AZTECS OFFENSE

WO—14 Donovan Brown 6-2 180 Jr.

WO—Nathan Acevedo 5-10 170 Jr.

SB—2 Jordan Napier 6-2 205 So.

TE—19 Seth Adams 6-2 260 Sr. tr

LT—70 Christian Jones 6-9 335 Sr.

Don’t miss out on what’s happening!

LG—76 Kalan Ellis 6-5 350 Jr.

C—63 Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli 6-4 335 Sr.

RG—71 Bayo Kannike 6-6 300 Sr.

RT—78 Joe Borjon 6-8 338 Sr.

QB—4 Jayden Denegal 6-5 230 Jr.

RB—7 Lucky Sutton 6-1 225 Jr.

When the league’s tallest head coach was hired two year ago, 6-foot-7 Sean Lewis promised an offense that was “AztecFast.” His X account has this quote: “Life is too short to huddle.” He based concepts on Art Briles’ veer-and-shoot and Dino Babers’ run-pass options. At Kent State, Lewis’ offense averaged 20.9 seconds between plays. But this is SDSU, where Marshall Faulk, Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny earned their running starts. While QB Jayden Denegal is gritty (he has not missed a start despite twice aggravating a shoulder injury) and deeply accurate (42.4% on passes airborne at least 20 yards from the line of scrimmage), the Aztecs now favor the ground game. They rush 65.9% of their plays, including 72.1% on first down. “It’s great,” right tackle Joe Borjon said, “because we get to run the ball.” At 6-1 and 225, Lucky Sutton — he wears lucky No. 7, of course — earned the nickname “Luck Truck” from teammates because of his bruising style. With shoulders slightly hunched and the football held high and tight, Sutton prefers the direct path. He averages 6.2 yards on runs between the guards. He has not fumbled in 155 touches this season. Sutton also has become an effective “blocker,” even when he does not make contact. On fake handoffs, Sutton will run up the gut, freezing the 3-tech tackle and nose tackle, while Denegal launches play-action passes from a clean pocket. Jordan Napier, who averages 13.6 yards on 45 catches, is Denegal’s preferred option (7.8 targets per game). Wideout Jacob Bostik, SDSU’s best receiver on 50-50 balls, will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury. Nathan Acevedo replaces Bostik in three-receiver sets. “Our job is to keep our quarterback upright,” Borjon said of Denegal, who has been sacked nine times in 175 pass plays. “We want to give him as much time possible to go through his second, third and even fourth read.” Borjon and left tackle Christian Jones have honed the “drop-hand” technique of the one-handed jab — a stiff-armed move — when Denegal rolls out of the pocket.

AZTECS DEFENSE

FE—Niles King 6-6 260 Sr.

NT—90 Sam Benjamin 6-5 290 Sr.

DT—55 Malachi Finau 6-1 295 Jr. tr

Rush—2 Trey White 6-2 255 Jr.

WLB—12 Owen Chambliss 6-3 230 So.

MLB—41 Mister Williams 6-0 245 Sr.

S—6 Eric Butler 6-2 195 Sr.

LCB—1 Chris Johnson 6-0 195 Sr,

SS—9 Dalesean Staley 6-1 190 Jr.

FS—26 Dwayne McDougle 5-11 208 Jr. tr

RCB—0 Bryce Phillips 6-0 195 Sr.

