SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State football head coach Sean Lewis named true freshman Danny O’Neil as the starting quarterback on Monday for the Aug. 31 opener against Texas A&M-Commerce. Lewis officially made the announcement to reporters following Monday morning’s practice.
O’Neil is the first Aztec quarterback in the program’s Division I history (since 1969) to enter the season as the starting quarterback. Only two other SDSU true freshmen - Spencer Brinton in 1997 and Nick Bawden in 2014 - have started a game at quarterback in San Diego State’s DI history. Six other San Diego State redshirt freshmen have earned a starting nod, including Todd Santos (1984), Kevin O’Connell (2004), Kevin Craft (2006), Ryan Lindley (2008), Christian Chapman (2015) and Carson Baker (2019).
“Danny was the most accurate and the most productive all through camp,” Lewis said. “He went about his business day-to-day the right way. We were excited to see the team respond and rally around him while we continue to build the identity of this club in all three phases.
“It’s not just (Danny). I know we all want to talk about him, but there are a lot more pieces that need to improve and compete at a really high level so that everything doesn’t fall on his shoulders. He needs to do his piece and it’s (the coaches) job to put him in the best position to be successful as we move forward into week one here.
O’Neil, who joined the Aztecs this past spring, threw for 7,786 yards and 98 touchdowns at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, while adding 1,326 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground. Rivals ranked him as the 12th-best quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class.
O’Neil credits his early arrival as the key to getting a jump on learning Lewis’ AztecFAST offense.
“Getting here in the winter, getting through the install one time before spring ball, getting the 15 practices during spring ball, getting in all the repetitions over summer all the way through (fall) camp has been super beneficial,” O’Neil said. “(Right now) it’s just building confidence in the guys and building trust. Today was practice 16 of camp, (we’re) just continuing to get reps and reps, knowing where the guys are going to be. Just making sure we’re all making the right decisions, making sure I’m seeing the right coverage. I’m just trying to make everyone around me better.
“I wouldn’t say I expected (to be name the starting quarterback). The whole room has been working really hard for that spot. All five guys in there push each other and we are competing every day. (Coach Lewis) told me I’m the starter for week one. There’s no promise for week two or anything like that, so as long as everyone is competing and working hard it’s going to be a competition all year. (I’m) just competing with myself and the other guys in the room.”
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).
Lewis and the Aztecs went around two hours today on their on-campus facility, practicing in helmets and pads. As they have all camp, their workout started on the turf field before transitioning to the grass for the final portion. Temperatures were in the low 80s throughout the late morning under sunny skies.
The day was predominantly positional workouts throughout the the first hour before one-on-one’s transitioned the Aztecs into full team drills for the final 40 minutes.
Along with Coach Lewis, defensive line coach David Lose spoke with members of the media talking what to expect up front on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think what you’re going to see is a multitude of defenses during the season,” said Lose. “Fans will see things they aren’t used to along with what they are used to in an aggressive style defense like they have a history of doing in the past.”
With a mix of returning players and newcomers, Lose touched on the depth this 2024 defensive line will have.
“We have a lot of depth that, as a staff, we really like” Lose added. “We have a top four or even a top six that will roll in and out based on who is playing the best and (playing) the fastest.”
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.