SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State football team has named seniors Daniel Bellinger (Las Vegas, Nev.), Caden McDonald (Haslet, Texas), Segun Olubi (Corona, Calif.), Zachary Thomas (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Trenton Thompson (Palm Springs, Calif.) as its captains for the 2021 campaign. The quintet was chosen in a vote by the team over the weekend.
Bellinger enters his final season with the Aztecs having started each of the last 24 games at tight end, the longest active streak on the team. A member of the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award for the outstanding collegiate tight end, Bellinger has 37 career catches for 414 yards (11.2 avg.) and three touchdowns. He was an honorable mention all-Mountain West selection a year ago after recording 21 catches for 203 yards (9.7 avg.). Bellinger is also a three-time MW Scholar-Athlete (2018-20) and three-time MW Fall All-Academic Team honoree (2018-20).
McDonald, meanwhile, is coming off a breakout season in 2020 where he was a first-team all-MW selection after totaling 34 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss for 48 yards, 4.5 sacks for 33 yards, 10 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and a forced fumble, starting all eight of the team's games. McDonald, who is on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award (most outstanding defensive player) and the Chuck Bednarik Award (college defensive player of the year), has 70 tackles for his career, including 15.5 tackles for loss, to go along with seven sacks, an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and six pass breakups. He's also a three-time MW Fall All-Academic Team selection (2018-20).
Olubi earned a scholarship last week after registering 15 tackles (five solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, a 71-yard interception returned for a touchdown and two quarterback hurries in seven games off the bench in 2020. Prior to SDSU, Olubi spent a year each at College of Idaho (NAIA) in 2017, Saddleback College (JUCO) in 2018 and Harding College (DII) in 2019. He also was a 2020 MW Scholar-Athlete and MW Fall All-Academic Team honoree.
Thomas has started the last 17 games at right tackle and enters 2021 as the projected starting left tackle, having earned second-team all-Mountain West honors last year. Thomas has appeared in 36 games over his career with 19 starts, including every game the past two seasons. This year he is on the Outland Trophy Award Watch List for the most outstanding interior lineman.
One of only three Aztecs with four letters, Thompson enters his final season with 147 tackles (96 solo), including 8.5 tackles for loss, a sack, interception, forced fumble, nine pass breakups and two blocked kicks, the latter which ranks in a tie for fourth in program history. Thompson, who has been named to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List along with fellow captains McDonald and Thomas, has played in 43 games over his career with 17 starts.
SDSU finished 4-4 last year with its four losses coming to teams that went a combined 29-6 (.829).
San Diego State will play seven of its 12 games in 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., and will have only one road contest over the first six weeks of the season. The 2021 home slate features high-profile games against Utah, Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada. Five of the six FBS opponents that the Aztecs will play host to this season finished the 2020 campaign with a .500 or better record. SDSU opens 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, Sept. 4 against New Mexico State.
San Diego State football single-game tickets, season tickets and three-game mini plans are all on sale. For more information, click visit GoAztecs.com/tickets. For questions, please contact the Aztec Athletic Ticket Office, either by email at aztix@sdsu.edu, or by phone at 619-283-7378.
Football Names 2021 Team Captains
