
So, yeah, Saunders was a little eager to get going when he replaced injured starting quarterback Jayden Denegal midway through the second quarter last week against Fresno State.<\/p>\n
Saunders clapped his hands a moment too soon and center Isaac Lucas snapped the ball before in-motion tight end Kime Fangupo was clear. The ball bounced loose after hitting Fangupo in the arm, Fresno State recovered the fumble and the turnover turned into a touchdown.<\/p>\n
Returning to the sideline after the fumble, Saunders approached SDSU coach Sean Lewis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was 100% my fault,\u201d Saunders said. \u201c(Fangupo) was supposed to get to the other side. Anxiety might have gotten me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next time in the huddle, Saunders told his teammates, \u201cI\u2019ve got you guys. I won\u2019t do that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week at Colorado State (2-4, 0-2 Pac-12), Saunders is expected to make his first start for the Aztecs (3-4, 2-1). Denegal has been listed as questionable because of an ankle injury suffered against the Bulldogs, and Saunders has been taking first-team reps all week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get any more egregious or poor than it did on his first snap, and it was kind of water off a duck\u2019s back,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cYou don\u2019t know how guys are going to respond until you\u2019re in the foxhole with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was like, \u2018Coach, that was dumb.\u2019 I was like, \u2018Yeah, let\u2019s not do that again.\u2019 There was almost a humor to it, like, it\u2019s not going to get worse than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It got better.<\/p>\n
Saunders directed two fourth-quarter scoring drives in the Aztecs\u2019 26-23 victory.<\/p>\n
The quarterback credited Lewis and SDSU offensive coordinator\/quarterbacks coach Matt Johnson for his preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve worked with me and trained me ever since I got here,\u201d Saunders said after practice this week. They got me ready. I felt ready to go in. I knew the game plan going in. I never really felt nervous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guys were helping me out. The run game was super strong, so that was awesome to play behind. I\u2019ve always been composed. I don\u2019t ever get too high or too low. Obviously, I love to show emotion. I love to get fired up with the guys after we score and get on the sideline.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Diego State\u2019s Stone Saunders works out during a practice on March 24, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Saunders\u2019 numbers were modest against Fresno State. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 61 yards. But he was poised and composed, considering his collegiate game experience consisted of 16 plays at the end of SDSU\u2019s 53-20 win over Portland State.<\/p>\n
If the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Saunders seems more comfortable than most in the moment, it is because he has experienced the game at its highest level since childhood.<\/p>\n
His father, Steve Saunders, spent seven seasons as strength and conditioning coach for the Baltimore Ravens, beginning when Stone was 9 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up around it,\u201d said Saunders, 20, a redshirt freshman from Harrisburg, Pa. \u201cI was able to go into the Ravens\u2019 facilities. I remember during the season they would have Saturday walk-throughs and I was able to go in and play catch with the guys. In high school, I was able to get on Zoom calls with some of the offensive staff and they would watch film with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saunders got to train a few times with Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and throw to Ravens receivers. One of his most memorable moments was joining his father at the 2020 Pro Bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to throw to the D-line Pro Bowlers (during a drill),\u201d Saunders said. \u201cSo it was like TJ Watt and stuff. That was pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792715775_169_SUT-L-azfoot-1018-025.jpg\")
San Diego State quarterback Stone Saunders passes as Fresno State\u2019s Jahzon Jacks provides pressure at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Obviously, his father\u2019s connections brought those opportunities. His knowledge also came in handy when it came to training.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just done so much for me,\u201d said Saunders, whose father is now director of football sports performance at the University of Utah. \u201cObviously, he knows a lot about football. It\u2019s great having him in my corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saunders\u2019 experience has boosted his football IQ. He seems mature beyond his years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen guys get to the collegiate level and all they have experienced is recruiting trips, they haven\u2019t really been exposed to or immersed in it, the way a coach\u2019s kid has,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThings that might be a little bit jarring, the urgency and intensity of each day; for him, this is how it is. The standard is not new to him. I think that helps him acclimate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s kind of cool to be able to be around those guys and be, \u2018hey, this is normal.\u2019 He\u2019s had some pretty unique experiences to you and me, but that\u2019s just his childhood. So he\u2019s used to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Bishop](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SUT-L-azfoot-0106-01_ea0bf4.jpg\")
Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders slips away from the pass rush of Exeter\u2019s Joel Ummarino in the Crusaders\u2019 48-14 District 3 Class 5A final victory on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Elco High School. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Saunders had more than his share of big moments in high school.<\/p>\n
He was a four-star recruit coming out of Bishop McDevitt High School, where he set Pennsylvania state records for passing yards (13,719), touchdowns (204) and completions (781) over his four-year varsity career. The 204 career touchdown passes rank third all-time nationally.<\/p>\n
Saunders guided Bishop McDevitt to two state championships (2022 and 2024) as well as state runner-up (2021) and state semifinal (2023) finishes.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, Bishop McDevitt is the same high school that Johnson attended. Some of the passing records Saunders broke had belonged to Johnson.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threw the ball a lot more than I did, though; I want that on the record,\u201d Johnson joked during training camp. \u201cStone, to me, is a guy who has the arm to touch the entire field \u2026 He does a really good job of attacking his work off the field so that his feet are matching what he\u2019s seeing with his eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
What about Saunders\u2019 skill set will help him succeed when he\u2019s on the field?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the ability to get the ball to my playmakers,\u201d Saunders said. \u201cJust playing with the guys around me, making them great and having them make the plays for me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stone Saunders clapped his hands a moment too soon. Maybe that was to be expected. Saunders never saw…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[303,743,13733,195167,74,76,75,300,18952,182164],"class_list":["post-504811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-aztecs","tag-colorado-state","tag-jayden-denegal","tag-matt-johnson","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-state","tag-sean-lewis","tag-stone-saunders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}