Three San Jose State Spartans home football games and one Mountain West conference road game are part of the conference’s 44-game national television package with CBS Sports Network and ESPN Networks.
San Jose State will be playing twice on Friday night starting with their Friday, September 27 conference opener at Air Force on CBSSN starting at 6:00 pm MT/5:00 pm PT. SJSU will be on CBSSN again the following Friday, October 4 for a 7:00 pm PT conference home game vs. New Mexico in CEFCU Stadium.
SJSU’s November 2 home game hosting Boise State now has a 7:30 pm PT game time and carried on CBSSN.
The Spartans’ final game in the conference’s national television package is Saturday, November 30 home game against Fresno State for the Valley Trophy. The game will be assigned to the ESPN Networks, but the game time will be announced at a later date.
With today’s announcement, AT&T SportsNet, Stadium, Spectrum Sports (Hawaii), CBSSN and ESPN will have an opportunity to select additional SJSU games for their respective broadcast packages.
Season tickets, group tickets and mini-plans are available for the entire San Jose State Spartans home football schedule at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets or by calling (408) 924-7589.
A total of 12 from Stanford earned opportunities in the NFL over the weekend. Five Cardinal were drafted during the three-day event in Nashville, Tenn., while five more signed as undrafted free agents following the 2019 NFL Draft and two received Rookie Mini-Camp invites.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside • WR Philadelphia Eagles • Round 2 • Pick 57
JJ Arcega-Whiteside was selected in the second round with the 57th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Friday night by the Philadelphia Eagles. A wide receiver from Inman, S.C., Arcega-Whiteside is the first Cardinal selected by the Eagles since Ed Reynolds in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Bobby Okereke • ILB Indianapolis Colts • Round 3 • Pick 89
Bobby Okereke was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 89th overall pick on Friday night by the Indianapolis Colts. An inside linebacker from Santa Ana, Calif., Okereke is the first Cardinal selected by the Colts since Henry Anderson in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Bryce Love • RB Washington Redskins • Round 4 • Pick 112
Bryce Love was selected in the fourth round with the 112th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the Washington Redskins. A running back from Wake Forest, North Carolina, Love is the first Cardinal selected by Washington since Trent Murphy in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Jake Bailey • P New England Patriots • Round 5 • Pick 163
Jake Bailey was selected in the fifth round with the 163rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the New England Patriots. A punter from Solana Beach, Calif., Bailey is the first Cardinal selected by the Patriots since the 2015 NFL Draft when Jordan Richards went in the second round.
Kaden Smith • TE San Francisco 49ers • Round 6 • Pick 176
Kaden Smith was selected in the sixth round with the 176th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers. A tight end from Flower Mound, Texas, Smith is the sixth Cardinal tight end drafted since 2012.
Miscellaneous
In addition to the five Cardinal draftees, seven others earned opportunities after the draft. CB Alijah Holder signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos while OT A.T. Hall signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. OLB Joey Alfieri signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, as did OG Nate Herbig. WR Trenton Irwin was picked up by the Miami Dolphins on a free agent deal as well.
Two Cardinal earned Rookie Mini-Camp invites to bring the total to 12. OG Brandon Fanaika and C Jesse Burkett will attend 49ers camp while Burkett will also have an opportunity to attend camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Kaden Smith was selected in the sixth round with the 176th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers. A tight end from Flower Mound, Texas, Smith is the sixth Cardinal tight end drafted since 2012.
“Kaden is a very versatile tight end,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “His size and strength give him the ability to be an every down blocker in the NFL and his athleticism will give him the opportunity to be a very good pass catcher as well. Kaden has a knack for making contested catches down the field and tight ends that work the seams in the NFL play for a long time.”
A 2018 Mackey Award finalist, Smith was named All-Pac 12 second team a season ago. He finished his career with 70 receptions for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns in 25 career games. He also earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention two times.
“Kaden is the most complete tight end coming out in this year’s class,” Cardinal tight ends coach Morgan Turner said. “His ability to make tough catches is rivaled by very few. He also wants to be part of the run game, which very few guys want to do these days. You can put him at the point of attack and trust him in the run game. Kaden really embraced that and did a great job with it.”
