Front Row Seat: SDSU gets a win over Utah Valley
Yesterday was also National Signing Day for college football.
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Darren Smith
John Gennaro
San Diego State Aztecs
Aztecs get back to winning ways, top Utah Valley at Viejas Arena - San Diego Union-Tribune
After dropping three of four and five of seven going back to last season, the Aztecs rediscovered their hard-hat roots and blue-collared their way to a much needed 77-66 victory Wednesday night at Viejas Arena against a Utah Valley team fresh off wins by 22 and 44.
They also discovered that their other true freshman, Tae Simmons, can play, too.
Elzie Harrington started his second straight game, the earliest a true freshman has cracked the SDSU starting lineup in a decade. Simmons, an undersized power forward at 6-foot-6, was fighting for rotation minutes that figured to vanish with the return of 7-foot Magoon Gwath, until he erupted for 15 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench Wednesday.
What San Diego State football coach Sean Lewis said about the Aztecs’ recruiting class - Sports Illustrated
SDSU moves into the new-look Pac-12 next year, along with fellow MW teams Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State. They’ll join legacies Washington State and Oregon State, and fellow newcomer Texas State. Gonzaga is also joining, but in football only.
Lewis said the Aztecs beat out multiple Power Four programs for some signees and that 12 will be mid-year enrollees.
“It's a strong class, (with) numerous state championships. It's the highest cumulative GPA class that we have signed. They're tremendous leaders in their communities (and) men of great character,” Lewis said.
Aztecs welcome Class of 2026 to program as NCAA early signing period begins - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego State coach Sean Lewis still regards high school signings as the lifeblood of a program.
“High school recruiting and what we did throughout the whole year beyond today is going to be the core and the backbone of what your roster is,” Lewis said. “That’s like the NFL Draft.
“Then you utilize the portal as free agency, to know, hey, where are the holes as we round out our signing class and we get a feel for what the stablization of our roster and rentention is going to be, as other people are still actively trying to steal away our really, really good players. So we need the community to help us finish the climb and make sure we have the resources to retain our players, because they’re not going to stay here for free.”
