Aztecs' Journey: Lewis Copes with Loss, Eyes Bowl Assignment, Rebuilds Roster

A Season of Growth and Reflection

San Diego State football coach Sean Lewis took to social media on Sunday to express his pride in the players, coaches, and support staff for their remarkable turnaround this season. However, the emotional weight of the team’s recent loss at New Mexico lingered with him.

In the two days following the 23-17 double-overtime defeat, which cost SDSU a chance at the Mountain West championship, Lewis found himself reflecting on what could have been. “What more I could have done?” he pondered during a conversation on Monday afternoon. “How I could have gotten us through those four quarters cleaner, so that we didn’t lose control of our own destiny?”

Lewis emphasized the importance of taking advantage of moments when a team is in control of its fate. “There’s an unbelievable lesson there,” he said. “It’s about preparation, the moment, and taking care of the individual piece for the good of the team as you go forward in life.”

The Mountain West conference saw a four-way tie for first place, with Boise State, New Mexico, SDSU, and UNLV all finishing 6-2 in conference play. The championship game was determined by an average of computer metrics, with SDSU finishing third behind UNLV and Boise State. The Broncos will host UNLV in the title game.

Despite the loss, Lewis expressed immense pride in the season’s achievements. “I’m more pleased and proud, moreso than the wins and the losses, with the growth and resiliency and the toughness and the response from this team,” he said. This season marked a significant turnaround for the Aztecs, who finished with a 9-3 record after going 3-9 last year.

Reset and Refocus

After the loss, the coaching staff met with the players on Monday morning. The upcoming week will be a light one, with no practices as the Aztecs await their postseason assignment. Bowl matchups will be announced on Sunday.

During this time, the team will focus on resetting and refocusing. Players will have open time in the weight room to stay in shape, visits to the training room to heal, and time in the classroom as finals approach.

Once the bowl matchup is known, the team will build out their practice schedule around finals and the holidays. “Once we know where we’re playing, who we’re playing, when we’re playing,” Lewis explained, “then we’ll build out bowl practice and build that around finals and the holidays.”

QB Commitment

SDSU received a verbal commitment from Bakersfield Frontier High School quarterback Brady Campbell, who flipped from New Mexico State to join the Aztecs. The 6-foot-3 Campbell passed for 3,687 yards and 38 touchdowns during his high school career.

Campbell’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter) came just two days before the early signing period begins.

Coaching Carousel

This year has seen at least 20 coaching changes in college football. There was a flurry of firings and hirings on Sunday, with UCLA reportedly filling its open position by hiring James Madison coach Bob Chesney.

Lewis’ name was rumored in recent weeks to be in the mix for the Bruins job. When asked about speculation for other jobs, Lewis said, “It comes with the territory. There’s nothing real. There’s nothing imminent. Success leads to attention, so it’s a testament to the hard work in the program. It’s a testament to the hard work of the players.”

He deflected questions about UCLA specifically, saying, “Seems like they got a great coach. Chesney’s got a great track record, the way he builds a program up.”

The coaching carousel isn’t limited to head coaches. Staffs need to be rebuilt when there is a change at the top, with ripples coming in the assistant coach community as well.

Last year, SDSU lost its defensive coordinator, Eric Schmidt, who was hired as head coach at North Dakota. SDSU defensive line coach Rob Aurich was promoted to replace Schmidt, and now Aurich is a candidate for other jobs after guiding an SDSU defense that was among the best in the country.

“It’s very real,” Lewis said. “In the seven years that I’ve been a head coach, on average I’ve had to replace two assistants (per year). That comes with the territory. Success brings attention, whether it's players, staff or myself.”

Opt-Outs in the Offing?

This is the first time in three years that SDSU has been bowl eligible. And so this is the first time the Aztecs have been confronted by a recent postseason trend: opt-outs.

It is not uncommon for teams to see a couple of dozen players choose not to play in their bowl game in order to be healthy when the transfer portal opens (Jan. 2) or prepare for the NFL Draft.

“We started having conversations today,” Lewis said. “The thing we can take care of is our house. Getting a good understanding, or at least taking the temperature of where guys are with their mindsets and their next steps on what they’re going to do individually and how that will impact the team in two weeks, three weeks, a month.

“We’ll have one-on-ones with all of the guys over the next few days to get a feel of, are you playing in the bowl? What’s your intentions for the future? Beginning the process of reconstructing the roster as well.

“That’s what everyone is doing, right? It doesn’t matter what level you’re at or where you are this time of year, and for the next seven weeks, you need to reconstruct your roster and make sure you have enough players, high-character individuals, in your building, to make another run of it in 2026.”