San Jose State football: Five players to watch this season

San Jose State was hit as hard as any team in the Mountain West Conference by the departure of their recent graduating class.

In one offseason, the Spartans bid adieu to impact players such as quarterback Josh Love, running back DeJon Packer, linebackers Ethan Aguayo and Jesse Osuna and lineman Troy Kowalski, among others.

Even with the exit of those familiar faces, the Spartans will feature an array of intriguing players, both new and old alike. 

The defense line will incorporate an influx of fresh talent. The secondary and wide receiving corps, particularly the latter, both project to be among the conference’s best. The running backs will likely be more prominently featured in the Spartans offense.

As for the quarterback? That position is still up the air, according to coach Brent Brennan. 

Here are five players worth watching in the 2020 season, which starts Saturday against Air Force: 

1. Nick Starkel, QB

All eyes will be on graduate transfer Nick Starkel, who projects to take the reins under center following the graduation of Love. 

Starkel played two seasons at Texas A&M and one at Arkansas, but he’s a familiar face in the San Jose State football community. Last season, Starkel threw five interceptions for Arkansas as San Jose State notched its first victory over an SEC opponent. 

Starkel’s time in college football’s best conference was mixed, but he was an overall solid gunslinger. In three seasons, Starkel completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 3,114 passing yards, throwing 22 touchdowns to 16 interceptions.

While Starkel has experience and pedigree, Brennan has yet to name an outright starter. When asked about the quarterback battle on Monday, Brennan joked that his wife will get the starting nod.

“Courtney Brennan, do you know her? She’s our starter,” Brennan said.

2. Kairee Robinson, RB

In addition to filling the void at quarterback, the Spartans will feature a new primary running back. With DeJon Packer having graduated, sophomore Kairee Robinson will get the lion’s share of touches at running back.

The former De La Salle standout had a promising freshman season with limited touches, totaling 174 rushing yards on 40 attempts. Robinson had seven receptions for 51 yards and two touchdowns as well.

Robinson’s performance last season against San Diego State might be a sign of things to come. As the Spartans’ primary running back that game, Robinson had 79 all-purpose yards (59 rushing) and a receiving touchdown. 

The run wasn’t prominently featured in San Jose State’s offense last season. Not only did the Spartans attempt the fewest runs per game (25.3), but they were the only team in the Mountain West that didn’t average at least 100 rushing yards per game (89.4).

“We need to run the football better,” Brennan said. “We didn’t run the football nearly enough last year and we could’ve won, I’m going to go out on a limb and say maybe three more games if we could’ve run the football a little bit.”

3. Isaiah Hamilton, WR

While the Spartans will feature a new starting quarterback and running back, the receiving corps mostly remains the same. Senior Tre Walker and graduate student Bailey Gaither are the unit’s dynamic elder statesmen, but sophomore Isaiah Hamilton is the wideout to watch. 

Hamilton was phenomenal in his first full season, nabbing 43 receptions for 718 receiving yards, both of which were the second-most by a freshman in the Mountain West. For comparison’s sake, Walker, one of the best receivers in program history, had 54 receptions for 886 receiving yards in his first two seasons (20 games).

Hamilton established himself as an explosive play threat, his 16.7 yards per catch ranking sixth in the conference. He also garnered some national attention last season with a ridiculous circus catch against San Diego State.

4. Jay Kakiva, DL

Brennan and his staff especially emphasized defense, his team’s weak link, in recruiting, and junior transfer Jay Kakiva is one of many enticing additions. 

Kakiva was a standout at Fresno City College, earning first-team All-Valley Conference in both seasons, and Region I all-state in 2019. During his time with the Rams, Kakiva totaled 4.5 sacks and 50 tackles (10 tackles for loss).

Kakiva will be tasked with helping improve what was an abysmal run defense. Last season, the Spartans defense allowed 232.1 rushing yards per game, the worst total in the Mountain West and sixth-worst in the entire nation. 

Kakiva is the only junior transfer who’s starting out the gate, but Brennan noted that other transfers, such as lineman Noah Wright and linebacker Dion Leonard, project to be impact players as well. 

“Obviously, we need to be better against the run and we need to get creative and find ways to get to the quarterback,” Brennan said.

5. Charlie Bostic III, CB

For all the defensive talent the Spartans added in this year’s recruiting class, redshirt freshman Charlie Bostic III, a holdover from last season, has the potential to be an impact player. 

Bostic is the only freshman starting for San Jose State to begin the year (excluding special teams). The former Valley Christian High star will be part of an otherwise experienced secondary featuring fellow cornerback junior Nehemiah Shelton and senior safeties Jay Lenard and Tre Webb.

As bad as the Spartans’ were at stopping the run last season, their secondary was excellent, finishing second in the Mountain West in opponent passing yards per game (211.7) and interceptions (16).