San Diego State defensive coordinator Rob Aurich is leaving The Mesa after accepting the defensive coordinator position at the University of Nebraska, while SDSU names Demetrius Sumler as the interim coordinator.
Aurich heads to Nebraska on a three-year deal, where he will join head coach Matt Rhule, who is entering his fourth season at the university. The Cornhuskers went (7-5) in 2025, having the number two-ranked passing defense, allowing 141.1 yards per game. Aurich was a nominee for the Broyles Award for the country’s best defensive coordinator.
At SDSU, Aurich led a drastic turnaround in 2025, with the Aztecs’ defense giving up 12.6 points per game, ranking fifth in the country in scoring defense and seventh in yards allowed per game. The Aztecs’ defense recorded three shutouts during the season, establishing itself as one of the most dominant units in college football.
“I’m very thankful for the work that Rob has done for the past two years. We’re in a better place because of the work that he did,” head coach Sean Lewis said in a press conference.
Attention now turns to the internal promotion of cornerbacks coach Demetrius Sumler to interim defensive coordinator. Sumler has been part of the program for seven years and now gets his shot at taking over the coordinator role full-time.
“I’m just excited, it’s something I’ve worked a long time for, I appreciate coach Lewis, Rob (Aurich) and even the past coordinators I’ve learned from,” Sumler said. “ I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity.”
Sumler will have the tag as interim when the Aztecs take on North Texas in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 27. The bowl game will be the best job interview Sumler could get to become the full-time coordinator, with head coach Sean Lewis saying that he’s received tons of interest for the position from outside the building.
“There’s extreme interest externally right now outside of the building because of where the program is at and where the program is going,” Lewis said. “I think we have great people inside the building as well.”
When Lewis was asked about how soon a permanent hire could be made, Lewis said, “We’ll see, I’ve done it enough to where I’ve learned, and I have the scars from doing it too quickly, so it’s more important to do it right than to do it right now.”
The team has complete confidence in what Sumler can do for them in its bowl game against North Texas, which comes in with the top-ranked offense in college football, averaging 504.3 yards per game.
“We’re extremely confident in him; he has a long tenured history in the school and remembers a lot of great defenses,” Owen Chambliss said. “ He knows the expectation and we know that he’s going to hold us to it and put us in the right position to make plays.”
