SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State football's Pro Day was scheduled to take place this Friday.
Pro Day typically happens between the NFL Scouting Combine and the 2020 NFL Draft, and are important enough for the key decision-makers in the league to travel around the country to watch the talent up close and in person.
With the COVID-19 outbreak, however, every school canceled or postponed their pro days. Additionally, NFL teams restricted air travel for coaches and scouts, effectively ending a last chance opportunity for Aztec seniors to show what they've got prior to the NFL Draft and free agent signings.
In these trying times, GoAztecs.com reached out to departing seniors Kyahva Tezino, Luq Barcoo and Parker Houston to talk about their unusual preparation for the NFL Draft. The trio, along with Daishawn Dixon, played in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Jan. 18 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Since then, they've trained for the chance to compete in various tests in front of NFL scouts at Pro Day.
Tezino was a two-time first-team all-Mountain West performer with the Aztecs (2018-19), captaining the 2019 squad along with Houston and Ryan Agnew. Tezino recorded a team-high 99 tackles last year, including 10 ½ tackles for loss and 3 ½ sacks. Tezino also led the Aztecs in quarterback hurries (31) and forced fumbles (2, tied), while adding two interceptions and three pass breakups. Tezino captained a SDSU defense that finished the season ranked second in FBS play in both scoring (12.7) and rushing (75.4), fifth in total (287.8), and sixth in pass efficiency (110.3). Tezino joined Donnel Pumphrey (2014-16), Kirk Morrison (2003-04), Marshall Faulk (1992-93), Todd Santos (1986-87) and Gary Garrison (1964-65) as the only Aztecs in program history to win the team's MVP award multiple seasons, taking it down each of the last two years.
GoAztecs.com: Where have you been living since the 2019 season ended?
Tezino: Right now's it's back and forth between Los Angeles and San Diego, but mainly LA.
GoAztecs.com: Are you training right now?
Tezino: I was training (in Seattle), but I came back a little earlier because they said they were going to shut down flight travel with the virus. I wanted to still be out (in Southern California) if our Pro Day was going to happen, but right when I got back down here they announced that they were going to cancel it. I'm still training as of now, but if we are in quarantine, I don't know how I'm going to train. We're going to see how that works out. But right now I'm not really lifting, just running and doing my position drills.
GoAztecs.com: Do you feel you've had the ample opportunity to show your skills to the NFL scouts?
Tezino: I feel like my film is going to speak for itself. To me any testing is icing on the cake because I feel my film is so strong. Hopefully (my film) is good enough, but if not I'll have to just go prove them wrong when I get on a team.
GoAztecs.com: What is your mood right now through the COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertainty of your future?
Tezino: Right now it's just about being safe. I just want to make sure my family is safe, my girlfriend is safe. It's a tragic time out there right now. My mom said she's never seen anything like it before. My mindset right now is just to stay safe, and do whatever it takes to stay safe and keep my family safe.
GoAztecs.com: Lastly, more of a retrospective question, but looking back at your career at San Diego State, what is the legacy that you think you left behind to the underclassmen?
Tezino: Hopefully the legacy I left was to never give up. Never be satisfied with something you did, and always shoot for something better and continue to work. When I first came in, I wasn't the guy, wasn't a starter. I felt like I worked for my spot. I did everything the coaches wanted me to do. I sat there and played my role, and when my name was called I went out there and made the best of it. You need to take advantage of that opportunity, because you may only get one shot. That's how I felt in college; work hard, be prepared and take advantage of when you get that opportunity. That's how I feel heading into the NFL.
Barcoo, meanwhile, was named team's Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy (outstanding player) for the defense after recording nine interceptions, 16 pass breakups, 55 tackles (43 solo) and five tackles for loss as a cornerback. Barcoo's nine interceptions were tied for the most in the country, and were the most in a season by an Aztec in the program's Division I history (since 1969) and the second most overall. Barcoo, who was a semifinalist for the Paycomm Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back), was a second-team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Walter Camp and Phil Steele Magazine, and a third-team honoree by the Associated Press. An all-MW first-team selection, Barcoo also led the nation in passes defended per game (1.92) and total passes defended (25), tied for the FBS lead in interceptions per game (0.69) and tied for second in pass breakups (16).
GoAztecs.com: Where have you been living since the 2019 season ended?
Barcoo: I'm still living in San Diego. I'm staying with our running back Juwan Washington. It's pretty much just us two right now. We're just staying here training, seeing where we will go next.