Smith shined in 2018, playing in 11 games with 10 starts. He totaled 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns. He was named Mackey Award Player of the Week following an eight-catch, 107-yard, one-touchdown performance against Washington. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in 14 games and totaled 23 catches for 414 yards and five touchdowns.
Jake Bailey was selected in the fifth round with the 163rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the New England Patriots. A punter from Solana Beach, Calif., Bailey is the first Cardinal selected by the Patriots since 2015.
Jake Bailey has been a weapon for us for years,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “He has the strong leg to be a very good kickoff specialist that pins the opponent’s offense back to start their drives. Jake also has the ability not only to boot long punts that change field position, but also to pin the opponent back inside their 20-yard-line, sometimes inside the 10. That is a skill that is very coveted by NFL teams and the Patriots are getting a good one.”
Bailey was named All-Pac-12 three times during his career with the Cardinal and finished as Stanford’s all-time leader in career punting average (43.81). His 185 punts are sixth-most in school history as are his 8,105 career punt yards. He totaled just 17 touchbacks with 51 fair catches, 76 inside the 20, and 54 punts of 50+ yards in 52 career games. Bailey also totaled 291 kickoffs for 18,428 yards (63.3 avg) and 173 touchbacks.
“Jake has an ability to directional punt,” Cardinal special teams coordinator Pete Alamar said. “He can put the ball into tight spaces which helps your coverage unit. He’s a high ball hitter–he’s not a guy that drives the ball. He has a great relationship between the distance and the hang time to allow his coverage unit to get down the field. The Patriots are also going to like him because of his kickoff ability. He takes the returner out of the game in that aspect.”
Bailey totaled 86 punts for 2,996 yards (44.06 avg) in 2018, playing in all 13 games. His 68 punts were the seventh-most in school history while his 2,996 yards were the fourth-most. He had 20 punts of 50+ yards and 24 punts inside the 20. He also kicked off for the Cardinal, with 60 touchbacks as a senior. He punctuated his career with a school-record 84-yard punt against Cal.
As a junior in 2017, Bailey earned All-Pac-12 honors after punting 57 times for an average of 45.5 yards. He had touchbacks on 58 of 83 kickoffs. As a sophomore in 2016, he punted 50 times for 2,176 yards with 13 punts over 50 yards and 22 inside the 20. He had 44 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs. He was the Cardinal kickoff specialist as a freshman in 2015 and also punted 10 times situationally.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside was selected in the second round with the 57th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Friday night by the Philadelphia Eagles. A wide receiver from Inman, S.C., Arcega-Whiteside is the first Cardinal selected by the Eagles since Ed Reynolds in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
“JJ makes big catches that change field position and scores touchdowns,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “He is a difference maker that can make highlight catches and that is one of those traits that translates really well from college to the NFL.”
A 2018 team captain and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, Arcega-Whiteside earned All-Pac 12 second team honors last season while tying a 41-year-old school record with 14 touchdown catches. He finished second in school history with 28 career touchdown receptions and third in school history with nine 100-yard receiving games. His 2,219 career receiving yards are the 12th-most all-time at Stanford and his 135 receptions rank 18th.
“His work ethic is unbelievable,” said wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy. “He wants to be a really good player. I think he’s only scratched the tip of his potential. Play after play after play after play, if you look at him throughout his career at Stanford, he just continued to make plays. He’s not only a great player, but a great person. The Eagles are getting a player who will not only improve the organization as a player, but even more so as a person.”
Arcega-Whiteside totaled 63 catches for 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior in 2018. His 14 touchdown catches led the Pac-12 and ranked No. 3 in the country. His 1,059 receiving yards were the fifth-most in Stanford history for a single season and his five 100-yard receiving games were the fourth-most in a given year.
In 2017, Arcega-Whiteside earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention after totaling a team-high 48 receptions for 781 yards and nine touchdowns. He totaled 24 catches for 379 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016, earning Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention.
