For decades, there was no particular urgency when coaches conducted exit interviews with players once the season ended.

That has changed in the transfer portal era. Coaches want to know the status of key returners sooner than later. In particular, they want to have a conversation with their guys before someone else tries to bend their ears.

For San Diego State, those discussions began a month ago, during an off week between victories over Nevada and Fresno State.

“We try to get ahead of it all so that doesn’t become a distraction,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “Day-to-day, it’s about making sure that the players know they feel valued and continue to build the relationship, most importantly, so when we get to the dollars, it already makes sense, and we’re able to move forward and retain our roster as we go.”

There is some breathing room this year, with the transfer portal window pushed to Jan. 2. The portal window also has been shortened to 10 days and the spring window has been removed.

SDSU had some donors step up last year to provide the funds that enabled the Aztecs to keep several key defenders, edge Trey White, linebacker Tano Letuli, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Dalesean Staley, as well as wide receiver Jordan Napier and center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli.

Among the standouts SDSU will be looking to keep this season are running back Lucky Sutton, tackle Joe Borjon and linebacker Owen Chambliss, along with Napier, Letuli and White.

SDSU’s target budget for player retention last year was $2 million. The Aztecs want to double that this year.

To that end, the Aztecs recently announced the “Finish the Climb” campaign to generate $4 million for the Aztecs’ Recruitment & Retention fund created earlier this year.

It’s the price of staying competitive as SDSU moves to the reconstituted Pac-12.

Lewis said Texas State reportedly has $4.9 million budgeted for player retention. Oregon State and Washington State are reportedly north of $5 million. Figures for others, like Boise State and Fresno State, have not been reported.

An anonymous donor has pledged a $1 million challenge gift that will be matched if the Aztecs are able to generate $1 million in donations.

The school announced this week that it had already generated more than $111,000 in the first week of the campaign.

Last year, the early signing period and opening of the transfer portal coincided the first week of December.

This year, the Aztecs will use that mid-December period to lock up their top returners. Lewis said during the team’s off week last month they took the time “to have some conversations and get some guys on some future contracts, right, and be able to, hopefully lock them in.”

Adding the GM position filled this spring by Caleb Davis has taken some of the load off Lewis.

“I’m able to not have to be in the eye of the storm, the way that I was a year ago,” Lewis said, “then as we get closer to the portal window, you know, we’ll button all that up.”

Lewis is still very much a part of the process, but he can defer to others while in the thick of the regular season and postseason play.

“I don’t need to be as deep in the weeds right now,” Lewis said. “A lot of the initial prep work, if you will, has been handled, through my intent, by the GM.

“Caleb has been having conversations with agents and representatives of the players so that the coaches and the players can focus on what the coaches and players need to be focused on right now.”

The situation has changed dramatically for the Aztecs in one year.

“We’ve adapted and we’ve evolved, and we’ve gotten up to speed with the rest of the industry,” Lewis said. “The cost of retaining this roster, now that we’re winning, like, there’s going to be more eyeballs on it, and so the price tag is going to go up the way inflation is going up on everything. As we go into the Pac-12, the price is going to go up as well.

“We’ve set a goal and we’ve been pretty vocal that we need to raise $4 million for next year’s roster. That’s the goal, and we need to start working toward that.”

So long, seniors

The Aztecs honored 22 seniors before the game. The players emerged from the player tunnel, shook hands and had pictures taken with Lewis, then jogged down to the north goal line to stand with family members.

The group included four starters — safety Eric Butler, cornerback Chris Johnson, left tackle Christian Jones and center Ulugalu-Maseuli — who have been with the program throughout their college careers.

That’s becoming more and more rare in this era of the transfer portal.

Other seniors who spent their entire careers at SDSU included linebackers Brady Anderson and DJ Herman, safety Jatavious Magee and cornerback Jelani Whitmore.

Other senior starters honored were kicker Gabe Plascencia, long snapper Tyson Chavez, holder Eemil Herranen, nose tackle Sam Benjamin, edge Niles King and tight end Seth Adams

Also honored were offensive linemen Saipale Fuimaono and Bayo Kannike, safeties Deshawn McCuin and Jatavious Magee, cornerback Xavier Hamlett, defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson Tevis Tuioti and wide receiver Brian Pierce Jr.

Honor Warrior

Former SDSU running back George Jones served as the game’s Honor Warrior, leading the Aztecs onto the field moments before kickoff. Jones played for SDSU during the 1995-96 seasons.

He held the SDSU’s single-season rushing record with 1,842 yards in 1995 before DJ Pumphrey surpassed it in 2014. Jones also rushed for 23 touchdowns in that ’95 season, a record he still shares with Rashaad Penny.

Jones was a second-team AP All-American in 1995.

Next up

The Aztecs close out the regular season Friday at 12:30 p.m. PT (CBS Sports Network) at New Mexico (8-3, 5-2 MW entering Saturday), which won 20-3 at Air Force.