While the 2025-26 season didn’t end the way they wanted it to, Aztec football put together a season that proved something to the fans. They proved that this is a program to pay attention to as the Pac-12 era begins.

SAN DIEGO — Media day at Snapdragon Stadium wrapped up on Friday, July 24, where the East Village Times had the chance to hear from coaches and speak one-on-one to a handful of key players. One thing rang true through every comment made: excitement and poise to set the standard in their new division.

This will be head coach Sean Lewis’s third year leading SDSU, and he’s riding one of the hottest home win streaks in college football.

“It’s an exciting moment, a historic moment, and I feel really honored and privileged to be at the helm of this program as we go into a national brand,” head coach Sean Lewis said.

Undefeated at home last season, Lewis, his staff, and his team all highlighted the importance of the fans supporting and creating an atmosphere that matches the intensity they’re putting on display. Senior edge rusher Brady Nassar made the team’s goals plain.

“We’re going to be a violent, physical team,” Nassar said. “We’re going to score a lot of points this year. Pack the stadium, get loud, and let’s win a Pac-12 championship.”

Staying on the mesa

Nassar is stepping into the spotlight this year, as some of the biggest defensive names on last year’s team, Chris Johnson, Trey White, and Owen Chambliss, are no longer Aztecs.

“I love those guys; they’re my brothers forever, and I miss them,” Nassar said. “Taking that standard, upholding it, and pushing it, is what it’s all about. Up and up and up.”

His counterpart and fellow senior Tano Letuli shares the sentiment. Letuli, the San Diego native and Cathedral Catholic alum, was especially close with the three, but has taken pride in strengthening his bond with the team right now.

“Making new relationships on the team that I didn’t have last year has been paramount for me,” Letuli said.

When he’s healthy, Letuli is as lethal a linebacker as any in the CFB. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last year’s homecoming game and has been itching to pick things up where he left off.

How will the offense evolve?

Looking to do the same, albeit under a different set of circumstances, is Jayden Denegal. The Michigan transfer found his home on the mesa last season and is now looking to display his growth under center.

“I’ve just had a change of understanding,” Denegal said about his transformation into year two. “Parts of the game have really slowed down, and my relationship with the guys has gotten much stronger.”

Denegal put up 1,800 yards and 9 touchdowns to 8 interceptions last season. There is room for improvement, and he was the first to say that his confidence and accuracy have improved.

As a QB with a solid arsenal of weapons at his disposal, he wants his legs to be a sneaky weapon that keeps opposing defenses guessing. Denegal said that he’s been studying Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert for that exact reason.

That sort of separation comes from guys like Lucky Sutton and Jordan Napier commanding the attention of the enemy. The running back and wide receiver are both positioned to be huge offensive weapons.

“We want the pressure,” Sutton said. “When you move onto bigger roles, that’s just something that’s expected of you.”

Sutton is embracing his role as a leader and finds privilege in having big things expected of him.

Napier is a talent that would have been a transfer portal prize. But the culture and belief in Coach Lewis’s system have kept him an Aztec, and another year to connect with Denegal is something he is excited to show off more this season.

“You guys got a couple of glimpses of it last year,” Napier said. “We missed on a lot of opportunities, though, and with a lot of guys coming back, those opportunities should be smacked on.”

The Aztec’s defensive identity

To extend its dominance at home and establish itself as a threat in its new conference, San Diego State Football has to uphold its defensive legacy. Defensive Coordinator Demetrius Sumler takes great pride in the system he has helped build up.

“More success means more work,” Sumler said, responding to how he plans to see his defense push the ceiling in 2026. “We try to embrace that and never take the work for granted.”

Coach Sumler said that the most gratifying thing about his work with the team is watching his players become leaders. He says the standards and lessons that he teaches only matter so much if they fall on deaf ears.

“It’s been so rewarding seeing these guys grow,” Sumler said. “The way we achieve this culture is by never compromising on the standards.”

Between the success of first-round draft pick Chris Johnson and the culture of discipline instilled by Sumler and his veteran core, new players have the benefit of entering a realized system. That sort of culture in this age of the transfer portal has earned the respect of newcomer Sione Hala.

“I won’t just be thinking about the experience I had with these guys throughout camp and at Coronado,” Hala said. “I’ll take it with me throughout my whole life.”

He said the mock “hell week” at the final phase of summer camp teaches everyone that they can go through hard things together and build bonds that won’t break on the football field.

Season debut on the horizon

Media day marks a transition with padded practice coming soon. As Jacob Bostick put it, the whole team has ‘that itch’ to get back to the game. Every individual storyline, whether it’s been recovering from injury, transferring in, or realizing their role as a leader, will all be woven together on the field in due time.

The annual “Aztec Fast Showcase” is on August 15, where the public will join a fan-fest style practice. The home opener against Portland State will follow on September 5, 2026.

Until then, the Aztecs look forward to putting the pads back on. It’s the dawn of a new chapter for SDSU Athletics, and coach Lewis believes that their new conference will reach its former heights as long as they maintain their own identity.

“I think we need to be us,” Lewis said. “And because we’re a part of the Pac-12, people are going to take notice.”

Nate Tubbs

Nate Tubbs is a recent graduate of Journalism at San Diego State University. In his time at SDSU, he wrote and photographed several different sports for Aztec Link, the school’s NIL collective. He also co-hosted a weekly podcast featuring Aztec athletes, sharing their stories and goals for the season. Tubbs is passionate about photography, storytelling, and most of all, San Diego sports.