Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →San Diego State Aztecs Quarterbacks and Receivers
Pac-12. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Jayden Denegal; 2025: Jayden Denegal; 2024: Danny O'Neil, Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson; 2023: Jalen Mayden.
San Diego State Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Jayden Denegal (5) | Nathan Acevedo 26, Donovan Brown 16, Jacob Bostick 14 | 768 | 6-5 |
| 2025 | Jayden Denegal (12) | Jordan Napier 66, Donovan Brown 61, Nathan Acevedo 24 | 2,075 | 10-11 |
| 2024 | Danny O'Neil (11), Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson (1) | Ja'Shaun Poke 55, Jordan Napier 48, Louis Brown IV 42 | 2,525 | 15-7 |
| 2023 | Jalen Mayden (12) | Mark Redman 47, Mekhi Shaw 40, Brionne Penny 31 | 2,088 | 9-8 |
| 2022 | Jalen Mayden (7), Braxton Burmeister (4) | Jesse Matthews 42, Tyrell Shavers 39, Mekhi Shaw 32 | 2,034 | 14-11 |
| 2021 | Lucas Johnson (8), Jordon Brookshire (4) | Jesse Matthews 48, Elijah Kothe 32, Daniel Bellinger 28 | 1,940 | 11-5 |
| 2020 | Carson Baker (5), Jordon Brookshire (2), Lucas Johnson (1) | Jesse Matthews 41, Daniel Bellinger 30, Kobe Smith 18 | 1,212 | 6-5 |
| 2019 | Ryan Agnew (11), Carson Baker (1) | Kobe Smith 86, Jesse Matthews 59, Parker Houston 24 | 2,385 | 11-5 |
| 2018 | Ryan Agnew (7), Christian Chapman (5) | Kahale Warring 48, Fred Trevillion 34, Tim Wilson Jr. 29 | 2,281 | 14-6 |
| 2017 | Christian Chapman (12) | Mikah Holder 58, Rashaad Penny 24, Kahale Warring 24 | 1,908 | 13-3 |
| 2016 | Christian Chapman (12) | Mikah Holder 37, Donnel Pumphrey 29, David Wells 22 | 1,617 | 17-6 |
| 2015 | Maxwell Smith (12), Christian Chapman (1) | Donnel Pumphrey 45, Mikah Holder 44, Eric Judge 24 | 1,824 | 15-3 |
| 2014 | Quinn Kaehler (10), Nick Bawden (2) | Lloyd Mills 46, Ezell Ruffin 44, Eric Judge 32 | 2,172 | 10-13 |
| 2013 | Quinn Kaehler (10), Adam Dingwell (2) | Ezell Ruffin 99, Colin Lockett 89, Tim Vizzi 35 | 3,139 | 18-14 |
| 2012 | Ryan Katz (8), Adam Dingwell (4) | Gavin Escobar 60, Brice Butler 40, Colin Lockett 36 | 2,151 | 22-8 |
| 2011 | Ryan Lindley (12) | Colin Lockett 103, Gavin Escobar 73, Dylan Denso 69 | 2,730 | 20-8 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 San Diego State Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Acevedo | WR | 26 | 16 | 177 | 2 |
| Donovan Brown | WR | 16 | 7 | 75 | 0 |
| Jacob Bostick | WR | 14 | 5 | 81 | 0 |
| Jordan Napier | WR | 12 | 8 | 31 | 0 |
| Jackson Ford | TE | 8 | 6 | 54 | 1 |
| Javion Kinnard | RB | 7 | 7 | 90 | 0 |
| Bert Emanuel Jr. | WR | 7 | 6 | 80 | 0 |
| Jaylon Hawkins | WR | 7 | 5 | 31 | 1 |
| Josiah Lucas | RB | 6 | 5 | -2 | 0 |
| Justius Lowe | WR | 5 | 2 | 56 | 1 |
| Ryan Wolfer | TE | 4 | 3 | 21 | 1 |
| Will Cianfrini | WR | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
2026 San Diego State Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | vs portland state | W 53-20 | Jayden Denegal | 14-21 | 157 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 2 | at UCLA | L 10-28 | Jayden Denegal | 6-18 | 45 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 3 | vs JMU | L 13-26 | Jayden Denegal | 18-33 | 209 | 1 | 2 |
| Week 4 | at TOL | L 16-41 | Jayden Denegal | 24-37 | 248 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 5 | vs TXST | W 31-29 | Jayden Denegal | 15-23 | 109 | 0 | 0 |
2026 San Diego State Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Denegal → Nathan Acevedo | 26 | 16 | 177 | 2 |
| Jayden Denegal → Donovan Brown | 16 | 7 | 75 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Jacob Bostick | 14 | 5 | 81 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Jordan Napier | 12 | 8 | 31 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Jackson Ford | 8 | 6 | 54 | 1 |
| Jayden Denegal → Bert Emanuel Jr. | 7 | 6 | 80 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Javion Kinnard | 7 | 7 | 90 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Justius Lowe | 5 | 2 | 56 | 1 |
| Jayden Denegal → Jaylon Hawkins | 5 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| Jayden Denegal → Josiah Lucas | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
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