Bobby Okereke was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 89th overall pick on Friday night by the Indianapolis Colts. An inside linebacker from Santa Ana, Calif. Okereke is the first Cardinal selected by the Colts since Henry Anderson in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
“Bobby has intrigued the scouts during the pre-draft process,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “His length, speed and athleticism have truly put him on the radar for a lot of teams. From day one, he will probably be a starter on multiple special teams and will be battling to get on the field as a linebacker early in his career for the Colts.”
A 2018 team captain, Okereke was twice named All-Pac-12 honorable mention during his career. He played in 51 career games, totaling 240 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He also had nine passes defended, one interception, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He added a touchdown and safety for the Cardinal.
“Bobby Okereke is an all-down linebacker,” inside linebackers coach Peter Hansen said. “He is long, he is fast, he has good hip flexibility and he can flip his hips and cover in space. He can tackle in space, too. He has extremely long arms so he can keep himself clean off blockers. He will fit in really well with the Colts.”
As a senior last season, Okereke was named a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and was on the watch lists for the Butkus and Bednarik Awards. He started all 13 games, leading the team for a second straight year with 96 tackles (52 solo). He also had 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, five pass breakups and a safety.
In 2017, Okereke played in 14 games and had 96 tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also had one forced fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown at Washington State. As a junior in 2016, he started all 13 games he played and made 41 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. He played in 11 games with seven tackles as a sophomore in 2015.
For San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver, a dream came true on the second day of the 2019 NFL Draft as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first selection in the third round.
Oliver was the 69th overall selection in the Draft. He was the fifth tight end, the second from the 12-team Mountain West, and the second player from one of the three Bay Area schools that included Pac-12 Conference members Stanford and Cal to hear his name announced in the Draft so far.
“I like to pattern my game after Tony Gonzalez. As a freshman coming in (to San Jose State), my college coach showed me a lot of Tony Gonzalez tape and I’d like to do as much as he can,” Oliver said in his first interview with the Jaguars media. He will be united with new Jags offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who had the same position at SJSU during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Oliver, the 6’5″, 250-lb tight end from Paso Robles, Calif., is the first SJSU player in 10 years to be chosen in the first three rounds of a Draft. In 2009, defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, the 68th overall selection by the Chicago Bears, and cornerback Christopher Owens, the 90th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, were among the top 100 players drafted that year.
Oliver was a first-team All-MW choice as a senior in 2018. He caught a team-high 56 passes for 709 yards and four touchdowns. 38 of his receptions (67.8%) resulted in a first down, one of the top three percentages by a NCAA Division I FBS tight end last season. He concluded his college career playing in the 2019 Senior Bowl.
For SJSU, Oliver is the third tight end drafted by a NFL team since 1996. Brian Roche was a third-round draft choice, 81st overall selection, by the San Diego Chargers in 1996. In 2004, Courtney Anderson was an Oakland Raiders’ seventh round pick, 245th overall.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University and its Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the future construction of a new Football Operations Center on the east side of CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans. The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday morning, June 5 at 11:00 am inside CEFCU Stadium.
Conceived in 2016 as a centerpiece in the development of the university’s 62 acres of land at the South Campus, the Football Operations Center will be a multi-story structure centralizing all of Spartan Football’s needs into one state-of-the-art building. The new facility will enhance all facets of football operations and provide a first-class environment for our student-athletes to succeed in the classroom, in competition, and in life.
“The Football Operations Center will provide our football team, athletics department and the entire university state-of-the-art spaces to compete and learn. This critical project will provide much needed services for our football program and will be utilized by other sport teams and campus divisions. The center will provide enhanced game-day experiences for our fans,” said Marie Tuite, SJSU’s director of athletics.
“This project is a crucial footprint to the overall renovation and enhancement of facilities on South Campus. Although our football program will be the main tenants, building multi-use facilities is always our objective.”
The new operations center will include locker rooms, an auditorium, offices, spectator seating on the 50-yard line and a Hall of Champions event space. The total project would be a rebuild on the stadium’s east side and also provide support to the Spartans’ men’s and women’s soccer programs.
