Aztec Football Practices Again on Thursday

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State football team practiced for a fourth straight day on Thursday on the eve of a closed-door scrimmage set for Friday.

Wearing just helmets, the Aztecs went for just over 1 ½ hours on their on-campus facility, again practicing on the turf practice field to start and the grass practice field to finish. Temperatures for the beginning of practice were in the upper 70s but reached a high of 84 late in the workout, all under sunny skies.

A heavy dose of Thursday’s practice was devoted to special teams. Following a team stretch on the turf field, SDSU did individual special teams, pops drills, more special teams drills and individual position drills before moving over to the grass. San Diego State then worked on red zone skelly, pass rush and team tempo drills, before ending with close to 30 minutes of various special teams situations.

Pass game coordinator and wide receiver coach Lanear Sampson is happy with the way his unit has progressed this fall camp. At last Saturday’s Fan Fest, Jerry McClure caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Baylin Brooks had six catches for 92 yards. The Aztecs have used a bunch of receivers in camp with some of the veteran guys nursing some minor aches and pains.

“Those (injured) guys have to do what they have to do, we’re just trying to get them ready for game one” Sampson said. “What it does do for the other guys is gives them an opportunity to get out on the field and get more reps. I always talk about opportunities. When one guy goes down, it’s next man up mentality. They’re all battling for a position right now.”

Sampson came to The Mesa from Austin Peay, where he was the pass game coordinator and wide receiver coach for two seasons, and the co-offensive coordinator in 2023. Last year’s squad was ranked 10th in the country, with the offense ranked fourth in pass efficiency rating, ninth in scoring, 13th in passing offense and 15th in total offense. Sampson also has staff stints at Syracuse (2016-17 and 2021), UCF (2020), McNeese State (2019) and Missouri State (2018). He played his collegiate ball at Baylor before being a member of NFL practice squads for two seasons.

Sampson says the young guys are getting quality experience this fall camp.

“The freshmen are getting a chance to get out there and mix it up a little bit, (even though) they just got here in July,” Sampson said. “It’s been great for them to get reps because you can learn in the meeting room, on the board, you can watch film and all that stuff, but (nothing beats) getting real work on the field.”

Thursday was the 13th of 20 practices scheduled this fall before game week begins on Aug. 25 for the Aug. 31 opener against Texas A&M – Commerce.

“It felt amazing, just being out there with all the people watching,” McClure said of last Saturday’s Fan Fest. “Just being able to get on the field and show them what I can do. It was for the fans to show them what’s coming up this season.”

McClure came back to San Diego after transferring from UCLA, where he played in two games during the 2023 season. McClure, who has four years of eligibility remaining, had 98 catches for 1,964 yards and 22 touchdowns in his final two years at Mater Dei Catholic HS, where he was a four-star recruit.

“It’s been a great experience being home in an area I am very familiar with,” McClure said. “I get to see my family almost every single day and the people here are amazing. This is good for me on and off the field.”

Another new Aztec in the wide receiver room is Nate Bennett, who starred at Portland State from 2020-23. In 33 career games with the Warriors, Bennett reeled in 110 catches for 1,291 yards and four touchdowns. Bennett finished among the top 20 on the ballot for the Jerry Rice Award Watch List for the national freshman of the year in 2021.

“I learned all the ups and downs, and how to handle adversity from my time (at Portland State),” Bennett said. “There are a lot of things you get thrown at you while you are playing and when I was there I was able to learn how to manage the game.

“But (San Diego State) was the best fit for me (coming out of Portland State). Coach Lewis is an amazing coach and this was a no-brainer. It happened to work out that this was the best program that I was fortunate enough to have an offer from and it happened to not be too far from home (Simi Valley, Calif.).”

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.