Within moments of being introduced Wednesday morning as San Diego State’s new football coach, Sean Lewis invoked the name of the man against which all other Aztecs coaches are measured.
Don Coryell.
“I’m excited to be welcomed and embraced and to lead, a tremendous program, a tremendous community,” Lewis said, “that has a rich tradition going all the way back to ‘Air Coryell’ and what he was able to do and how he revolutionized the game of football … how we throw the football today is because of his influence and his impact on the game.
“I’m looking forward to bringing that excitement, that brand of football, where we’re lighting up the scoreboard.”
Lewis, who received a five-year contract with a $1,753,100 base salary and $100,000 annual escalators, is 37 years old — the same age as Coryell when he became Aztecs coach in 1961.
Had Aztecs fans been congregated outside Snapdragon Stadium for the announcement, there most certainly would have been a collective “Amen,” followed by a “Hallelujah.”
A run-dominated, ball-control offense backed by outstanding defense has helped SDSU to a string of winning seasons and a dozen bowl games since 2010.
But the fan base grew first weary and then bored with a program that did not finish higher than 76th in the nation in scoring offense the past six years and was ranked lower than 100th in four of those seasons.
Lewis’ Colorado team, by comparison, scored more than 40 points four times the first half of this season with an uptempo — some called it “hyper” — offense.
Lewis spent five seasons at Kent State before serving as Colorado’s offensive coordinator. His career there reached its peak during the COVID-truncated 2020 season, when the Golden Flashes averaged 606.5 yards and 49.8 points per game, and the 2021 season, when they threw for 3,425 yards and rushed for 3,482 yards.
“FlashFast,” they called it.
Lewis modified the nickname for his new surroundings, referring several times to “AztecFast” while describing what is to come.
San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker, left, poses with new football coach Sean Lewis.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It is exactly what SDSU athletic director John David Wicker had in mind two weeks ago, when the Aztecs announced Brady Hoke would not be returning.
“We certainly wanted to go out and find the best head coach we could, one that was going to win on the field and bring excitement,” Wicker said. “We knew we needed to be better offensively.
“We’ve, obviously, had our struggles offensively. We’ve been very defensive-minded over the last 13-15 years.”
Wicker said Lewis “really stood out,” and not because he stands 6-foot-7.
“He’s got head coaching experience, comes from a great offensive background and I like what he had to say (in interviews),” Wicker said. “I wanted someone who was exciting offensively but also brought balance to their game.”
The digital billboard outside of Snapdragon Stadium displays a message welcoming the new San Diego State football coach Sean Lewis.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
After Wednesday’s news conference, Lewis was peppered with questions from media members in a corner of the SDSU locker room.
Among those questions:
How would you describe your offensive philosophy or style?
“Stress the defense with tempo, space and vertical shots,” he said. “I want to be able to create as much space as possible for our skills (players) so they can thrive within that space, whether that that’s a wide receiver on the edge or down the field or a ball carrier coming out of the backfield.
“Once we’ve exhausted all options with space, then I want to get a numerical advantage by trade shifts, motions and pre- or post-snap movement so we can get an extra hat to the point of attack.
“And then, lastly … where are the weak points we can leverage so that we can exploit that, so that we can generate explosive shots and put as many points up on the scoreboard as possible.”
Lewis was cited as one of the “most innovative minds in college football over the past decade” in the SDSU release that announced his hiring. How does he see himself as an innovator?
“It’s a challenge to grow each and every single year,” he said, “not to be tied to one specific style of play, not to be married to a system that, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this.’
“It’s about looking at what you have (on the roster), looking at what you’re able to acquire and building that year’s style of uptempo play to what suits you.”
San Diego State’s football coach Sean Lewis smiles at his family.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Will you run the 3-3-5 defense the Aztecs have employed since 2009?
“We’ll see,” Lewis said. “Not sure. There will be elements of it, but you’ve got to be multiple defensively.
“To say that that’s going to be our mainstay today, I’m not sure.”
Lewis did run the 3-3-5 at Kent State.
“To me, it’s more about the people and the culture that you establish and then the scheme that you’re going to implement,” he said, adding, “You have to be multiple in all facets, in all areas, so that the organization can grow collectively.”
When it was suggested that it would be easier to use the 3-3-5 because the players already are accustomed to the system, Lewis said, “I’m not interested in easy. I’m interested in what’s right.”
As far as the roster goes, Lewis spoke with SDSU players Wednesday morning before coming to Snapdragon Stadium. How much roster turnover there will be remains to be seen.
“(It’s) kind of to be determined,” he said, “but I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think there was an opportunity to hit the ground running.”
Sean Lewis poses for a portrait following Wednesday’s news conference.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A few minutes before Lewis was introduced, two-time all-Mountain West left guard Cade Bennett announced on social media that he was entering the transfer portal.
An hour after Lewis finished meeting with the media, offensive lineman Thomas Mirabella also announced he was going into the portal.
And then there was true freshman wide receiver Baylin Brooks, one of the team’s top young players, who tweeted: “We got our guy.”
That, they did.
