Hindsight is 20/20.

Looking back at SDSU’s 2024 season, hopes of a winning campaign ended when head coach Sean Lewis named true freshman Danny O’Neil the team’s starting quarterback in August. 

O’Neil cannot be blamed for a defense that could not stop the run, a lack of quality depth on the offensive line, the plethora of penalties throughout the season, or most of SDSU’s other struggles. A quarterback’s central place in modern football, however, meant he was the only one who could have overcome the Aztecs’ issues and turn them into winners. 

“When (Lewis and I) were at Kent State together, we had a fifth-year quarterback,” Marquez Cooper explained postgame Saturday when asked how SDSU’s pace of play compared to KSU’s. “He was very old. He was part of the program for a long time. He was able to learn and grow and develop. We have a true freshman quarterback. It’s hard to have tempo and understand where everything is going on with someone that’s just understanding the scheme and just being introduced.”

That O’Neil could not rescue SDSU should not be held against him. Few athletes less than a year removed from high school could. The blame for the Aztecs’ poor 2024 season resides with their head coach. 

“Yes, I believe so,” Lewis replied when asked if selecting O’Neil was the right decision. “It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback and look back at it when you know the results at the end of the year. But, I feel like everything that went into it and the way those guys competed, Danny separated himself. I don’t put (the losses) on Danny’s plate. It starts with me and everything we did in all three phases. It’s the ultimate team game.”

The Red and Black’s leader insisted this week that loyalty to winning motivated his choices this year. Since his personnel decisions only led to three victories, he has created doubt about his ability to build a team. Only a bowl game appearance in 2025 will change that.

Lewis proved convention correct when he surrounded a true freshman signal caller with nine other new starters. There is a reason that is not the norm in college; it is not a proven recipe for success. Cooper called the Aztecs’ inability to play connected in 2024 “unfortunate.” Still, with so many new parts, it was predictable, which is likely why Lewis said the season’s outcome did not surprise him. 

This reality should not cloud O’Neil’s performance. He did as well as could be expected. His final numbers (209/330, 2,181 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs) compare favorably to Jalen Mayden’s 2023 season (199/314, 2,031, 10 TDs, 10 INTs). 

Mayden’s higher rushing total (528 to 93) makes his overall year slightly better, but he was a fifth-year senior, coming off a 2,030-yard season in 2022. That O’Neil approximated Mayden’s play as a true freshman is impressive.    

O’Neil’s 63.3 completion percentage is the fourth highest in a single season in program history, just behind Mayden’s 63.4% in 2023. His passing yards on the year were the second-highest in program history by a freshman since at least 1948. 

Ryan Lindley had 2,653 yards on 427 attempts in 2008. Todd Santos, in 1984, was the only other Aztec to top 2,000 passing yards as a freshman. Lindley and Santos went on to have great careers in the program. It would be unfair to expect O’Neil to be on the same trajectory, but judging by this year, his future is bright. 

“Obviously, the quarterback position is critically important, and a lot gets made about that,” Lewis said. “There’s no one more popular than whoever the backup quarterback happens to be when you’re having a year like this. As we go through the future, the best guy is going to play. One guy started in 2018 when I was at Kent State, and by week two, year two, a different guy was starting, and we ended up in a bowl game. Whoever ends up being under center next season in 2025 better be a better version of Danny, or it’s going to be someone else that gives us the best chance to win in that year as we put all the pieces together.” 

2024 Awards

Team MVP: Trey White

Trey White ranks fourth in the FBS in sacks with 12.5. His place in the standings will likely fall because some athletes below him still have games to play. Currently, he is one of just four players nationally to average at least one sack per game. The Hometown Hero is also fifth in the FBS with 18.5 tackles for loss. He averaged 1.5 per game this year. 

White finished tied for fourth on the Aztecs with 60 tackles. Five of White’s sacks came in SDSU’s two wins over FBS opponents. In the first against Hawai’i, he had two sacks and a QB hurry on the Rainbow Warriors’ final true attempt at a comeback win. 

Offensive MVP: Marquez Cooper

Marquez Cooper is 15th in the nation with 1,274 yards. In his one year on The Mesa, he moved into 27th all-time in career rushing yards as an Aztec, producing the 13th-highest rushing season ever for the school. It was the most since Rashaad Penny’s 2,248 in 2017. 

Much of last season’s starting offensive line is rostered on P4 schools. SDSU’s quarterback was not a threat in the run game until the season’s final two games. Despite these limitations, Cooper still produced. He finished his career 19th all-time in career rushing yards with 5,130 yards. 

Defensive MVP: Chris Johnson

With White winning overall team MVP, it opened the door for Chris Johnson to earn defensive MVP. In his first season as a starter, Johnson finished second on the team with 66 tackles. He was one of seven Aztecs with an interception. He also blocked a punt. The junior cornerback’s three forced fumbles tied for 21st most in the nation. 

Johnson paced the team with 49 solo tackles. Much of that was due to his position, but competing as a corner does not account for all of it. On a team that struggled to stop the run, Johnson was terrific, providing help from the outside. 

Special Teams MVP: Ryan Wintermeyer

While SDSU’s special teams was far from perfect, it excelled in punting and field goals. Both of those operations began with snaps from Ryan Wintermeyer. The long snapper started every contest from his freshman to senior years without redshirting. 

Tyler Pastula’s punting average increased from 41.8 yards in 2023 to 46.1 yards in 2024. Gabriel Plascencia made his final 12 field goals of the year. Their success would not have been possible without Wintermeyer’s consistency. He also finished the year with four tackles. 

Freshman of the Year: Jordan Napier

Redshirt freshman Jordan Napier was the best first-year player on the Aztecs. He was second on the team with 43 receptions and third with 440 passing yards. Napier paced the team with four receiving touchdowns. He also threw for one score. 

His best moment came against Wyoming when he caught consecutive passes to move the Aztecs into the end zone. His heroics that day proved to be the difference in SDSU’s 27-24 victory over the Cowboys. Napier began the year without consistent playing time but worked his way into the lineup. 

Paul Garrison

My earliest sport’s memory involve tailgating at the Murph, running down the circular exit ramps, and seeing the Padres, Chargers and Aztecs play. As a second generation Aztec, I am passionate about all things SDSU. Other interests include raising my four children, being a great husband and teaching high school.