We here at Sons of Montezuma are putting into focus our top San Diego State Aztecs football players for you to to know in the upcoming 2025 season. Next up is Quarterback, Jayden Denegal.
Name: Jayden Denegal
Position: Quarterback
Class: Junior
Height/Weight: 6’5” / 235 lbs
Hometown: Apple Valley, California
Previous Schools: Michigan → San Diego State University
As San Diego State prepares for a pivotal 2025 campaign, Jayden Denegal stands as the projected leader of a revamped AztecFast offense under head coach Sean Lewis. A former four-star recruit and transfer from Michigan, Denegal brings a prototypical quarterback frame and a promising arm to a program hungry for stability and production.
Denegal’s chance to command the huddle and elevate SDSU’s offensive identity has been a talking point between Aztec Nation ever since the transfer news came on the scene. Can’t really blame anyone for hyping each other up over it. Anytime you get a player from a National Championship winning program as the Wolverines, all of those virtues it took to achieve that ultimate goal become attached to your name.
But wait—there’s more.
There have been plenty of Michigan connections and parallels with San Diego State over the years. Denegal’s pedigree adds another layer to it all.
At 6’5” and 235 pounds, Denegal fits the mold of a traditional pocket passer with the arm talent to make every throw on the field. From the very little we’ve seen in College, he appears able to drive the ball on deep outs, post routes, and vertical concepts with zip, making him a dangerous downfield threat.
Operating calmly in the pocket in his time at Michigan, even in a limited capacity, you could see he seems willing to take hits while delivering throws before he takes off and runs. That big frame should allow him to do just so.
Denegal has yet to start a full season at the college level. While his tools are impressive and his physicality is imposing, translating that into consistent in-game production is still a hurdle he must clear. Mistakes early in the season could come from inexperience reading live defenses.
And that brings us to his mobility. Denegal is not immobile, he just doesn’t seem like a natural scrambler or designed run threat. That limits some of the dual-threat versatility often found in Lewis’s past offenses and puts more pressure on protection holding up in passing situations.
While he can rifle passes downfield, it will be interesting to see if Denegal is still developing his ability to layer throws over linebackers and under safeties—a key skill for attacking zone coverage and red zone defenses.
Despite all that, the early word in Spring Camp is Jayden is the frontrunner to be the opening-day starter and centerpiece of SDSU’s new-look offense. With a deep stable of running backs and a speedy but young receiving corps, Denegal’s ability to distribute the football will be critical. If he finds rhythm early and builds confidence, he has the ceiling to become one of the more productive quarterbacks in the Mountain West.
The Aztecs are betting big on his upside. If Denegal delivers, SDSU could turn the page on years of offensive inconsistency and reemerge as a serious contender in the conference’s final season in the Mountain West Conference.
Stay tuned as we list more crucial Aztec Warriors that will be looking to make a big impact this 2025 season. The list isn’t in any specific order—but let us know in the comments what you think of each player as the list unfolds.
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