As transfer portal announcements began hitting it’s stride this week the Aztecs football program has also seen some shakeup in it’s staff as they’ve officially hired one former wildcat, in place of a new one.
SDSU fans were shocked to learn on Tuesday that longtime offensive line coach Mike Schmidt was on the move and headed to Kansas State. Schmidt had served at SDSU as a graduate assistant (2009-11) and the offensive line coach (2012-20) for the bulk of his professional career. After stints at Syracuse and Mississippi State he returned to the Mesa in 2023 under HC Sean Lewis’ first season.
Schmidt, helped lead a resurgent offensive line unit this season. The group improved greatly limiting QB sacks from 31 in 2024 to just 18 this season.
The run game which Schmidt was a coordinator of—featured the Mountain West conference leading rusher in RB Lucky Sutton. The unit also cleaned up their play in terms of penalties and did it all while seamlessly blending a mix of veteran players and transfer newcomers.
Schmidt moving to the Wildcat program of Kansas State will certainly increase his earning potential, but it has yet to be realized if his motivations stem from a desire to advance beyond O-Line positional coaching duties. It will be interesting to see if Schmidt has the desire to expand to play calling duties or a larger offensive coordinator skillset.
Bill O’Boyle
To fill the void and takeover the O-Line is veteran coach Bill O’Boyle. O’Boyle spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as the offensive line coach of the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten. This off season the Wildcats have made moves to completely change their offensive identity with the hiring of veteran coach Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator.
O’Boyle was a long time OL coach under Sean Lewis at both Kent State and on season at Colorado. He was the original hire that joined Lewis at San Diego State until Northwestern poached him just before he could really put his finger prints on the Aztecs offensive scheme or personnel.
Re-joining the Aztecs program at this point after SDSU experienced a very successful season is a key addition to maintain Lewis’ offense. With so many open positions on the line this off season, O’Boyle will truly have an opportunity to step right in and make an impact.
That continuity in knowing what Lewis’ philosophies, temperaments, and standards are is a crucial understanding to have for the all important position. Especially just before the transfer portal truly kicks off as SDSU GM Caleb Davis and Sean Lewis will have to make several key additions.
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