Currently, the project budget is listed at $40-million. To date, $24.7 million has been raised for the Football Operations Center.
The work slated to take place during the summer includes removing bleacher sections along the stadium’s east side and landscape in order to set the foundation for building. During this time, SJSU will initiate a formal bidding process to determine both construction and architecture firms.
After the 2019 football season, the next phase of work will include moving the hill and relocating the scoreboard including lighting currently located along the east side — all required preparation for the physical construction of the center.
When the Football Operations Center is completed, the Spartan football program would move out of the Simpkins Stadium Center, opened in 1993 on the 7th Street side of CEFCU Stadium, to the opposite side of the stadium.
“The Football Operations Center will be a game-changer for San Jose State University. We are building a winning program here and our new home will provide our players, coaches, and staff the opportunities to succeed on the field, academically, and through our Beyond Football program,” said SJSU football head coach Brent Brennan.
“It will show future Spartans that we have a vision and a plan for a winning football program that goes to bowl games and competes for conference championships.”
The groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public. Parking will be available in the Park & Ride Lot, located across the street from the 7th Street side of CEFCU Stadium.
To learn how you can support Spartan football, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Josh Thiel, deputy athletics director for athletics advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University will play Western Michigan University in a non-conference home-and-home football series during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. Marie Tuite, the Spartans’ Director of Athletics, made the announcement for the university.
SJSU will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. for the first time in program history for a Sept. 25, 2021 road game. The return game in San Jose, Calif. will be in CEFCU Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022.
When the Spartans face the Broncos on the road in 2021, it will be the first time these teams are competing against each other in football.
Western Michigan has been a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) since 1947. SJSU, a Mountain West member, has faced current MAC institutions: Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in its football history since 1979.
One of the biggest question marks entering spring practice was whether reduced hitting would delay the development of young and inexperienced Stanford Cardinal football players heading into fall camp.
After watching last Saturday’s Cardinal and White Spring Game, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the team.
Bodies were flying around Cagan Stadium, especially on defense, who recorded a 20-14 win by limiting the offense to two touchdowns. The defense recorded four sacks against four quarterbacks and played aggressively throughout.
“I like where our defensive backs and young linebackers are right now,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.
Due to injuries, especially on the offensive line, Shaw and his staff chose to limit physical contact and focus on technique and individual skill development this spring.
“We played fast and hard,” said freshman inside linebacker Ricky Miezan, who hopes to contend for one of two spots created by the departure of mainstays Bobby Okereke and Sean Barton. “All the work we put in this spring manifested itself.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Miezan and Jacob Mangum-Farrar are expected to battle converted outside linebacker Curtis Robinson, Andrew Pryts and Ryan Beecher for inside playing time.
“In the fall, I picked up so much from Bobby and Sean,” Miezan said. “The older guys kind of mentored us into what a Stanford linebacker is.”
For the record, Okereke led the team with 96 tackles each of the last two seasons.
“Not having as many live periods definitely helped, just focusing in on us and building the inside linebackers,” said Miezan. “We haven’t had that much game experience, so we have been focusing on techniques. We need to start with the basics and build from there.”
The nation’s third-ranked high school lacrosse player, the Alexandria, Va., native, didn’t play football until his junior year, but caught on quickly. As a senior, he made 55 tackles and earned all-state honors.
“I was a midfielder, so the back and forth running really helped with conditioning,” he said. “I feel I can stay out and endure a lot of plays and stay fresh. Lacrosse really helped with my side-to-side movement and agility.”
As a true freshman last season, Miezan appeared in four Cardinal games on special teams. He quickly learned that skill does always translate to success.
“You can be a great athlete, but you need to know the scheme to be able to go out there and play,” said Miezan. “That’s the number one thing: hone-in on the details and understand what you’re doing so you can play fast.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
New roles
Several young receivers stood out this spring, notably Connor Wedington, Michael Wilson and Simi Fehoko. Wedington was limited by injuries last year and appeared in four games and redshirted, while the 6’2″ Wilson played in all 13 contests with two starts, catching 14 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The 6’4″ Fehoko returned after a two-year church mission and saw action in the last four games, grabbing one reception.
