San Jose State football kicks off prepation for tough 2023 schedule

SAN JOSE — As San Jose State kicked off its first practice of training camp ahead of the 2023 season, there’s a persistent feeling that this year’s team may be coach Brent Brennan’s best yet.

But the Spartans also know their 2023 schedule is a gauntlet that will surely test them all season long.

San Jose State held its first practice of the season on Wednesday, exactly one month before the Spartans travel to Los Angeles to face Pac-12 regular season champions USC and reigning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.

That game is the first of a brutal six-game opening stretch, facing four teams that won double digit games last year and a fifth who won nine.

“Those are going to be tough games,” San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said. “It’s a tough schedule for us, but that’s what we really like. We’re looking forward to this season, and some tough games that will put us on the map.”

Following the game at 11-win USC, San Jose State hosts 10-win Oregon State on Sunday, Sept. 3 — the first Power Five school to come to San Jose since 2016. After a game hosting FCS Cal Poly, they’ll travel across the country to Toledo, a perennial Mid-American Conference contender that won nine games.

Mountain West play kicks off on a short week with a Friday, Sept. 22 game hosting Air Force, which runs the unique triple option offense and won 10 games last year. The Spartans will get a bye after that, but coming off the week of rest is a trip to Boise State, the preseason favorites to win the conference after a 10-win campaign last year.

“When you look at it, it’s an incredible challenge to start the season this way,” Brennan said. “And it’s exciting because we know we’re going to find out a lot about our football team early in the season.”

The heavyweight schedule means the Spartans may play better football on tape, but even being at 3-3 at the midway point of the season would feel like a significant accomplishment.

And when they have their first two home games, on Nov. 11 against rival Fresno State, who won 10 games and the Mountain West title last year, and San Diego State the week after, they may need to win both games in order to reach bowl eligibility.

Or, if Brennan’s seventh season includes an early upset or two, perhaps a return trip to the Mountain West championship after winning the title in the shortened 2020 season could be in play.

Offense: Can experience together be key to strong season?

Last year, San Jose State’s offense had a lot of new faces coming together. Cordeiro came in as a transfer from Hawai’i to start under center, wide receivers Elijah Cooks and Justin Lockhart both came in from Nevada and the Spartans started three underclassmen on the offensive line.

For 2023, Cooks is gone after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Jaguars, but Cordeiro, Lockhart and the entire starting offensive line returns.

“Last year was more [about] getting comfortable, learning the plays,” Cordeiro said. “This year it’s just doing all the small things: watching film from last year, seeing what we did that was wrong and fixing it.”

Brennan didn’t want to make too much of the first practice, but admitted that he feels better about his offense on this year’s first day than he did last year.

“I think you just feel better about the fact that those guys have played a year, have a little more experience, have had another year in the weight room, have acclimated to the scheme and our program and culture,” Brennan said.

Brennan also had high praise for Cordeiro, who finished last year with 3,250 yards passing, 265 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns (23 passing, nine rushing). The sixth year senior has added some weight and muscle to try and better take the hits he’s bound to get during the season.

“He’s so tough and he’s just a tremendous competitor. That’s why this team loves him,” Brennan said. “No matter what’s going on on the field, he gets back up and he lines up and he wants to play again. I think that’s why he has total command and respect of every guy on the team.”

“I feel like we’re very talented all around,” Cordeiro said. “We’ve just got to put it all together.”

Defense: Loss up front could be covered by deep secondary

The Spartans’ biggest area of uncertainty, even for Brennan, is how they are going to replace the wealth of experience that departed from their defense after last season.