Jayden Denegal gets first opportunity as starter in Aztecs’ FanFest scrimmage

Jayden Denegal and his San Diego State teammates warmed up Thursday evening for a Snapdragon Stadium scrimmage under the watchful eyes of the SDSU coaching staff.

There was one man among the coaches who could relate to what is in store for Denegal, the Michigan transfer who on Wednesday was named SDSU’s starting quarterback.

It was two weeks before the 2008 season when Ryan Lindley found himself in similar circumstances at Qualcomm Stadium, which stood for half a century a long pass east of where Denegal and Co. went about their business.

Lindley was aiming to succeed Kevin O’Connell as the Aztecs’ starting QB at the time. A Union-Tribune report on the preseason scrimmage the following day described Lindley’s performance this way: “Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley did nothing to alter his status as the team’s presumptive starter, completing 11-of-13 passes for 124 yards. Lindley’s performance included a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Mekell Wesley.”

Lindley was SDSU’s starter the following four seasons. He set numerous school records before he was finished, including becoming the Aztecs’ career leader in passing yardage (12,690) and touchdowns (90).

It was suggested Wednesday that the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Denegal could be the best quarterback the Aztecs have had since Lindley departed following the 2011 season.

“He’s as good a guy as we’ve had around here in a long time,” Lindley said. “He’s going to have lot of fun and we’re going to have fun doing it with him through the ups and downs. He’s a guy who has taken on every piece of it. You’ve got to be a leader. You’ve got to be a guy who is able to not only get down and dirty with the guys but at the same time be a guy everybody looks to when it’s going rough.

“He encompasses a lot of that. Obviously, he’s picked up a lot from the leadership styles of the people he’s been around. He’s still a local Southern California kid, so I think he takes a lot of pride in being back home and being with the Aztecs and knowing that he’s our guy and we’ve got faith in him and confidence. He’s going to take off and run with that.”

Denegal and backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who competed throughout the spring and into fall camp for QB1, alternated series during the first half of Thursday’s scrimmage, which was contested two weeks before SDSU’s Aug. 28 season opener against Stony Brook. An estimated 500 fans gathered to get a glimpse of the Aztecs.

The first two drives directed by Denegal (6-for-13, 55 yards) ended with 53- and 41-yard field goals. He had a pair of catchable deep throws dropped by receivers. He also missed on a couple attempts with receivers open for first-down yardage.

Emanuel’s first opportunity ended abruptly when senior safety Deshawn McCuin intercepted a tipped pass that would have been returned 40 yards for a touchdown had officials not blown the play dead when McCuin was at the 10-yard line. Emanuel (6-for-13, 134 yards, TD/INT) found wide receiver Myles Kitt-Denton wide open over the middle in the second period for an 86-yard touchdown.

Junior Kyle Crum was the first of three reserve QBs to get an opportunity in the second half.

Lindley wasn’t surprised Denegal won the job: “He’s been playing and carrying himself with that presence. You dress for the job you want. He’s been doing that with the way he’s been playing here in camp.”

SDSU coach Sean Lewis and offensive coordinator Matt Johnson told Denegal on Tuesday night that he earned the job. Lindley was asked if he remembered how got the news 17 years ago when he was named the starter.

“Oooh, man, I don’t,” Lindley said. “Way too many hits between now and then. I guess maybe for me, it was by default. I just went in with the confidence that I had it, then I figured it out from that point.

“I sure hope he’s better than me in my first year. I’m pretty confident in that. I know that. The No. 1 thing you look at is JD has the ability to create a little bit on the move. You can improvise with him.”

Lindley was on the coaching staff at Utah in 2020 when the Utes were recruiting Denegal, whose older brother played basketball at the school.

“So that was always the comparison,” Lindley said. “Like, man, this guy is going to be that big, power-forward quarterback. To see him now, three, four years later, he can move. He’s probably more of the swing 3 than the big.

“He’s a big guy. But he can move around. He can create. I think that’s the No. 1 thing in the game now. Everybody’s so fast and defenses are so dynamic. You can’t have the old stiff guy throwing it from the pocket anymore. You’ve got to move around. You’ve got to create plays, and he’s shown the ability to do that throughout camp.”