GoAztecs.com: Are you training right now?
Barcoo: We're doing our own thing now. I was at Bommarito's (in Florida) and (Juwan) was at Exos (in San Diego) until our Pro Day, but that got canceled. So we came back down here a little early. We are training on our own. We go to the field together. I have a bunch of friends that also play defensive back. I go with them a lot. We'll do beach workouts, we'll go to the field, we'll do a little pool workout. We're definitely working out every day, just trying to stay ready.
GoAztecs.com: Do you feel you've had the ample opportunity to show your skills to the NFL scouts?
Barcoo: They can see that I can play the game and have a lot of good attributes just based off my film, but there's a lot of things that I wanted to show through my Pro Day. A lot of guys don't think I'm as fast as I know I am, but the guys who are close to me, the ones on our team and the coaching staff know how fast I am. I feel like my film didn't really get to show how fast I am, so I at least wanted to so fast how I could move with my lateral quickness and my 40. Just to show fast I really am. As far as my jumping abilities, I wanted to display that too. I wanted to show how smooth I could be with my techniques, how much I've improved. I feel like my Pro Day was really going to impress the (NFL) scouts.
GoAztecs.com: What is your mood right now through the COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertainty of your future?
Barcoo: Right now I feel determined. I've been through adversity my whole life. I've been in these situations all my life, so it's nothing new for me. In this moment I'm just determined to show everybody what I can do. I like getting overlooked because I like to prove everybody wrong later. I'm not upset about anything, I'm just trying to stay positive and be excited for what the future holds.
GoAztecs.com: Lastly, more of a retrospective question, but looking back at your career at San Diego State, what is the legacy that you think you left behind to the underclassmen?
Barcoo: Hopefully what I passed on to the younger guys it what was instilled in me, and that's hard work and determination. Just working hard and not letting any limitations stop you. My first year I came in from JUCO and didn't start. I had a lot of adversity. It really only takes one season. I got on the map after one big season. You've got to put in the work. At all of our workouts at San Diego State I was always trying to win all the races and all of my teammates knew that. Just be super competitive and give it your all. Don't let anything stop you from overcoming the adversity that you are facing.
Finally, Houston finished his career a second-team all-Mountain West performer at tight end, catching 18 passes for 154 yards (8.6 avg.), while being regarded as one of the best blocking tight ends in the country. With Agnew, he captained an offense that ranked second in FBS in turnover margin (+1.46) last year and turnovers lost (8), and sixth in time of possession (33:51).
GoAztecs.com: Where have you been living since the 2019 season ended?
Houston: I was in Las Vegas. I was there since January. I drove home (to Sparks, Nev.) on Saturday.
GoAztecs.com: Are you training right now?
Houston: We had a few guys leave. I signed with MGA and at the most we had 10 guys working out together. It was a lot of fun, but we've had a few kind of leave here and there. I was training with guys from Boise State, Washington, Arizona, UNLV and New Mexico.
GoAztecs.com: Do you feel you've had the ample opportunity to show your skills to the NFL scouts?
Houston: We filmed a Pro Day (last Thursday). Hopefully it gives the scouts a little peak into what we can do. If something does happen later down the road where they do a Pro Day, I'd be happy to participate, but I think what we did enough (Thursday) with our filming that will be perfect for scouts.
GoAztecs.com: What is your mood right now through the COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertainty of your future?
Houston: When I first found out about Pro Day (being canceled), I was pretty bummed. A lot of us worked so hard for that to raise our draft stock or chance to make a team. It was a chance to come back to San Diego and see all my San Diego friends and family, but everything happens for a reason. It's a little stressful talking to my parents about what's going on in Reno (with the virus). It sounds like a movie, but we have to roll with the punches and make the best of the cards that are dealt.
GoAztecs.com: Lastly, more of a retrospective question, but looking back at your career at San Diego State, what is the legacy that you think you left behind to the underclassmen?
Houston: I hope what (the underclassmen) took from me is that I did everything right. I was never late for meetings or for practice. I always did what the coaches asked of me. I always played the way an Aztec warrior was supposed to play, supposed to act. I hope they learned that Aztec warriors play hard and play tough every play of the game no matter what the circumstance was.
San Diego State is coming off a 10-3 season in 2019, capped by a 48-11 win over Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl. The Aztecs, who lost their three games by a combined 13 points last year, are one of 10 schools to win at least 10 games in at least four of the last five seasons.