5 players who will define San Diego State football's first Pac-12 season

Aztecs counting on these returnees to lead them into the new Pac-12

San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Jayden Denegal (4). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

Quarterback Jayden Denegal and running back Lucky Sutton were the key contributors to San Diego State’s turnaround season last fall, combining for nearly 70% of the Aztecs’ offensive production.

Both players are back for the senior season and ready to lead the Aztecs into the first year of the reborn Pac-12 Conference. 

Senegal had surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder in December so that he could be ready for offseason workouts. Sutton was named to the preseason First Team All-Pac-12 by Athlon. 

As the Aztecs prepare for their first season in the eight-team Pac-12, here are their five most important players:

Quarterback Jayden Denegal, senior

It’s been rare in recent seasons that the Aztecs have had a returning quarterback, so Denegal will bring continuity to the position even as he looks to improve on his numbers from last season. 

Senegal came to SDSU after three seasons at Michigan, where he was J.J. McCarthy’s backup during the 2023 national championship season, although he didn’t take a snap the whole year. He appeared in just seven games during his time in Ann Arbor.

Last year was Denegal’s first as a college starter and he made it through all 12 regular-season games before opting for surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder, which he injured just a few plays into the season opener. He was able to play through that injury as well as a sore right shoulder, although that injury limited his practice time as the season wore on.

During spring drills, he said he wanted to improve on his numbers from last year, when he completed 143 of 243 passes for 1,807 yards and nine touchdowns, with eight interceptions.  

Running back Lucky Sutton, senior

Sutton had a breakout season as he became the bell cow for an offense that once again will rely on him to pile up the yards. He’s a local kid, having played at Cathedral Catholic, and he chose to finish his college career on Montezuma Mesa rather than shop himself around.

Sutton was honored as a first-team All-Mountain West pick after setting career-highs with 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s already made one preseason All-Pad-12 team and likely will make more. 

Wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr., senior

Emanuel will still be wearing No. 5 for the Aztecs, but he’ll be lining up at wide receiver, not waiting for a chance to spell Denegal as the backup QB like he did last year. 

The son of the former NFL wide receiver made the switch to better utilize his big-play talents and allow both him and Denegal to be on the field at the same time. 

He showed what he could do when he started the New Mexico Bowl and gained 170 yards and scored twice on just 11 carries, including runs of 72 and 69 yards. But he was injured in the second half and didn’t return in a wild 49-47 loss to North Texas.

Left tackle Joe Borjon, senior

Borjon is expected to be the linchpin on the offensive line, where there will be three new starters. He’ll move from right tackle to left tackle, where he’ll have the important job of protecting Denegal’s blind side. He’s a senior, too, and will be teammates with his younger brother Brian, also an offensive lineman. 

Safety Dalesean Staley, senior

The ballhawking defense set the tone for SDSU last season, including three shutout victories. There was a ton of attrition on this side of the ball, which makes the return of Staley for his third season as a starter that much more important. 

He is the secondary’s only returning starter and looks to build on a season in which he had 81 total tackles, second on the team, including 40 solo. He also had one interception and forced a fumble.