For 13 years, SDSU ran Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 scheme. After Long departed in 2020 and successor Brady Hoke retired at the end of the 2023 season, the Aztecs sought a DC who would implement an attacking style that was more beefy in the trenches. Eric Schmidt made the transition but then left after last season to become head coach at North Dakota. Rob Aurich, who replaced Schmidt, continued a 4-2-5 scheme that can adjust to a 3-3 or 4-3. The self-styled “glues” are the inside linebackers. But Tano Letuli, the defensive leader, suffered a torn right ACL when he became entangled on a Wyoming tight end’s cross block last week. Letuli will undergo surgery for the season-ending injury. Mister Williams, an Incarnate Ward transfer, steps up to mike linebacker. Will linebacker Owen Chambliss leads with 72 tackles (32 more than second place Chris Johnson’s total) and 41 solo stops. “It’s super fun,” Chambliss said of Schmidt’s scheme. “A lot of play-making opportunities at all three levels. Everybody gets a little bit of fun here and there.” Last season’s fun times had an expiration date for Chambliss, who suffered a broken right hand against UH. He also suffered a concussion, broken right fibula, and hyper-extended left elbow during the season. “Whole bunch of things happened that were out of my control,” said Chambliss, who has returned to good health. UH transfer Malachi Finau is part of the beefed-up line. The Aztecs usually align with three hand-on-the-turf linemen, with Trey White as a stand-up edge rusher. Of White’s 31 tackles, 25.8% were made behind the line of scrimmage. Johnson, the left cornerback, can press or play 8 yards off the ball as part of a four-across zone. Dalesean Staley, who plays the strong safety position known as “bullet,” is a downhill hitter.

AZTECS SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—46 Gabriel Plascencia 6-0 245 Sr.

P—3 Hunter Green 6-4 225 Jr.

LS—50 Tyson Chavez 6-2 230 Jr.

H—39 Eemil Herranen 6-4 210 Jr.

KR/PR—2 Jordan Napier 6-2 205 So.

Unlike most punt units, the Aztecs prefer to use one personal protector instead of a two- or three-blocker wedge in front of punter Hunter Green. DJ Herman has excelled in that role, chip-blocking a rusher and then turning upfield as a second-tier tackler. Herman is a 2021 Bishop Gorman graduate who committed to SDSU before the Gaels-Warriors pipeline was established in 2022. Gabriel Plascencia connected on his first 14 FG attempts to open the season before missing a 23-yarder last week.

RAINBOW WARRIORS OFFENSE

WO—9 Jackson Harris 6-3 205 So.

SB—5 Pofele Ashlock 6-2 185 Jr.

LT—52 Dean Briski 6-5 300 Jr.

LG—58 Zhen Sotelo 6-2 310 Sr.

C—57 Ethan Spencer 6-2 295 Jr.

RG—59 Kuao Peihopa 6-3 290 Sr.

RT—70 James Milovale 6-6 320 Sr.

SB—3 Nick Cenacle 6-2 200 Sr.

WO—11 Karsyn Pupunu 6-3 205 Sr.

QB—12 Micah Alejado 5-10 180 Fr.

RB—30 Landon Sims 6-2 220 Sr.

Similar to most Bishop Gorman student-athletes, quarterback Micah Alejado filled his free time studying football videos and working out, even in the chilly winters and 100-plus-degree summers. Chad Kapanui, QB coach to Alejado at Bishop Gorman and now at UH, had no doubts Alejado would make the transition to Division I football. “He really worked at it,” Kapanui said. At 5-10, Alejado has proven he can connect far (touchdown-interception ratio of 6-to-1 on passes traveling at least 20 yards from the line of scrimmage) and through the defensive front (78.7% accuracy on slants and crosses over the middle). Alejado also has developed a connection with second-year freshman Tama Uiliata (68.2% on targets) and Stanford transfer Jackson Harris. There were more than 1,400 receivers in the transfer portal this past year. UH receivers coach Jared Ursua and graduate assistant William Overstreet identified 300 potential recruits, then did a deep dive on their backgrounds. They spoke to their coaches, pored over a library of videos, and called each prospect. Harris and Kentucky transfer Brandon White topped the list. There were eight game videos of Harris, including last year’s start in the season opener. “He caught the first touchdown of the season (for Stanford), which showed me he was really important,” Ursua said. Harris played 52 snaps in that game, but his playing time diminished after that. As it turned out, Harris was recruited by the previous staff that employed a different scheme. His practice videos showed his effort remained high. “He showed flashes of good production,” Ursua said. “He just needed an opportunity.” Following UH’s spring ball and early weeks of training camp, Harris earned a spot on the first unit. But he was slowed because of a hamstring issue. In the four games since healing, Harris is averaging 20.6 yards per catch (7.6 yards after the catch) and 126 yards per game. He has displayed situational awareness with 90% of third-down catches beyond the first-down stick. This season, 34.3% of his catches exceeded 15 yards. “It’s understanding coverage, slowing the game down, polishing up my route techniques, being more detailed,” said Harris, who also works on catching passes while being hit.

