SAN DIEGO – The Aztecs enjoyed their usual morning routine of special teams and position group meetings before strapping on their full set of pads and returning to the practice field. As the players “clocked in” and jogged onto the turf the sounds of southern California legends Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg filled the field.
Practice began with the team’s usual stretching and warmup routines before diving into various punt rushing and protection drills. They also held an “indy” period before wrapping things up on the turf with perimeter blocking. Once the team moved to the grass field they shifted to various team-oriented activities involving situational football and tempo drills.
During the 2025 season the Aztecs fielded a top 20 rushing offense across the entire FBS. San Diego State totaled 2,583 rushing yards, 25 rushing touchdowns and close to 200 rushing yards per game. Running back coach Darian Hagan is preparing for his third year on The Mesa and has been integral in San Diego State’s success in the ground game. In 2024 Hagan oversaw Marquez Cooper’s final collegiate season where he totaled 1,274 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Last year, Hagan supervised Lucky Sutton’s breakout campaign in which he rushed for just under 1,300 yards while punching in 10 touchdowns.
Heading into this year Hagan will have a stable of running backs that have proven to be dangerous offensive pieces in college football. He returns 1,860 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns between Sutton and Christian Washington. Hagan will also be able to deploy Javion Kinnard, a transfer from Colorado State who earned All-Mountain West honors as a punt returner last season while averaging 4.7 yards per carry as a true freshman.
“They backs are doing pretty good. You know, Lucky is “steady Eddie”. He does everything the right way. You know he's a big physical back. You know Christian Washington he's been up and down a little bit, but he's today he was really good. Chop [Javion Kinnard] is phenomenal. He gets the ball in his hand, and you don't know what's going to happen, but it is always going to be something good. Jordan Thomas is getting better. He has had some good runs this camp. He's starting to strike people in pass protection. Then Josiah Lucas is probably the quickest, if not fastest, player on our team. When he gets the ball, he knows where he's going. He's dynamic with the ball, so him and Chop [Javion Kinnard] you can put them in space, and we're going to win every time.”
Hagan is aware of the impact Sutton has both on and off the field as he continues to carry the mantle of all the great Aztec running backs to come before him. Hagan praised his star player’s emerging leadership abilities saying, “He's on our leadership council, so he's a guy that has special privileges. He’s a guy that is always the first one in the building, and one of the last ones to leave. He's not a “rah-rah” guy, but he leads by example. But when I tell him, I say, look, you know, you have to say more, you have to do more, and you have got to lead them better, he will get up and he'll say what he needs to say. You know, I had my college coach in college. He used to always say, "Everything rises and falls on leadership”. I tell my guys that all the time. You have got to lead these guys; got to take guys to a place they can't take themselves. If you can do that, you're a good leader.
The 2025 season served as a breakout season for San Diego native, Lucky Sutton. Sutton earned All-Mountain West First Team honors and was named as a Doak Walker Semifinalist, an award presented to the nation’s top running back. His 1,297 rushing yards were the most by an Aztec since the 2017 season and he eclipsed 100-rushing yards on six different occasions during the season.
Despite his emergence as a key piece of the offense, Sutton continues to find motivation in striving for team success over individual accolades.
“Not focused on things individually. Just wanting to be a part of a team that wins a championship and really holds up to our potential. That's all I'm really focusing on is doing my part to contribute to a team that goes hard and wins… it's just the same mindset I came into last year. I still have a lot to prove. I've been saying that for a while now. I feel like last season had everyone says it was a decent or good season. I didn't think it was good enough. So just having that mindset that I have something to prove is just one thing. I'm just having that mentality coming into this season”
Sutton spoke to the pedigree of the San Diego State running back lineage and how coach Hagan uses the legends of the past to inspire the current Aztecs carrying the football.
“Yeah, coach speaks about them all the time, we have the legacy and the standard in our room. You know we have Marshall Faulk up there, Rashaad Penny, Pump [All-time FBS rushing leader Donnel Pumphrey] up there, Ronnie Hillman, all the great backs. In our running back room, we always try to dream big and uphold to that standard and that legacy.”
Joining Sutton in the backfield is sophomore transfer Javion Kinnard, nicknamed “Chop”. Kinnard comes to The Mesa after an impactful freshman season with Colorado State. He was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team as a punt returner while seeing action in 11 games for the Rams. He totaled 56 rushing yards on just 12 attempts while also catching 18 passes for a highly efficient 228 receiving yards.
Kinnard is poised to be a Swiss Army knife for the Aztecs offense who can operate as a running back, receiver or returner. He expressed his excitement for the variety of roles he can fill on offense saying, “Being here I am learning every day and being taught the details. That's something we prep a lot, being a running back I have enthusiasm every play. I think my role is going to help us out in the receiving room a lot. We can expand the offense a lot. I notice that when I get in Coach Lewis might expand the offense, might put us in empty [an empty backfield set with the running back lining up as a receiver] but they also let me be a true running back here.”
Kinnard has also taken the time to learn from Sutton both on and off the field.
“It's crazy because, Lucky's kind of like a robot. He does everything right; you never see him do anything wrong. So, coaches have said, if you want to do what's right, look at Lucky. I could go home and for about an hour, just watch film of what they drew up for Lucky before I watch my film, and just see everything he does, and he doesn’t ever forget anything every time. I always say, you don't have to ask questions. Look at Lucky and how he does things. You'll be all right.”
The Aztecs are back on the practice field Friday for the ninth practice of the 2026 fall camp. The first game of the season will be a home matchup against the Vikings of Portland State on Saturday, September 5. SDSU’s home slate also includes a non-conference game on Sept. 19 against James Madison (7 p.m. PT), and Pac-12 home matchups with Texas State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Fresno State (Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Washington State (Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. PT) and Utah State (Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. PT).
Fall Camp Recaps
8/5/2026 Fall Practice Recap
8/6/2026 Fall Practice Recap
8/7/2026 Fall Practice Recap
8/11/2026 Fall Practice Recap
8/12/2026 Fall Practice Recap
First Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium Info
The San Diego State football team will play host to the “First Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium” on Aug. 15. Admission and parking are free at the event, but fans must claim tickets. The Aztecs will begin scrimmaging at 5:30 p.m. PT with the gates opening at 4:30 p.m. Limited concessions will be available. There will be giveaways throughout the scrimmage, including unique Aztec apparel and more. Following the scrimmage will be an autograph session. Fans will also have the chance to participate in their own Behind the Fandom video, similar to the Behind the Helmet series currently featured on GoAztecs.com. See Episode 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3 and Ep. 4.
Ticket Information
Season Tickets
Season tickets remain the best value for Aztec football at Snapdragon Stadium. Season ticket pricing has been lowered across the board to make tickets more affordable and accessible for the loyal fans and community. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets through San Diego State, which start as low as $175 ($150 plus $25 Aztec Club Membership), only $29.17 per game. This shift supports SDSU’s focus on strengthening local connections and building a gameday atmosphere worthy of the program’s next chapter. PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
Family 4-Packs
The four tickets can be purchased for $76 (plus fees), which includes parking (a combined $125 value). Additional seats can also be purchased for $20 apiece (plus fees). The four available games at Snapdragon Stadium include the Sept. 5 opener against Portland State at 6:30 p.m. PT, the Sept. 19 game vs. James Madison at 7 p.m. PT, SDSU’s inaugural Pac-12 game on Oct. 3 against Texas State at 7:30 p.m. PT and the final home game of the season on Nov. 14 vs. Utah State at 6:30 p.m. PT.
Single-Game Tickets
Single-game tickets start as low as $23, which includes all fees. PURCHASE SINGLE-GAME TICKETS