SDSU Football Begins 2026 Fall Camp

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State football team conducted its first practice of the 2026 fall camp on Wednesday at the on-campus facility.

The camp opener went for just over two hours under cloudy skies and temperatures in the low-to-mid-70s. The Aztecs utilized both the turf practice field and the grass field, taking advantage of fresh legs and enthusiasm for a team that improved from 3-9 in the first season under head coach Sean Lewis to 9-4 last year.

After special teams and position meetings, a walk-thru, warm-ups and stretching, SDSU opened with special teams drills and worked on the turf for the next hour. Some of the segments included pops, win drills, individual drills and tempo reps. The team transitioned to the grass field and worked on 1-on-1s, tempo skelly, 1-on-1 skelly and team tempo.

Lewis was happy with day one of his third season on The Mesa and first year in the Pac-12 Conference.

“It’s good to be back and it was awesome to have great day one energy,” said Lewis. “The boys were flying around. It was a good day of work and a good start (to camp). We had some really good energy and enthusiasm. I’m excited about where we are at.”

Lewis is looking forward to having some familiarity in the offense, including returning starters in all the offensive skill positions in quarterback Jayden Denegal, running back Lucky Sutton, and wide receivers Jacob Bostick, Donovan Brown and Jordan Napier. In all, seven starters are back on offense.

“I’ve been asked that question a ton ever since we were able to retain those guys and bring everybody back,” said Lewis. “I really don’t know how to articulate how impactful that it is. To have the quarterback back, our skill back who know the mechanics and our tempo mechanics. We ran as many plays in the team tempo period of camp since we’ve been here. That speaks to their knowledge and the foundation of where we are at. I’m excited to dive into the depth of the detail and for them to master their craft with the enthusiasm that those guys showed up with today as we go forward.”

The Aztec defense, meanwhile, returns only two starters from a unit that ranked among the top 25 in the country in pass efficiency defense (2nd, 100.4), red zone defense (3rd, .690), defensive touchdowns (5th, 4), points allowed per game (6th, 15.4), passing yards allowed per game (6th, 164.2), first downs allowed (10th, 209), total defense (11th, 293.7), third-down percentage (13th, .322) and interceptions (14th, 15). SDSU led the nation with three shutouts, the most in its Division I history (since 1969).

“The one thing I’ve learned in 40 years on this earth is that change and adversity is always going to find you,” said Lewis. “It’s year three, but it’s year one for this team. We talked about the continuity offensively. It’s a lack of continuity defensively. There are things that are always evolving and we have to adapt.”

SDSU is coming off a 9-4 season, 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).

“I’m excited about the family 4-pack that was released today, where you can bring your best friends or family, and (you get) four tickets plus parking for only $76,” said Lewis. “It’s an unbelievable value and a great opportunity to get into Snapdragon Stadium, the best college football stadium to watch a game at. It’s a great product with a great group of young men, and we are looking forward to spending our Saturdays at Snapdragon Stadium together.”

Senior running back Lucky Sutton has been happy with the team’s offseason conditioning, which will help push the offense this year.

“This summer we've been running more than we ever have since (head of football performance) Jeff Sobel got here,” Sutton said. “We have to speed up this offense this season and I feel it’s going to pay off. It paid off for me today. We were running some tempo and, last year after the third play I started to feel heavier, but today it felt like a breeze.

“The whole team had a great energy today. It's day one, but I'm very excited to see how we go throughout camp.”

Sutton was recently named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for the college player of the year. Last season, Sutton rushed for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year as a starter en route to being named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist for the nation’s top running back and a first-team all-conference selection. His 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.

Senior EDGE Brady Nassar is ready to show that the Aztec defense will be ready to play despite all the new faces.

“Come to practice, you'll see us flying around,” Nassar said. “We have a good squad, we have a lot of talent. I think right now it's just getting everyone used to our defense with a lot of new bodies and new systems. I think everyone is getting used to their positions and how each other  plays. Once we get that down, the talent will show out on the field.”

Nassar is anxious to get the season underway after losing at New Mexico in the final regular-season game a year ago, which kept San Diego State from making the Mountain West Championship because of computer metrics.

“I think if you ask anyone on that team, that's a game I'll never forget,” Nassar said. “That's a moment I'll never forget. I remember standing on the sideline during that OT. Wow could you forget that? So of course, there's motivation, but everything is motivation. We’ll take the good and the bad of last season, put it on our chest and wear it on our heart.”

Nassar had 20 tackles last year, including 0.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries.

The second of 26 fall practices before the opener against Portland State on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Snapdragon Stadium is set for Thursday morning. 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)..

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