Who will replace Marquez Cooper as San Diego State's running back?
Marquez Cooper was a bright spot on San Diego State’s offense during the 2024 campaign. A fifth-year senior running back who had previously played for head coach Sean Lewis at Kent State, Cooper spent his final collegiate season with the Aztecs after playing at Ball State in 2023.
Cooper ended the season with more than 1,400 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns, leading an offense that had its share of struggles in Lewis’ first season as head coach.
With Cooper out of the mix in 2025, San Diego State must figure out who is ready to step up in the one-back offensive attack employed by Lewis. The Aztecs have four running backs on the spring roster and will add true freshman Jordin Thomas when he arrives on campus in the summer.
Senior Cam Davis and junior Lucky Sutton each received carries last season while backing up Cooper though opportunities were few and far between. Cooper was fourth in the country with 292 rush attempts while Davis had 14 and Sutton had five.
Davis will be in his fifth season with San Diego State in 2025 and has played in 35 games, providing valuable experience to the running back room. He had 98 carries over the two seasons prior to Cooper’s arrival and should see that number go back up in his final year.
Sutton had a breakout season as a senior at Cathedral Catholic, rushing for 2,628 yards and finding the end zone 41 times while going up against a topflight schedule. He’s played in 10 games over his three seasons with the Aztecs, battling injuries throughout. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Sutton rushed 30 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Cincere Rhaney redshirted last season after tearing his ACL in summer workouts after arriving on campus. Rhaney had a dominant three seasons at Serra High in Gardena, surpassing 1,000 yards in each season. As a senior, averaged 10 yards per carry and scored 23 touchdowns.
“He’s moving around as good as he has since he’s been here,” head coach Sean Lewis said of Rhaney earlier this week.
The newest addition to the running back room is redshirt junior Christian Washington. A standout at nearby Helix High, Washington scored 60 touchdowns over his 33 high school games, rushing for 2,241 yards as a senior. He played two seasons at New Mexico, making his mark as a dynamic kick returner. Washington played this past season at Coastal Carolina, rushing for 537 yards and five touchdowns.
Lewis appears content with the group of running backs that San Diego State has to choose from heading into year two.
“Looking forward to that competition and how they push each other going forward,” Lewis said.
San Diego State opens the 2025 season on August 28 against Stony Brook at Snapdragon Stadium.
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Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.