Sean Lewis Has San Diego State Rolling. What’s Subsequent?

How does a College of Wisconsin grad from Illinois, who spent an enormous chunk of his teaching life in Ohio, find yourself wanting like the subsequent large factor coach at a spot like San Diego State?

And the way does he do it by going in opposition to what made him a sizzling identify within the first place?

Lewis did not do a lot as a decent finish for the Badgers, however he rapidly grew right into a rising star coach with an offensive type that went quick, quick, quick.

CFN Interview with San Diego State Head Coach Sean Lewis

At simply 31, he took over a woeful Kent State program and turned it right into a winner with a bowl victory in 2019. His offense went 1000 miles per hour, made everybody regulate, and it was what Deion Sanders wished at Colorado.

Lewis was in Boulder for only one season, left to turn out to be the top coach at San Diego State, and the outcomes weren’t nice in a 3-9 season. Final yr, although, his offense was okay, however the protection was the most effective within the nation.

Now, at 40, he is yet another nice season away from getting an extended look from the massive applications. Here is our interview with the Aztec head coach going into the 2026 season.
– 2026 San Diego State Preview

Commercial

CFN: How outdoors of the field is San Diego State football-wise in comparison with Wisconsin, Kent State, and all over the place else you have been?

Sean Lewis: It was definitely totally different.

Yeah, I imply, it is humorous. The primary yr, you suppose it is going to be wildly totally different and possibly attempt to be extra West Coast than Midwest in some methods, and then you definitely notice that, no, all of us do the identical factor. Like, these guys simply want self-discipline, some construction, and be good to go.

You, the FlashFast-turned-AztecFast offensive coach – the place did that protection come from final yr? (The Aztecs completed sixth within the nation in scoring protection and eleventh in complete protection, however these numbers are a bit skewed with nearly all of its stars gone earlier than the wild bowl loss to North Texas.)

It is San Diego, you suppose, groovy and surfers, however Rocky Lengthy had some superb defenses in his period. And there is what (Brian) Dutcher does with the hoops facet – they’re at an entire different stage. It is a hard-nosed place. I feel that is what we’re; it is one thing we realized, and it is sort of this double-edged sword.

You possibly can recruit anyplace due to how superb this place is. However you higher make sure that the individual you are bringing in is wired the fitting manner in order that they don’t seem to be distracted by the temptations. And so having a hard-nosed, centered particular person is de facto necessary to us.

Having nice self-discipline, being a bodily workforce, and doing arduous issues within the offseason the best way that we do does have a steadiness. This previous Friday we went to the seaside – we at all times do the issues San Diego has to supply to steadiness out the arduous stuff, however I feel how we go about it to do issues in a manner that is uniquely particular.

After which the people that we get to rub shoulders with are additionally very distinctive. So, yeah, it is a particular place.

On the time, it was straightforward to see precisely why you had been the rent. New stadium, new developments, new plan to make this San Diego’s soccer workforce – SDSU wanted somebody with a high-powered offense to carry the followers in. After which, final yr, you changed into the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. As a coach, how did you pivot that quick?

It was the timing, and we saved engaged on it. The Colorado State sport (it was a 45-24 SDSU win), the place it was all of the issues that we knew we’re able to being. It was sort of proper on schedule with all the opposite locations that I have been lucky to be part of flipping.

So it was sort of that candy spot of 12 months Two, Sport 4, Sport 5 – that’s the place issues hit the street for the offense and our type of play, and guys actually understood how we needed to attempt to win video games.

We had back-to-back weeks there of Colorado State and Nevada (a 44-10 SDSU win), the place we’re lighting the scoreboard up and doing all of the issues. After which, sadly, in subsequent weeks, we misplaced our high two vast receivers.

So, okay, we’ll have sufficient humility to take your ego out of it. It has nothing to do with ego or private types, and has every little thing to do with being loyal to the workforce and profitable and doing what’s finest for this system.

And the best way that we finally performed it was the best way that we did. That was for the betterment of the workforce, so we may place ourselves to win. As a result of that is the final word purpose to place ourselves in these spots.

Commercial

However you’d most likely reasonably go 100 miles per hour, proper?

I wish to win, however yeah, for positive. It’s a must to adapt, and I feel what everybody’s studying on this present atmosphere is that, yeah, you’ve your program pillars and you’ve got your methods of the way you wish to do it. And clearly we’re recruiting to that expertise and every little thing for a sure model and magnificence of play, and we’ll get again to our ethos of enjoying quick, however every year is its personal beast in and of itself.

