Spartans load up on defense with 16 commits
SAN JOSE >> San Jose State announced 16 new players Wednesday who will join Brent Brennan’s football program next year as he tries to continue the Spartans’ rebuild.
Of the 16 newcomers — nine of whom enter as three-star recruits — 10 are incoming freshmen, five are junior college transfers and one is a transfer from Kansas State.
In addition, 13 of the players heading to San Jose State this spring will play on the defensive side of the ball, illustrating how much the Spartans believed they needed to bolster that portion of their roster heading into 2020.
Less than a week after giving Brennan a threeyear extension that will keep him on the Spartans sidelines until 2024, SJSU is ready to keep the momentum it built this season. Its five wins were a significant improvement from 2017 and 2018 seasons that totalled just three victories combined.
Here are two things we learned from SJSU’s signing day:
Defense is a clear priority
While the Spartans positioned themselves as an offensive juggernaut in 2019, averaging the fourth-most passing yards per game in the NCAA (338), their defense left much to be desired.
On top of giving up nearly 450 yards of offense per game, second-worst in Mountain West, San Jose State was the sixth-worst team in the nation against the run, giving up 232.1 yards per game on average to go along with 30 rushing touchdowns.
In an effort to fix these glaring issues, the Spartans heavily attacked the defensive side of their roster, signing seven defensive backs, three linebackers and three defensive linemen.
Steps taken in SJSU’s run game
Of only three offensive additions announced Wednesday, one comes as a multidimensional freshman who may add some needed depth to SJSU’s running game.
Running back Shamar Garrett, who starred at De La Salle High, will head to San Jose State this spring, joining a backfield that registered just 89.4 yards per game — the sixth-least in the NCAA.
With DeJon Packer, the Spartans’ leading rusher in 2019, leaving after two seasons in San Jose, Garrett will join freshman ball carrier Kairee Robinson and junior back Tyler Nevens in the backfield.
Now for the questions that still have to be answered:
How will SJSU’s linebacking unit bounce back?
Star linebackers Ethan Aguayo and Jesse Osuna, who registered 102 and 64 tackles in 2019, respectively, won’t be around to carry the Spartans defense in 2020. Without the pair, Brennan and his coaching staff will have to fill a massive void in the middle of the defense.
Junior linebacker Rico Tolefree recorded five sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions last year, and he’ll will likely be next in line to step into a starting role. But the other middle linebacker position will be up for grabs this summer.
That’s part of the reason why three linebackers were recruited for 2020, including Elijah Lawson a 5-foot-11 incoming freshman from Hayward, and Dion Leonard out of Foothill College.
What will the passing game look like without Love?
Josh Love had one of the best statistical performances from a quarterback in 2019, passing for 3,923 yards — the thirdmost in school history for a single season. But as he leaves after a redshirt senior season, it’s unclear how much SJSU’s passing game will be affected.
Clearly, the Spartans did not feel they needed additional help in their receiving corps or quarterback room as the only offensive players that were signed Wednesday were an offensive lineman, running back and tight end.
Freshman quarterback Nick Nash, who missed the back half of the season with a severe ankle sprain, will likely be the front-runner to take over for Love next season while the Spartans receiving corps remains stacked despite the loss of Bailey Gaither.
Junior wide receiver Tre Walker, who recorded a career-high 1,161 yards in 2019, will be back, along with freshman wideout Isaiah Hamilton, who racked up 718 receiving yards.
Even with Nash returning, the Spartans passing attack will be a question mark heading into the spring.