Could Denegal reach a different level than  SDSU fans have seen at the position for more than a decade now?

“I think so, for sure,” Lindley said. “With what we’re going to ask him to do and, obviously, with the pieces he’s got around him … The supporting cast that he has is, I think, complete. We feel good about the guys that have carried over getting into Year 2 in the system. But top to bottom, offensive line, tight ends, running backs, receivers, I think he’s got a great group to work with, too, that we all feel like we’re playing fast.

“It helps to make decisions sitting back there when the bullets are flying when you trust the guys around you. I think he’s  going to be able to do that, as compared to last year when we were all learning on the fly.”

Room to roam?

Running back Lucky Sutton got five carries all last season. He got that many in a series while starring at Cathedral Catholic High School and earning section Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Sutton’s workload will increase this season as the projected starter in the backfield. The first sign of Sutton’s time when the  6-1, 220-pound junior took a handoff from Denegal on the opening play of the scrimmage. The play was whistled dead almost as soon as Sutton touched the ball and a defender brushed him.

In an effort to avoid injuries, there was no tackling in the scrimmage. That made it difficult to draw much from the workout as far as playmaking.

Two other local products — senior Byron Cardwell Jr. (St. Augustine High School) and junior Christian Washington (Helix High School) — followed Sutton into the backfield.

A case for the defense

These annual scrimmages two weeks before the season opener have been dominated by the defense for more than a decade. That includes last year, when the Aztecs produced a pair of first-half field goals before scoring three second-half touchdowns.

With starters returning at virtually every position on defense, it was anticipated that the defense would be ahead of the offense in the scrimmage.

The difference between last year and this year on defense?

“There were a lot of big changes that needed to be made, whether it was weight, speed or ball knowledge,” said SDSU junior Krishna Clay, a returning starter at defensive tackle. “Right now it’s just refining the small details and doing them consistently good, not occasionally great.”

The 6-2 Clay, who had 40 tackles last season that included 1 1/2 sacks, said he has boosted his weight to 295 without a loss in foot speed. That and a year of experience in the 4-2-5 defense for so many of the defenders has raised expectations for the unit.

“The foundation we built last year is now the starting point,” Clay said. “The connection is something that is already there. It’s not needed to be rebuilt. That’s a huge, huge piece of defense.

“You’ve got to trust that everybody will do their job to get things done. I can’t play my game if I don’t trust the guy next to me. Knowing everybody around me makes it much easier to play more fluidly.”

Seasoned secondary

The last line of defense has the potential to be the biggest strength. Cornerbacks Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips and safeties Eric Butler, Dalesean Staley and McCuin all are returning senior starters.

“Our whole DB room has tons of experience,” Butler said. “My expectation is to be the best in the league and one of the best secondaries in the nation.

He said a benefit of playing together is “presnap communication, getting everyone on the same page. That’s one (thing). Two, as probably all the fans could tell, we got beat on a lot of flea-flickers and a lot of reverses because we were aggressive in our breaks. We can take a step forward and make sure we really trust in what we’re seeing. … By aggressive, I mean we break off our man and get our eyes back to the quarterback too early.”

That’s when they would get burnt by a double move or flea-flicker, Butler said.

“So we just have to keep our eyes on our man a little bit longer,” he said.

The footprint is changing at SDSU Mission Valley as the first phase of residential/retail construction begins. ⁦@AztecFB⁩ fans will notice a section of the Orange Lot that was fenced off today just east of ⁦@SnapdragonStdm⁩. pic.twitter.com/2VSVy6vbO6

— Kirk D Kenney (@sdutkirKDKenney) August 13, 2025

Changing footprint

The SDSU Mission Valley footprint is changing as the first phase of residential/retail development begins on the 135-acre property.

Aztecs fans attending the scrimmage noticed a large section of the Orange Lot fenced off just west of Snapdragon Stadium.

The area’s proximity to the stadium made it a favored tailgate area. The approximately 600 cars that parked there will now need to relocate to other parts of the Orange or Yellow lots or those fans may want to consider taking the trolley to the stadium.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for the new project. According to the university, the development provides for 621 apartments and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space that includes a grocery store.

By the way, Sunday is the five-year anniversary of groundbreaking for the Mission Valley site. Snapdragon Stadium opened two years later.