When this offensive type works, and the opposite facet cannot hit the fastball, neglect it – however there’s clearly that flip facet. How do you do what you need on offense – (Lane) Kiffin had that difficulty final yr within the Georgia loss – realizing your protection will most likely be gassed within the fourth quarter?

Yeah, yeah. I imply, like, all of us have our types, proper? And all of us have our manner that we wish to go about it, however on the finish of the day, you have to know, okay, what does the state of affairs dictate? And I feel that is the place I’ve advanced as a head coach over time, like early on at Kent State. I used to be calling it like an offensive coordinator, simply attempting to outscore everybody …

Nicely, critically, Kent State … you have to do one thing totally different.

Positive. Completely. Proper? Nevertheless it’s like, yeah, you get to some extent the place you notice, okay, hey, the opponent’s not on the opposite boundary anymore. Like, the opponents, the clock, and we’re able that, if you know the way to handle the conditions correctly, and you have educated this system properly sufficient to know that that is how we win, you regulate.

And that is the place, once more, we have a fantastic employees, and now we have nice management that inside our workforce, I can early within the week say, “all proper, look, like, that is the opponent that we’re enjoying.

Here is how they play, here is their tradition, here is how they win, and here is how we’re gonna counteract that, and here is how we’re gonna play this week in all three phases.”

And now we have super buy-in to the place guys know, okay, if the coaches are pointed on this route, that is how we’ll achieve success, and I feel that is our job as a employees.

Each week and yearly is, okay, as we construct the workforce or as we construct the plan every week, how will we win? That is the final word purpose. After which, what function does every coach, every participant, every part of the sport have to play in that plan to go win that week?

So long as we hold profitable, you already know, once more, are there type factors to it to promote tickets? Positive, completely. There is a motive I went to the decision middle to get on the telephone and to do all these issues, and do all issues that we have to do, however finally, let’s simply win.

You clearly by no means wish to see a school child get injured or something like that, however your protection saved knocking quarterbacks out of the sport in some unspecified time in the future. That appeared like a fairly good approach to win.

Yeah, after all – our protection may actually assault and make issues occur. It was at all times one thing – it was both a brand new quarterback or a brand new playcaller. We acquired actually good at managing chaos and the unknowns.

Commercial

Is the concept that together with your offense, you do not wish to screw up as a result of you already know the protection will shine, or perhaps you’ll be able to take extra probabilities as a result of the protection will clear up the messes …

However the one factor that we at all times wish to be – we really talked about as a employees this morning – is that we wish to be disciplined and default to being aggressive in all three phases it doesn’t matter what.

I can go for it on fourth down and midfield as a result of I do know that our protection has our again, or, hey, push the ball vertically down the sphere offensively, as a result of we all know that we will take photographs and we’re looking explosive performs.

Or perhaps it is a faux punt, or it is a swinging gate play, realizing that we’ll rating extra later or the protection goes to do such a fantastic job suffocating the opponent that we’re enjoying.

However, yeah, in all three phases, we wish to have our youngsters feeling assured to play quick, to play aggressively, and to be dictating greater than reacting in all phases of the sport.

To not hold hammering on this – am I studying something into the Wisconsin background, like the way it was finished below Barry Alvarez going floor and pound?

We wish to have our scheme be a number of, and we educate it in a manner that, once more, week to week or no matter performs out, no matter we’ll need to cope with, the soccer sport has ultimate down upon us.

The primary half of the season, we had all of our items. The again half of the season, we misplaced some actually key items, so having a scheme be numerous sufficient and easy sufficient to have the ability to get to it in numerous methods. After which once more, as a employees and as gamers and as a program, to be humble sufficient to appreciate, okay, let’s have a look within the mirror.

No matter our strengths proper now, how will we play and recruit to win, realizing that after we win, everybody will probably be in a greater place?

Whether or not that is particular person NIL for the fellows, or collectively as coaches and new alternatives. Whenever you regarded on the bowl sport, once more, whenever you misplaced all people, I imply, you are all the way down to the fourth string, you have misplaced all of the defensive guys, you throw the best choice on the market.

Unexpectedly, it is like, okay, let’s wheelhouse the offensive type. It was a enjoyable shootout, however I assumed it was actually indicative of the tradition that we have created and the well being of this system that by means of change and adversity, we’re at all times going to be there, and we won’t boo-hoo about it.

It must be about “What can we do? Who can play?” Like, “So what? Now what?” Let’s go put the ball down and let’s go get it on.

