San Jose State football blending old and new as 2024 campaign kicks off with fall camp

SAN JOSE – Not everything has changed for San Jose State football in 2024.

But a lot is certainly different for the Spartans. Gone are coach Brent Brennan and starting quarterback Chevan Cordeiro from a 2023 team that had a 7-6 campaign and Hawaii Bowl appearance.

San Jose State is starting this season with new faces at quarterback (to be determined), coach (Ken Niumatalolo) and offensive coordinator (Craig Stutzmann). Returning are associate head coach/defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and Kevin McGiven, who coordinated the offense in 2023. McGiven is now the Spartans’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.

SJSU kicked off its fall camp on Tuesday, and though much has changed, the Spartans still have high expectations this year.

“Honestly, a Mountain West championship,” said sixth-year wide receiver Nick Nash of San Jose State’s goals. “And then the 12-team (College Football) Playoff.”

To get there, they’ll have to integrate a number of new pieces on the fly. Here’s a look at where things stand:

Spread? Or shred?

New OC Stutzmann grew up in Hawaii, where he attended Saint Louis School in Honolulu and later played wide receiver for legendary University of Hawaii coach June Jones. Amid an itinerant college coaching career that has taken him to Portland, Memphis, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Green Bay and Texas, Stutzmann is coordinating an offense for the third time in his 15-year tenure.

He most recently served as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Texas State in 2023. So far, he’s enjoyed the switch to San Jose.

“I love it,” Stutzmann said. “I mean, the weather’s great. People are awesome. The food is amazing.”

Stutzmann was first in charge of cooking up a collegiate offense during his time at Division II Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, from 2014-2015. That’s where Stutzmann’s signature “Spread-N-Shred” offense was born.

He also coordinated the offense at Utah Tech, a Football Championship Subdivision school in St. George, Utah, in 2022.

“A lot of it comes from the run and shoot, but really, it’s about spreading the defense,” Stutzmann said of his offensive approach. “Not always being real tight to the core. Creating that run/pass conflict, putting defenders in a bind and then also using our athleticism in space.

“So really spreading the defense out and then being able to shred it, whether it’s in the run or the pass. It’s something that’s designed to have a lot of different tempos, designed to take advantage of light boxes and leverages. It creates a lot of efficient looks for us but can lead to very explosive plays.”

The QB question

So who will be running Stutzmann’s patented offense? The contenders are redshirt junior Walker Eget, redshirt sophomore Emmett Brown and redshirt junior Xavier Ward, who transferred in from Sam Houston State this summer.

All three are receiving even repetitions on the practice field, and Stutzmann says he’ll know the winner of the quarterback competition when he sees it.

“That person, there’s something about them that’s very confident,” he said. “Most times, when you get it down to two, I like to go into pregame and I’ll just be like, ‘Coach, I think this guy’s ready to roll.’ And it’s worked out for us.”

Stutzmann noted he would be open to naming a starter earlier if Niumatalolo requested it, but his preference is to let the competition play out as long as possible.

“If you can keep those two guys on edge in a good way, they’ll both prepare like being starters,” Stutzmann said. “And you’d be surprised at how those guys play off of one another. Hopefully, I’m like, ‘Dude, I can’t tell. There’s three guys still.’ That’d be great.”

Niumatalolo is looking for a quarterback with the whole package.

“All of it plays into it,” he said. “First and foremost, you’ve got to be able to move the ball, and you’ve got to be able to be productive offensively. But all of that stuff manifests itself. You can’t be a great quarterback without being a great leader. I mean, it doesn’t work. You’re not operating in a silo. You’ve got 10 other guys looking at you.

“In this offense, there’s so much balance between the wide receivers and the quarterback, so there’s got to be great chemistry. But that leadership part is always a big component of it. And it’s essential. It’s vital. You have leadership on the field and off the field. It’s part of the whole deal.”

Nash reflects on sixth season

Nash started out his college career as a quarterback. The sixth-year senior from Irvine played as a QB for the Spartans from 2019-2021, then switched to receiver in 2022 when Cordeiro transferred in from Hawaii and won the job.

He was named second-team All-Mountain West in 2023 with 48 catches for 728 yards (15.2 yards per reception), plus eight touchdowns. Nash entered the transfer portal after Brennan left for Arizona but ultimately decided to come back and lead San Jose State in his final year of eligibility.

“I just love it here,” Nash said. “This is my home. I’ve made it my home for the last six years. So I want to finish out strong and create a legacy here.”

Nash has been through QB competitions before, so he has an idea what he’d like to see out of the Spartans’ signal-caller.

“Confidence, 100%,” Nash said. “As a receiver now, as a former quarterback, I like a guy that’s going to be like, ‘That’s on me. I’m going to fix it. Even if it wasn’t his fault, even if it’s my fault, and I know it. I like a guy that’s going to be like, ‘Nah, that’s on me. I’ll fix it, you’re good.’ I think that says a lot about who a quarterback is.”

Even though he won’t be holding the reins of SJSU’s offense this season, Nash is the team’s unquestioned leader out wide, and his veteran presence should be a major component if the Spartans find success in Niumatalolo’s first season in charge.

“It’s been a crazy ride,” Nash said. “It’s been quick though, I’ll tell you that. It’s crazy how fast it goes. I love these guys. It’s really easy to lead them. They all kind of look up to me a little bit, and I think it’s great. I think I have the credibility now to be able to be a leader, which is nice. These guys listen, and they’re all for it. They’re all in.”