“It’s been so good to finally get back on the field and play the game I love,” said Fehoko, who teamed up with K.J. Costello for a 19-yard touchdown catch Saturday on a short crossing route.
“We’re young but we’re talented.”
Big contributions are also expected from Osiris St. Brown, Donald Stewart and Brycen Tremayne.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Shaw, looking to replace JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin. “Michael and Connor had outstanding springs. Simi started off with an injury but was able to come back. I think the combination of guys we have right now is pretty exciting.”
So does cornerback Paulson Adebo. As a first-year starter, he led the nation with 24 passes defended and earned FWAA All-America second team.
“We have a chance to let them loose and do some good things,” he said of the Stanford wideouts. “We didn’t get to see that much of Connor last year, but I think he’s going to do some big things.”
Costello and the other quarterbacks spent extra time after practice working with the receivers to improve timing and chemistry. That will continue during voluntary workouts the next few months.
Fehoko and Costello have a long-standing connection.
“All the way back to high school,” said Fehoko. “We played in the Army All-American Game together. We’re close and we’re going to get there.”
Added Costello, “The second half of last season, every guy on the field, every route they ran, I just had insane confidence.”
Admittedly, it’s a process.
“Even with JJ, I remember barely missing on stuff for a year-and-a-half,” Costello said. “I’m going to do everything I can to help them develop. I want success from one-on-one and seven-on-seven to correlate to the team.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Not satisfied Adebo intercepted one pass and nearly had another in the spring game.
“I gotta finish the second one,” he said.
After establishing himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the country last year, Adebo is looking to step up his game.
“I think the big thing for me is just trying to keep being aggressive, having good eye control, and knowing that there are going to be a lot of double moves since I’m jumping routes,” he said.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Running backs, tight ends praised Shaw singled out his running backs for their work this spring. A new starter is assured with the loss of Bryce Love.
“I like the way they are running right now,” he said, “there are a lot of things we worked on that we didn’t do (Saturday), but our guys are running hard.
“I think we used our tight ends well. Maybe not like we typically do, but our tight ends are in a good spot. I told them I really appreciate all they have done. I told them to execute and that’s what we did.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Sense of urgency Fall training camp begins August 1 and the season opener is August 31 against the Northwestern Wildcats at Stanford Stadium. The Wildcats (9-5) were Big Ten West Division champs last year and capped their season by winning the Holiday Bowl 31-20 over the Utah Utes.
The Cardinal opens Pac-12 play at perennial rival USC on Sept. 7, then travels to Orlando to face UCF, who has lost one game in two years.
“Our offense needs to be ready to go by day one,” Costello said. “Last year, I feel like we started late. We got into a groove the last half of the season. If we can do that for the bulk of the season, everything else will take care of itself.”
Good stick Costello, a scratch golfer, found time after the season to sharpen his game. He fired a career-best 3-under-par 69 at California Golf Club in South San Francisco.
Costello is a big fan of Cardinal alum Tiger Woods, who earned his 15th major championship on Sunday at the Masters. Costello was glued to his television.
.@kj_costello got to meet Tiger Woods during his freshman year…well, kinda.
Full effort
Stanford was short on offensive lineman this spring so Drew Dalman, Henry Hattis, Grant Pease, Dylan Powell and Foster Sarell played every down in the Spring Game. The team needed each of them on every play to make the game possible and they delivered. Tucker Fisk also played a key role for the offensive line as he filled in when needed during spring practices.
Familiar faces
Among the former players who attended the Spring Game to lend support were Toby Gerhart, Kevin Hogan, Brennan Scarlett, Frank Buncom, Kaden Smith, Trenton Irwin, Nate Herbig, Keller Chryst, Jake Bailey, Arcega-Whiteside, Okereke and Nick Wilson.
Many attended an alumni networking social the previous night. Gerhart, enrolled at Stanford Graduate School of Business, arrived wearing cleats and had gloves hanging out of his back pocket. He left early to play in an intramural football game for his GSB team.