To not kiss up, however the best way your workforce saved combating within the bowl (a 49-47 loss to North Texas within the New Mexico Bowl) regardless of all of the accidents and lacking a lot expertise – that felt, like, “that is the teaching.”

Commercial

That is the type of this system. Yeah, I want to suppose now we have some affect on that, however I feel it was additionally most likely, extra importantly, the gamers believing that regardless of who it’s, let’s go combat, let’s go compete, and switch it into no matter it must be to go have some success.

However there are few alternatives that our guys get to go play; now we get to educate. That makes this sport so distinctive and so particular. So it is okay, we’re enjoying within the New Mexico Bowl. That is superior. Let’s go play. At no time limit was it like, “Oh, boo-hoo.” No, we have to go play.

We may go play, they get to go, we get to go coach, boys get to go play, and let’s GO. Let’s go combine it up, proper? And I feel for those who simply love competing and enjoying the best way that the individuals in our constructing do, why would you flip down that chance? Like, so what if we misplaced so many gamers? Go play.

In your world, does being the Pac-12 resonate? You are still enjoying a variety of the identical groups, however that is going to be the factor for the nationwide profile. Do recruits even know what the Pac-12 is?

Yeah, however they’re younger children. On a nationwide stage, what is the worth? I do not know. On this workplace, after we get to speak about shifting to the Pac-12, the impression that it has for our program is large. The mother and father, guardians, coaches, and former gamers perk up, after which the gamers perk up, as properly.

That issues. That is actual. It is gotten us some conversations and commitments that I do not consider we’d have been in or acquired if we weren’t capable of speak about being within the Pac-12 Convention.

Does that change the recruiting focus of the Washington and Oregon space as properly? Or is it actually extra centered on attempting to personal Southern California?

Commercial

Yeah, I imply, the precedence is at all times going to be about recruiting at residence. It was one of many issues wanting on the roster once I first acquired the gig. We had been going to hammer on Southern California and do a fantastic job there. However the Pac-12 has allowed us to faucet into the Pacific Northwest, and that was sort of at all times a part of the three-to-five yr plan.

Reestablish a powerful basis again in Southern California, and there is such an inflow in inhabitants in Phoenix, and so many who come over to San Diego for trip. So there is a familiarity with that as properly.

However now, increasing our attain to the Pacific Northwest, the place traditionally, we have some actually good gamers out of as a program, and tapping into Texas, due to the addition of Texas State and the attain of the convention.

We have most likely seen extra of an impression there, as properly, with a few of our teaching employees, their connections to these areas in Houston and DFW and Austin and every little thing. So it is allowed us to get in dwelling rooms, despite the fact that I have not been in a lounge for, you already know, two years now, given the principles and every little thing. However yeah, it is allowed us to have some nice, nice conversations.

Severely, who does not take a recruiting journey to San Diego?

Paradise. I imply, like our shut charge is over 85%, unofficially. So we have to do a fantastic job vetting out who we carry right here as a result of, yeah, this place reveals off now. I imply, it is the rationale why it is America’s favourite metropolis.

And it has turn out to be extra nationwide, with San Diego State having such a much bigger nationwide profile. Have you ever seen this in any respect in recruiting?

Commercial

Yeah, and I feel this era that we’re recruiting proper now will get it. Their world is a lot extra related than ours ever was, proper? I used to be at all times desirous about issues regionally once I was popping out of highschool, whereas I feel the era now simply has such extra of a world imaginative and prescient of issues.

They’re ready to be told by means of know-how. We had been capable of develop a fairly private relationship, and persons are actually motivated to come back examine us out. So how do you discover, recruiting-wise, if there is a distinction from Midwest metropolis to Southern California? Is there a distinction? Not likely, I imply, persons are nonetheless individuals, proper?

You gotta work out the guts of it. I do not see fewer choices, however if you wish to keep native from round right here, what do you do? If you happen to’re not at a USC stage, then yeah, that is very, very totally different than being from Chicago. You have acquired a ton of choices round there.

The eight years I spent in Ohio – positive, it is the MAC – however there’s Cincinnati, and an entire bunch of different colleges. You begin with a three- to four-hour radius of drive time, and you can contact a variety of colleges within the Midwest, whereas, in Southern California, there simply aren’t a slew of alternatives.

There are fewer choices, however once more, our prospects out listed below are extra used to journey. And so now, if I have to get on a airplane to jet someplace, they get it. What’s most necessary for you and the household, and the way can we offer worth and create a path and alternative so that you can have success – that is what it is all about.

How a lot does taking the workforce outdoors of the time zone actually matter? The Hawaii journey (38-6 Hawaii) – how a lot did the journey matter? The Northern Illinois sport (6-3 SDSU) was simply bizarre.

