By Haddy Barghouti (@HB_SportsBeat) – Spear Reporter | Junior wide receiver Leland Smith hauls in a two-handed catch during SJSU’s fall camp. (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
SJSU football officially kicked off fall camp on July 30, after a long offseason, welcoming new transfers and filling in key roles left by graduating seniors.
The Spartans’ offense looks different after triple crown winner and Fred Biletnikoff runner-up wide receiver Nick Nash signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
“A lot of our culture is installed already the way we do things,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “The way we practice, the tempo of practice, the guys that were coming back were able to teach the younger guys about our culture.”
SJSU opened the offseason with 77 returning players and added 20 newcomers, including 12 straight out of high school and eight transfers, such as former Purdue receiver Leland Smith, who played in every game for the Boilermakers last season, recorded two receiving touchdowns and was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list this season.
“Been a learning experience, continuing to build that chemistry with Walker,” Smith said. “Every route, every rep that I’ve gotten, routes on air seven on seven, it’s all been coming together very nice.”
Redshirt senior Walker Eget, who solidified himself as the starting quarterback after beginning last season as a backup, threw for over 2,500 yards, leading the team and fueling the receivers’ production.
“I thought it was elite, especially on day one, you always get the vibes of too much emotion, everyone was focusing on the tent especially on the offensive side of the ball, the walkthroughs, everyone was locked in,” Eget said.
The Spartans’ defense is also focused on building chemistry heading into week one, and Eget expressed confidence in the unit’s ability to keep opponents off the board, noting the first day of practice was at an elite level, a strong start to camp.
“Being able to go against them every day, definitely you get to see how it goes back and forth, just being able to execute on both sides of the ball is huge and they’re doing an excellent job with that,” Eget said.
SJSU looks to operate a pass-first offense with Eget at quarterback, while the defense aims to remain aggressive in the secondary after recording 21 interceptions last season.
“We just gotta keep getting more reps,” defensive coordinator Derrick Odum said. “Football shape is always a big thing.”
The defense also aims to maintain its depth consistency in camp, particularly with the departure of former defensive leader Robert Rahimi, which creates opportunities for the depth to emerge.
“When it gets to game week, we’ll make some decisions on who’s gonna be the guys who will play for us. It’s ongoing every single day, and we kind of see who is emerging in that group,” Odum said.
Only five more practices remain before the Spartans open their season on Friday, Aug. 29, when they host Central Michigan.
