Spring football arrives Monday on The Mesa, but for San Diego State, the real work is just beginning.
“It’s a really cool time on The Mesa,” head coach Sean Lewis said Tuesday morning. “We are less than a week out before we can get back out on the field and do some practice with Spring Ball starting.”
The timing matters.
SDSU is coming off a 9-4 turnaround season, but nearly half the roster has turned over. Key contributors on defense are gone, new transfers have arrived and the program enters its first season in a reimagined Pac-12 with more questions than answers.
For Lewis, that makes spring less about installation and more about discovering who will step up in a starting position.
“Just so I can get a mindset to build the team,” Lewis said. “We got a great collection of talent, so now as we turn the page … now the rubber meets the road in terms of building the team, and guys are earning their role.”
A roster in transition
Few areas were hit harder than the defense.
Edge rushers Trey White and Ryan Henderson are gone, linebacker Owen Chambliss also left in the portal and both starting cornerbacks, Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips, departed for NFL opportunities.
Replacing that production won’t happen overnight and Lewis isn’t pretending it will.
“It’s going to be a day-by-day process that has started way back in January,” Lewis said. “There’ll be some unknown commodities … no one knew what Trey White was capable of until we put him in those positions.”
Nearly every position group enters spring unsettled, from the pass rush to the secondary to the crowded offensive line room.
“Who are the five best offensive linemen … that can play together?” Lewis said. “Who’s going to step up in the linebacker role? … both those corners are going to be brand new.”
Wide receivers Jacob Bostick and Jordan Napier will still be recovering from their own injuries and won’t be ready by the time spring practices get underway. Donovan Brown, who proved to be a reliable deep threat late in the year, will be someone who’ll be looked at more during camp.
“One of the most consistent guys that we had,” Lewis said. “He was able to weather the storm and start all 13 games for us as we went through and so he’ll continue to grow. There’s lots of room for development and his detail to his craft, his overall competitive maturity, as he continues to step into the role that we need him to be, to be a consistent force.”
Quarterbacks: reps, competition and growth
If there is one area with relative continuity, it’s at quarterback.
Senior Jayden Denegal returns as the incumbent starter after battling through an injury last season. But with Kentucky transfer Stone Saunders and Draiden Trudeau in the mix, the competition is far from settled.
“Jayden is going to get a lot of reps. Stone’s going to get a lot of reps … Dre is going to get some reps as well,” Lewis said.
In Lewis’s system, volume is built into development.
“There’s a ton of reps to go around,” he said. “There’s going to be a great body of work that everyone’s going to be able to learn and grow from.”
Health and consistency are the priorities for Denegal.
“Significantly, he’ll be healthy, and we got to keep him healthy,” Lewis said. “The more you get to do it, the better you’re going to get at it.”
But beyond the depth chart, Lewis is focused on elevating the passing game after an inconsistent 2025.
“How do we develop relationships and timing with the new speed that is around them?” he said, “So that we can cultivate the details of our craft … because that wasn’t to the standard of our performance.”
A loaded backfield — with one ball
While questions remain across the roster, running back might be SDSU’s deepest and most intriguing position group.
Returning Doak Walker semifinalist Lucky Sutton headlines the room, joined by Christian Washington and Colorado State transfer Javion “Chop” Kinnard.
“Prioritizing the retention of Lucky was huge,” Lewis said. “You just don’t have numerous Doak Walker semifinalists just floating around.”
Kinnard, in particular, left an impression before ever arriving on campus.
“As we prepped for Colorado State, I was telling our staff, don’t let him touch the ball,” Lewis said.
But with that depth comes a challenge.
“There’s only one football to go around,” Lewis said. “So earn your role, own your role.”
If there is one word that defines SDSU entering spring, it’s urgency.
“We’re under 175 days until we kick off the season,” Lewis said. “How are we going to invest this time?”
The evaluation process will be constant.
“Who’s going to consistently show up each and every single day?” Lewis said. “Who’s going to learn from previous mistakes … and take ownership of the roles that they want to earn?”
Because of all the unknowns, one thing is certain: jobs are available.
“Roles will start being defined here quick,” Lewis said. “Can’t help myself.”
Spring ball won’t answer every question. It never does.
But for a program entering a new conference, with a reshaped roster and rising expectations, it will set the tone.
Or as Lewis put it:
“Put the ball down. Let’s go play.”