Yeah, I feel it has to, proper? I feel it simply reveals in all aspects. Like, you had higher be versatile, and for those who’re too inflexible in your methods, ultimately it is gonna catch as much as you, and also you’re gonna get damaged off in some kind or trend.

So like, once more, simply studying by means of our first years right here, you sort of do not know what you do not know, and I needed to study fairly rapidly about methods to deal with the gap.

We traveled to Central Michigan that first yr, after which all of the primetime video games and late-night journey coming again, after which, how does that affect and impression when your off day is in order that your workforce will be refreshed and recharged?

So simply with the ability to zoom out, actually consider the way you’re doing issues, and if we get right into a jam, it’s important to simply play your sport. I wish to play that factor as late as potential. So yeah, I attempt to discover the aggressive benefit with all of it. I feel we’re all attempting to try this in some kind or trend.

No approach to be good about it, however you guys acquired hammered within the switch portal on protection, so what particularly had been you seeking to do for this yr’s workforce as a response? I imply, you’ll be able to’t simply change the celebrities of final yr and assume you will discover one other NFL-caliber man to step in.

Expertise issues, particularly whenever you’re shedding items which have the depth, expertise, and manufacturing of an Owen Chambliss (Nebraska), Dwayne McDougle (Nebraska), or Trey White (Texas Tech).

Ryan Henderson, who was a top quality participant for us, goes to Texas A&M – so despite the fact that you attempt to discover expertise to switch the expertise, you are most likely not getting apples for apples there.

You are not discovering one other (Miami Dolphin first-round cornerback decide) Chris Johnson. So then it goes to, okay, properly, what are the position-specific traits we will search for at every of these spots?

The place’s the peak, weight, pace, and measurables that we wish to get near what you had? You then consider the sport tape, and also you see the place deficiencies are. Are these deficiencies satisfactory sufficient the place you already know your scheme intimately, or can we defend these deficiencies versus the opposite deficiencies that we won’t?

Like, for our vast receivers, they have to have the ability to run, run, with what we do. You may need stiffer hips, and that is okay, and we will defend and discover different positives. That is alright.

Commercial

What is the nationwide recruiting pitch? “Hey, you simply spent the final a number of years in snow and chilly – have you ever seen San Diego State?” You carry them out right here, and it is 74 and sunny every single day. There’s acquired to be a bit of little bit of San Diego low cost, proper?

That is native, too. For Californians specifically, this matches into what they is likely to be used to as they’re popping out of highschool. They could really feel like they wished to get away and expertise one thing totally different, they usually did. However then they realized that house is fairly superior, proper?

So then they’re keen to get a reduction to come back nearer to residence. Tano Letuli is a good instance of that. He goes all the best way throughout the nation to Military and realizes it wasn’t precisely what he was searching for. Going from West Level to right here. A bit of little bit of a distinction … completely.

He takes these experiences, and we’re higher due to it. He is an amazing chief. However you’ll be able to’t purchase the expertise our youngsters have specifically, we have actually felt it, we have actually seen it in the price of retention.

That issues in the price of expertise acquisition to how guys understand how they’re being developed, how they’re being poured into, the sources that now we have right here, and, you already know, we’re capable of hold guys for a aggressive charge.

It isn’t essentially about matching different provides, however the entire expertise of being right here within the constructing, and the half they’ve and what they’ve constructed, and the way our employees serves them; everybody is ready to keep and capitalize on that chance.

In addition to the defensive entrance, is it the offensive line that wants essentially the most work?

Yeah, we have to retool a bit. I imply, we have just a few there with Joe Borjon and Kalan Ellis which might be coming again, so three out of the 5 will probably be model new.

However once more, I feel we have finished a pleasant job of getting some items which have been creating, which have been cultivating gamers who’ve been inside the program, after which clearly going out and getting the elements, just like the twins from Michigan State (Charlton and Mercer Luniewski), Evan Lawrence from Indiana, and Matt Montgomery from Western Illinois, to have the ability to complement and have.

Once more, we wish and have a sturdy depth of expertise in that room. After which we will go have a aggressive spring and work out who the most effective 5 up entrance are who play properly collectively. After which we attempt to try this throughout all place rooms, in all place teams, and proceed to push that aggressive nature.

What do it’s essential do to win this season?

As boring as it’s, simply blocking and tackling. A lot manufacturing of tackles left the constructing. The roster turnover is there, so now we have to switch tackles with extra tackles. We block and sort out properly, and we’ll win.