What the San Diego State quarterbacks said after second fall camp practice

The most intriguing position battle this fall camp for the San Diego State Aztecs is between junior transfers Jayden Denegal from Michigan and Bert Emanuel Jr. from Central Michigan.

They have gotten the bulk of the snaps since arriving on campus in January.

The two quarterbacks spoke to the media after the second practice of camp.

Denegal spoke about what he learned by playing behind J.J. McCarthy, now with the Minnesota Vikings.

“I think what I'm bringing from Michigan is, even though I didn't play as much, I learned so much behind him in that national championship year,” said Denegal, who spent three seasons with the Wolverines, including their 2023 national championship season. “Just learning how to prepare, how to attack every game and what a winning team looks like.”

Second-year head coach Sean Lewis has said the staff hopes to name the starter shortly after a public scrimmage on Aug. 14. The Aztecs open the season at home against Stony Brook on Aug. 28.

True freshman Danny O’Neil transferred after last season. Junior Kyle Crum is the only current SDSU quarterback to throw a pass, and that was in 2022 when, as a true freshman, he was 5 of 17 for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Here are the highlights of what the Aztecs QBs and their coach said

Denegal on specifics he learned from McCarthy

“I kind of just learned how to be a leader. And I'm going to take from what he did weekly and how he prepared Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for Saturday, when we go out there and play. So the biggest thing is preparation and help building the team camaraderie.”

Emanuel on wanting to be a great teammate

“I talked to JD when we first got here. I was like, ‘You want the job, I’ll be the best teammate I can be for you. If you need to look at something I will look at it for you.’ And he was like, ‘If you want the job, I’ll do the same for you.’ Obviously I want to win it, but if I don’t, at the end, I’ll be the best teammate I could be. Whatever they need me to do. But I’ll have that conversation then, because right now I’m competing for the (starting job).”

Aztec offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Johnson on the QBs’ growth

“They had a good spring, but then the work that they put in with all the player-led practices throughout the summer, they were able to go read through or go back through the install. So now this is really their third iteration going through this. There hasn't been a ton of wrinkles yet throughout camp with it just being the first two days, so just the consistency and the growth piece, because this isn't spring one for these guys. This isn't the first time that they're hearing (the calls). And so far through two days, they've done a good job.”

Johnson on the work ethic shown by Denegal and Emanuel

“The thing that I think everybody sees is the arm talent (of Denegal) and the big plays. But the way that he won the team over, I think, and Bert did an unbelievable job of that too. Those guys came in humble and hungry, and, either one of them came in with a ‘look at my kind of mindset’, and I think that that spoke volumes to the team. When you put your head down and you work, those leadership roles will find you.”

Johnson on Denegal’s physical talent

“Jayden obviously has a big arm. I think his decision making has gotten a lot better. And I also think that that comes with time within the system, and that goes for really all of them.”

Johnson on Crum

“Crum brings that steadiness to the room. A guy who’s been here, he’s gone through the system. This is his second time, so when he steps out there, I know that all 11 guys are going to be on the same page.”