RAINBOW WARRIORS DEFENSE

DE—51 Lester Lagafuaina 6-4 240 So.

DT—79 De’Jon Benton 6-2 270 Gr.

NT—77 Jamar Sekona 6-2 275 Sr.

DE—5 Tariq Jones 6-2 245 Sr.

DLB—3 Jalen Smith 6-0 220 Sr.

MLB—11 Jamih Otis 5-11 220 Jr.

NB—4 Elijah Palmer 5-8 180 Jr.

CB—14 Jaheim Wilson-Jones 5-11 175 Sr.

CB—24 Devyn King 5-11 175 Sr.

S—1 Peter Manuma 6-0 205 Sr.

S—8 Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen. 6-1 170 Sr.

A year ago, it would be difficult to tell three key interior linemen without a medical chart. De’Jon Benton missed his lone season at New Mexico because of torn biceps. Jamar Sekona needed a five-hour surgery to repair three areas of his left knee. Luther McCoy was two years removed from his third and fourth operations to mend a labrum tear on his right shoulder. “It was a love-hate relationship for a while,” McCoy said of his feelings for the sport. “Football is very unforgiving. It loves nobody really. It took a lot for me to grasp what I can do on the field coming back from injuries.” At 6-5, McCoy ballooned to 330 pounds as a Minnesota nose tackle. “His body doesn’t really function at that weight,” said Jeff Reinebold, who coaches UH’s interior linemen. When he enrolled at UH this year, McCoy had transformed into a 280-pound, all-purpose linemen who could use his quickness as a 3-tech tackle and long reach to obscure the passing lanes to the flats as a D-end. “Great get-off, plays with good pad level, quick hands, great balance,” Reinebold said. Three days after being treated for dehydration, Sekona was in the starting lineup against San Jose State last week. Benton has caused chaos as a three-position defender. Cornerback Virdel Edwards II also sat out the 2024 season after suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot. To provide ample rest, Edwards, Jaheim Wilson-Jones and Devyn King are the primary cover defenders in a three-corner rotation at the two spots. Now healthy, Edwards is a unique corner with size (6-2 and 205 pounds), speed (4.47 seconds over 40 yards) and aggressiveness. “I love the way Virdel plays with some fire,” said associate head coach Chris Brown, who also coaches the linebackers. “He’s built like a linebacker.” NFL scouts view Edwards as a safety or ‘backer, although there is a growing trend for tall-and-fast cover defenders.

RAINBOW WARRIORS SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—17 Kansei Matsuzawa 6-2 200 Sr.

P—19 Billy Gowers 6-1 205 Fr.

LS—33 Jack Mowrey 6-3 240 So.

H—18 Caleb Freeman 6-0 185 Sr.

KR—0 Cam Barfield 5-7 185 So.

PR—8 Tama Uiliata 5-11 190 Fr.

With head coach Timmy Chang’s blessing, special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield has access to every player but quarterbacks Micah Alejado, Dermaricus Davis and Luke Weaver. For a session each practice, the defensive players work on blocking and the offensive players practice tackling. “When our defensive guys are on kickoff return, they have to block,” safeties coach Nick Locher said. “And our receivers and running backs are asked to tackle on kickoffs or punts.” Running back Landon Sims, who is on all six special teams, has made two tackles. Billy Gowers, a 29-year-old, Australia-reared punter, has a tackle. Safety Makana Meyer leads with four coverage tackles.