By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter // Photo via Titus Wilkinson
Hello and welcome to Matt’s Monday Mailbag™ your go-to destination for all pressing San Jose State football matters.
Enough chit-chatting. Let’s get into it.
Russ Biswell @RussT_Biz: “Other than [Justin] Lockhart, who takes up the slack for Elijah Cooks at WR? Who will be in the RB rotation other than Kairee?”
I expect Nick Nash to help fill the void left by Elijah Cooks. Which could surprise some given that Nash has never played a full season at wide receiver.
This particular storyline fascinates me. During last year’s fall camp, Nash was in the midst of losing a quarterback battle to Chevan Cordeiro. A year later, after transitioning to wide receiver, he’s now become one of Cordeiro’s most frequented targets this offseason.
He’s displayed crisp route running, a knack for finding open space and has made contested catches in traffic. There’s a palpable sense that Nash and Cordeiro are on the same page.
With that said, Nash isn’t going to match Cooks’ 10 touchdown receptions and 1,076 receiving yards from a year ago. That’s where Nevada transfer Charles Ross comes into the picture.
Ross has flown under the radar at SJSU because he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. Last season, all of Ross’s stats came during a three week span. He went for five catches for 89 yards against Auburn, then caught a touchdown against Western Michigan and reeled in six catches for 66 yards against UNLV.
Expect more *if* he can stay out there.
While SJSU’s pass game was a conference-best a year ago, the running game was amongst the worst in the Mountain West. The hope is that Utah Tech transfer Quali Conley can fix this.
Conley was SJSU’s first transfer portal splash this offseason after totaling 1,095 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. During the spring game, he caught a pass in the flat and zoomed up the sideline for 40-plus yards and a few plays later caught a one-yard touchdown.
Throughout fall camp, I’ve seen splashes of his pass-catching ability. I’m curious to see how his addition effects usage and touches for Robinson.
Jason @Vandt33: What position group do you think we will see the most improvement from?
I think it’ll be the offensive line for two reasons.
First off, they have the most room for improvement.
Head coach Brent Brennan labeled the unit a “work in progress” last year after SJSU rushed for under 55 yards in its first two games. But by season’s end it was an issue that remained unfixed.
The Spartans finished 123rd in the nation in rushing yards per game. And during the bowl loss to Eastern Michigan, SJSU was stuffed on fourth and goal from the one and on fourth and one.
With that said, I do think the group bounces back and becomes the most improved unit because of the experience returning.
Jaime Navarro and Anthony Pardue are both closing out their sixth year of eligibility and redshirt sophomore Fernando Carmona Jr. is coming off a strong 2022. He was recently selected as a second team member of Phil Steele’s 2023 Preseason Mountain West Team.
Moreno @Morenolopez11: “Will SJSU be bowling for back to back seasons?”
Possible? Yes. An uphill climb? Absolutely.
This is undoubtedly the best slate of teams seventh-year head coach Brent Brennan has prepared for:
Week 0: Playing a USC squad led by reigning Heisman Trophy award winner quarterback Caleb Williams at the Coliseum.
Week 1: Playing a surging Oregon State that won double digit games a year ago for third time in the 21st century.
After that, SJSU plays five of the highest ranking teams in the Mountain West preseason poll.
On top of that, SJSU is without several fixtures of the rebuild who recently departed like defensive ends Junior Fehoko (drafted) and Cade Hall (graduated), and linebacker Kyle Harmon (graduated).
“Stuff” can hit the fan very fast – but – if SJSU pulls it off, it’ll be just the second time the Spartans have clinched bowl eligibility in back-to-back years and their first time reaching three bowl games in the span of four years.