Aztecs Log First 2024 Fall Camp Practice

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State football team conducted its first fall practice of the Sean Lewis era on Thursday at the on-campus practice facility.

The team kicked off the 2024 fall campaign with roughly a two-hour practice under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s. The Aztecs utilized both the turf practice field and the grass field, taking advantage of fresh legs and the sounds of up-tempo music for a team that is trying to be AztecFAST.

After a walk-thru, warm-ups and stretching, SDSU continued with position drills, 1-on-1s, offensive/defensive sets, skelly and situational drills, with some special teams work mixed in.

Although practicing in just helmets, Lewis was happy with the energy on day one.

“(For the first practice) it was a good day,” Lewis said. “There was good energy. It was nice to get out in the morning and watch the boys fly around a little bit. The attitude was good. The execution was decent, but a lot of things we need to clean up. Overall, I was happy with the first day and it was something we can build on.”

One of the most innovative minds in college football, Lewis brings an extensive résumé to San Diego State, having served as head coach at Kent State from 2018-22 before spending the 2023 campaign as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders. He has also witnessed great success as a coordinator/assistant coach in stops at Syracuse (2016-17), Bowling Green (2014-15) and Eastern Illinois (2012-13).

The team is practicing in the morning unlike previous seasons.

“I think (the morning) is a good time,” Lewis added. “We have the schedule built out where they have the ability to sleep and optimize their recovery. This is a good window I feel like we can hit - from the time they wake up to the time they eat - where we can really optimize their energy levels where they can knock out their physical work and then still be fresh for all the mental stuff we are going to do in the back end of the day.”

Senior running back/kick returner Kenan Christon is excited to start his final camp of his final collegiate season of football, his third with the Aztecs.

“(Day one) was great,” Christon said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys that just came in, but I think overall as a team it was a good day. (The speed) is different in being a running back. Usually, it’s the wide receiver that has to run, run and run, but now the running back has to run, run and run. It’s a good change of pace and I think it will be more difficult for defenses to handle.”

Christon led SDSU with 910 all-purpose yards a year ago, rushing for 378 yards, adding 29 catches for 201 yards and totaling 331 kick return yards. He was named all-Mountain West honorable mention as a kick returner last year and earlier on Thursday was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List for the most versatile player.

New running back Marquez Cooper is familiar with the new San Diego State offense, having spent three years under Lewis at Kent State from 2020-22 before transferring to Ball State after Lewis took the offensive coordinator job at Colorado. Cooper enters his final season as the active FBS leader in both rushing yards (3,856) and rushing touchdowns (33).

“Lucky for me I know the offense like the back of my hand,” Cooper said. “I did it (for three years) when I was back at Kent State. Once you know the signals, you know it and you’ll remember them for life. It’s not as hard (learning the signals) since you are learning every single day.”

Like Christon and Cooper, senior wide receiver Mekhi Shaw is playing in his final season of collegiate football. Shaw caught 28 passes for 375 yards (13.4 avg.) and two touchdowns in 2023, while adding 14 punt returns for 101 yards (7.2 avg.). He earned honorable mention all-Mountain West at both wide receiver and punt returner.

“The first day (of practice) is like getting all of the rust off,” Shaw said. “You haven’t had pads on since spring ball. Even now, you don’t feel like fall camp until you put on shells and start hitting. This offense is a lot of fun to play in. I’m looking forward to spreading the field wide, running a lot and putting the ball in the air.”

Tickets are on sale for all six Aztec home games, including season tickets, two or three-game mini-plans and single-game tickets.

The Aug. 31 opener against Texas A&M - Commerce is set for 5 p.m. PT.