April 10, 2018
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State football head coach Rocky Long has announced the hiring of two staff members to the program. The two additions - Ron Caragher (on-campus recruiting coordinator/offensive quality control) and Jerome Haywood (assistant on-campus recruiting coordinator/defensive quality control) - join a program that is one of just seven schools in the country with at least 10 wins in each of the last three seasons.
Caragher brings a wealth of coaching experience to The Mesa, including 10 years as a head coach, compiling a 63-52 overall record. Most recently, Caragher spent four seasons at San José State from 2013-16, leading the Spartans to a bowl appearance in 2015 for just the third time over the last 27 years. Over his four-year tenure, SJSU had 32 all-Mountain West selections, nine all-star invitations and five NFL draft picks.
Prior to San José State, Caragher led University of San Diego to a 44-22 record from 2007-12 and three Pioneer League titles. Caragher also had coaching stints at Kentucky from 2003-06 and UCLA from 1994-2002, including a two-year stretch from 1996-97 with then defensive coordinator Rocky Long. A quarterback at UCLA, Caragher was a member of four straight bowl teams from 1985-88, including a pair of Pac-10 championships (1985 and 1987).
Haywood, meanwhile, returns to Montezuma Mesa after starring with the Aztecs as a defensive lineman for four years and playing professionally in the Canadian Football League for another eight seasons. A four-year starter with SDSU from 1998-01 at defensive tackle, Haywood was a three-time second-team all-Mountain West selection (1999-01), two-time team captain (2000-01), two-time winner of the program's Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy (2000-01), two-time team's Most Inspirational Player (2000-01) and the 1998 WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year.
After graduating from San Diego State in 2002, Haywood played in the CFL from 2002-09, including stints with Ottawa (2002-05), Montreal (2006), Winnipeg (2007-08) and Edmonton (2009). Haywood was a two-time CFL Lineman of the Week, and helped both Montreal and Winnipeg to Eastern Conference championships. Haywood most recently was the athletic director at the San Diego Center for Children.
In January, Zach Arnett (defensive coordinator), Doug Deakin (special teams coordinator/tight ends) and Kevin McGarry (assistant coach/defense) were each promoted, while Richard Sanchez (safeties) also joined the staff.
Other recent football staff additions include Haley Ford (football office coordinator), Ruben Pena (assistant for football operations) and Matthew Razzano (assistant for football recruiting).
The Aztecs are coming off a 10-3 finish in 2017, their school-record third consecutive season with at least 10 victories. SDSU is scheduled to return seven starters on offense and seven on defense, along with its kicker and punter.
San Diego State opens its 2018 slate on Friday, Aug. 31 at Stanford. Game times and television arrangements, including other moves to non-Saturdays will be announced at a later date.
SDSU is accepting new account deposits on 2018 season tickets through the Aztec Ticket Office, while current season-ticket holders can also renew their tickets for the 2018 campaign. Fans can purchase tickets through GoAztecs.com, over the phone by calling (619) 283-7378, or by visiting Qualcomm Stadium's Window E between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT.