Aztecs notebook: Sean Lewis processes loss, eyes bowl assignment, roster reconstruction

San Diego State football coach Sean Lewis posted a message on social media Sunday about how proud he was of the SDSU players, coaches and support staff for this season’s turnaround.

In the two days after Friday’s 23-17 double-overtime loss at New Mexico, which cost SDSU an opportunity to play for the Mountain West championship, Lewis couldn’t shake the thought of what might have been.

“What more I could have done?” he said during a conversation Monday afternoon. “How I could have gotten us through those four quarters cleaner, so that we didn’t lose control of our own destiny?

“There’s an unbelievable lesson there that can’t be lost in terms of how, when you’re in control of your own fate, you need to take advantage of those moments and that there will be a scar that we all carry as we go forward. Hopefully, it teaches us how important preparation is, how important the moment is and how important it is to take care of the individual piece for the good of the team as you go forward in life.”

There was a four-way tie for first place in the Mountain West, with Boise State, New Mexico, SDSU and UNLV all finishing 6-2 in conference play.

The championship game participants were determined by an average of computer metrics, and SDSU finished third behind UNLV and Boise State. The Broncos will host UNLV in Friday’s title game.

“It’s going to take me some time and some distance to reflect upon how special and how proud I am of the season and all the great things that we have done,” said Lewis, whose guided the Aztecs to a 9-3 record this season after going 3-9 last season. “I told them this morning that 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.”

Reset and refocus

Lewis said the staff met with the players on Monday morning. This will be a light week with no practices as the Aztecs await their postseason assignment. Bowl matchups will be announced Sunday.

The team will reset and refocus, with 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 we know where we’re playing, who we’re playing, when we’re playing,” Lewis said, “then we’ll build out bowl practice and build that around finals and the holidays.”

QB commitment

SDSU received a verbal commitment Monday 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 two days before the early signing period begins.

Coaching carousel

There have been no fewer than 20 coaching changes in college football this year.

There was a flurry of coaching firings/hirings on Sunday. On Monday, UCLA reportedly filled its open position by getting James Madison coach Bob Chesney.

Lewis’ name was rumored in recent weeks to be in the mix for the Bruins.

When asked about speculation for other jobs in general, 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.

“I’m excited about what we’re building and excited for the community’s response for us to continue to grow and get better in all areas with ticket sales, with investment in the recruitment and retention fund and them helping us finish the climb and continue to make this the best spot that one could be.”

When asked about UCLA in particular, Lewis deflected the question, 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, of course. 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 its players, staff or myself. …

“With all the talent we have in our building, I’m very concerned. Great people put our program in a great spot, so it would be awesome for everyone involved in our program, the community, the university, the administrators, for everyone to lock arms and rally together so that we can keep all the talent here, with the way that we’re moving forward, and elevate the program together.”

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.”