NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- San Diego State senior running back Lucky Sutton has been named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the Walter Camp Foundation announced on Monday. Sutton is one of just two players from the Pac-12 and one of 50 overall on the initial list for 2026 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
Sutton is coming off a fantastic junior season where he rushed for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year as a starter. Sutton, who was named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist for the nation’s top running back and a first-team all-conference selection, had six 100-yard games to become the 20th different Aztec with a 1,000-yard rushing season in program history (28th time overall).
Sutton’s 1,297 yards were the 13th most in SDSU single-season history and most since Rashaad Penny ran for a school-record 2,248 yards in 2017. Sutton ranked among the NCAA FBS leaders in rushing attempts (fifth, 254), rushing yards (13th, 1,297) and rushing yards per game (14th, 99.77).
Sutton was also named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list earlier this month, which is presented to the College Player of the Year. He’s also been named a preseason All-Pac-12 first-team selection by Phil Steele Magazine, Athlon Sports and Lindy’s Sports.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to 11 men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.
The 2026 Player of Year watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in early November and three finalists will be announced in early December. The 2026 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 138 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced in the second week of December.
Season tickets, single-game tickets and family four-packs are currently on sale for the San Diego State football team’s 2026 campaign, its first in the Pac-12 Conference.
SDSU’s home slate includes non-conference home games on Sept. 5 vs. Portland State (6:30 p.m. PT) and 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). The Pac-12 Championship will take place on Friday, Dec. 4 with the host being the team with the best conference record.
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.
Single-game tickets start as low as $23, which includes all fees.
After going 3-9 in the first season under Sean Lewis in 2024, SDSU improved to 9-4 in 2025, including a perfect 6-0 record at home. It was San Diego State’s first undefeated home campaign since 1996 and just the sixth in its Division I history. The Aztecs outscored the opposition, 187-41, at Snapdragon Stadium, including shutouts over Stony Brook (42-0) and California (34-0).
Lucky Sutton Named to Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
Sutton one of 50 on the preseason watch list for the player of the year.
