Aztecs notebook: Kyle Moretti picked as interim edges coach for New Mexico Bowl

Kyle Moretti was a linebacker for San Diego State last season.

Moretti was a graduate assistant for SDSU this season.

Now, he is the Aztecs’ interim edges coach for their Dec. 27 New Mexico Bowl game against North Texas.

That’s quite a rise through the ranks. Did Moretti see this coming?

“No, no, not at all,” Moretti said after Tuesday morning’s practice. “But it’s the same thing as a player. You know what I mean? You’ve got to be ready. You can’t let the guys down. Every day we work, and if someone goes down, or whatever may be, we can’t let each other down. That’s the culture here.”

The move comes after SDSU edges coach Roy Manning followed former SDSU defensive coordinator Rob Aurich to Nebraska.

SDSU cornerbacks coach Demetrius Sumler was named interim defensive coordinator last week after Aurich’s departure. Now Moretti steps up to coach guys he was playing alongside just 12 months ago. He will get support from Sumler and defensive line coach David Lose, among others.

“I’m just trying to find ways to push these guys,” Moretti said. “What do they need to get better at? That just comes back to the relationships we’ve built and being with these guys.

“It’s a great group to work with. They know the standard as much as me, and they hold themselves to it.”

A Central Michigan transfer, Moretti finished the 2024 season with 60 tackles.

He is in the first year of a two-year MBA program at SDSU.

Starting CBs on sideline

SDSU starting cornerbacks Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips have both been practice observers lately.

Johnson has been at each practice, wearing his No. 1 jersey while watching from the sideline. Phillips has been absent from some practices, though he was on the sideline Tuesday morning in street clothes.

“Chris is here, he’s working to get healthy,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “Bryce has, through his actions, chosen, it looks, to start his draft process.”

Senior Deshawn McCuin and redshirt freshman Isaiah Buxton would move into starting roles if Johnson and Phillips don’t appear in the bowl game.

McCuin has 12 tackles and one interception in 11 games this season. Buxton has played in eight games, mostly on special teams.

Senior cornerback Xavier Hamlett also has been absent from practice and has apparently left the team.

Freshman quarterback JP Mialovski was not at practice Tuesday morning, though he is still listed on the Aztecs’ roster.

SDSU opt outs

SDSU’s defensive line will be without junior transfers Jared Badie and August Salvati for the bowl game. Both players intend to re-enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2, and their names have been removed from the roster.

Badie had eight tackles and four quarterback hurries in 11 games. Salvati had only six tackles in 11 games, but it included 31/2 sacks. He also had one interception.

Badie played two seasons for SDSU after transferring from Illinois. Salvati arrived this year from Central Michigan.

North Texas news

On3sports.com reported Tuesday that North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who leads the nation with 4,129 passing yards, is expected to enter the transfer portal. He could be headed to Indiana or Oklahoma State, where North Texas coach Eric Morris was hired last week.

Mestemaker, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman from Austin, Texas, has thrown 31 touchdown passes this season, helping North Texas lead the nation in scoring offense with 44.8 points a game. His status for the bowl game has not been addressed.

The backup quarterbacks for the Mean Green are senior Reese Poffenbarger and freshman Chris Jimerson Jr. They have combined to throw nine passes this season for 73 yards and one touchdown.