San Diego State Completes Second Day of Fall Camp

Past 2025 Fall Camp Recaps
Sean Lewis Press Conference - July 28
Practice No. 1 - July 30

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State football team practiced for the second time of 2025 fall camp on Thursday at the on-campus facility.

The practice ran for just over two hours under sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-to-upper-70s. The Aztecs practiced on both the turf field and the grass field in helmets and spiders to the sounds of 80s music blaring from the speakers.

SDSU’s practice was almost the same as yesterday’s opening practice, consisting of position drills, ball security, offensive/defensive sets, 1-on-1s, tempo skelly, team tempo and situational drills, including 11-on-11 matchups. This after morning meetings (team, special teams and position), a walk-thru, warm-ups and stretching.

One of the intriguing position battles in 2025 is at quarterback. With then true freshman Danny O’Neil transferring out of the program after last year’s fall season, San Diego State returns only 48 passing yards from a year ago, the fourth fewest in the country in a recent FBS athletics communications survey, and none from a quarterback. The Aztecs also return just 82 yards of total offense, the second fewest in the country.

SDSU added veteran quarterbacks Jayden Denegal (Michigan) and Bert Emanuel Jr. (Central Michigan) from the transfer portal, and true freshmen JP Mialovski (Milliken High) and Draiden Trudeau (Mission Viejo High) from the prep ranks. Junior Kyle Crum is the only current San Diego State quarterback to attempt a pass and that came in 2022 as a true freshman, where he was 5-for-17 for 53 yards and a touchdown.

The two transfer quarterbacks have got the bulk of the snaps since arriving in January. Aztec offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Johnson has been impressed with their growth and leadership.

“They had a good spring, but then the work that they put in with all the player-led practices throughout the summer, they were able to go read through or go back through the install,” said Johnson. “So now this is really their third iteration going through this. There hasn't been a ton of wrinkles yet throughout camp with it just being the first two days, so just the consistency and the growth piece, because this isn't spring one for these guys. This isn't the first time that they're hearing (the calls). And so far through two days, they've done a good job.”

“The thing that I think everybody sees is the arm talent (of Denegal) and the big plays,” Johnson said. “But the way that he won the team over, I think, and Bert did an unbelievable job of that too. Those guys came in humble and hungry, and, either one of them came in with a ‘look at my kind of mindset’, and I think that that spoke volumes to the team. When you put your head down and you work, those leadership roles will find you.”

Denegal, a junior from Apple Valley, California, comes to SDSU after three years at Michigan, serving as the backup quarterback in the Wolverines’ National Championship season in 2023. He appeared in seven games at Michigan that year, completing 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, while rushing four times for 10 yards. Denegal threw for more than 4,600 passing yards with 69 passing touchdowns at Apple Valley High School.

“Jayden obviously has a big arm,” added Johnson. “I think his decision making has gotten a lot better. And I also think that that comes with time within the system, and that goes for really all of them.”

“I think what I'm bringing from Michigan is, even though I didn't play as much, I learned so much behind (current Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy) in that national championship year,” said Denegal. “Just learning how to prepare, how to attack every game and what a winning team looks like. I kind of just learned how to be a leader. And I'm going to take from what he did weekly and how he prepared Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for Saturday, when we go out there and play. So the biggest thing is preparation and help building the team camaraderie.”

Emanuel Jr., meanwhile, completed 27-of-51 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns in 13 career games at CMU. He also rushed for 844 yards and 12 touchdowns on 145 carries with the 5.82 average yards per carry ranking ninth on Central Michigan’s all-time list. Emanuel Jr. threw for 2,654 yards and 31 touchdowns in his senior season at Ridge Point High School in Texas, while running for 1,022 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“Bert obviously adds the athleticism piece that was we didn't have last year,” said Johnson. “I think he's made tremendous strides within the throw game, but he just brings an element that we haven't had in a long time with his legs.”

Emanuel said he embraces the challenge of competing with Denegal for the starting spot to help the team win.

“(I want to) just be a great teammate,” said Emanuel. “I talked to JD when we first got here. I was like, you want the job, I’ll be the best teammate I can be for you. If you need to look at something, I will look at it for you. And he was like, if you want the job, I’ll do the same for you. Obviously, I want to win (the job), but if I don't, at the end, I’ll be the best teammate I could be. Whatever they need me to do. But I’ll have that conversation then, because right now I'm competing for the (starting) quarterback (position).”

Crum has also seen improvement working in head coach Sean Lewis’ offensive system for a second year.

“(And then) Crum brings that steadiness to the room,” added Johnson. “A guy who's been here, he's gone through the system. This is his second time, so when he steps out there, I know that all 11 guys are going to be on the same page.”

The third of 24 fall practices before the opener against Stony Brook on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium is set for Friday morning.

San Diego State also has home games vs. California (Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Colorado State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Wyoming (Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. PT), Boise State (Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT) and San Jose State (Nov. 22, time TBA).

Fan Fest Information
The San Diego State football team will host its annual Fan Fest on Thursday, Aug. 14 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Admission to the Aug. 14 Fan Fest is free, but all fans will need to claim their ticket in advance at https://am.ticketmaster.com/sdsu/buy/AztecFanFest. Fans may claim up to four tickets. If you need additional tickets, please call the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-SDSU (7378). Parking is $10 and can also be purchased at the same link.

The parking lot opens at 5 p.m. PT with the gates opening at 6 p.m. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. PT.

The team store and select concessions will also be open.

Ticket Information
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign start at just $200 ($175 plus $25 Aztec Club Membership), only $33.33 per game. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets with benefits featuring interest-free payment plans, pre-sale access for most third-party events, and discounts on merchandise at the team store, additional single-game tickets and food/beverage. Additionally, season-ticket members will have the ability to purchase discounted season parking, access to a personal account representative and the ability to transfer and resell tickets digitally.

To purchase, or renew, your season tickets, visit goaztecs.com/sports/football-tickets.

Mini Plans
For the first time, fans can now build their own three-game mini-plan completely online. Fans can choose from any of SDSU’s six home games and save on single-game fees. Fans can also leverage their three-game mini-plans into becoming a season-ticket member. For example, purchasing an Orange Mini-Plan puts you just $39 away from becoming a season-ticket member. Contact the SDSU Athletics Ticket Sales Office at (619) 594-9834 to discuss other ways to save money while enjoying San Diego State football.

Single-Game Tickets
Single-game tickets can be also purchased Monday for as low as $23, which includes all fees.