Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
By Ana Kieu
For the second consecutive week, San Jose State linebacker Ethan Aguayo is the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) national leader in tackles per game.
Aguayo, a senior and three-year starter opened the 2019 season matching a single-game career best 20 tackles in the Northern Colorado win on August 29. He followed up with a game-high 14 stops against Tulsa on September 7 for national-leading 17.0 tackles per game average.
When Aguayo first stepped foot on campus in 2015, he had no idea the kind of impact he was going to make for the Spartans’ football program. A walk-on that played receiver and defensive back in high school at JSerra Catholic High in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., he joined the team for fall preseason drills prior to the 2015 season and impressed the coaches enough to earn a spot on the scout team. Still, he had a long way to go to achieve his goal of becoming a starter.
Fast forward to the start of the 2019 season. Aguayo, now standing 6’2″ and weighing 228 pounds, is no longer an undersized wide receiver and defensive back. He’s the Spartans’ top returning linebacker with 277 career tackles to his name and a chance to earn a spot in the school’s top 10 all-time in career tackles before the season comes to an end.
So what was the catalyst for Ethan in his transformation from receiver to linebacker, his ability to earn a scholarship and become a leader of the program? In his words, it’s all about consistency. He strived for consistency in all aspects of his game back in 2015 and continues to do the same things to do this day.
“Being in the situation I am now, I look back and still fall back on the same things that I was doing as a walk-on,” Aguayo said. “That means staying consistent on the field, staying mentally locked in, go to the meetings and just give a full effort every day.”
IMPROVING EVERY YEAR: After redshirting that first season, Aguayo immediately began to make a bigger impact as a redshirt freshman in 2016, appearing in 12 games and making 10 starts. The following season, he started nine more games and was ninth in the conference with 8.4 tackles per game.
Last season was when Aguayo put everything together. He earned an honorable mention All-Mountain West nod after finishing fifth in the conference and 29th nationally with 9.6 tackles per game while making 11 starts. He posted a team-high 106 total tackles and had a game to remember in front of the home crowd of CEFCU Stadium on November 17 against Nevada. He racked up 20 tackles against the Wolf Pack — the first Spartan to do so since Keith Smith in 2013 at Minnesota.
“That was a game that sticks out to me,” Aguayo said. “I had always imagined what 20 tackles would be like, so that was a cool experience to get that in my pocket.”
READY TO LEAD: Despite his success on the field, Aguayo remains one of the most humble members of the Spartan football team. He knows his role and wants to excel at it, but at the end of the day, he’s just there to help the team win. He has grown throughout the years and is a clear-cut leader on the defense — another role that he relishes in.
“I just want to be consistent on the field, stay locked in and do my job in getting everybody right,” Aguayo said. “When things start to go sideways, being able to draw everyone back together and let them know that it is a four-quarter game not to panic. I want to be that voice for our defense.”
As you look back over Aguayo’s career, it’s easy to imagine anyone pulling for the guy to succeed. His consistency since his first day in a Spartan uniform has led the way and it shows on paper. His tackle total has increased each season and jumped from 53 as a freshman to 106 as a junior. He overcame adversity, rose to every challenge and is the leader of the defense. He believes that if he can do it then anyone can and encourages players in similar situations to follow in his footsteps.
“People love to see consistency whether it’s on the football field, in life or in the work space,” Aguayo said. “Consistency is what is going to get you to the top. For me personally, being consistent is what got me to where I am now. Now, I tell some of that guys that are currently walk-ons that it is consistency that will get them where they want to go.
“It doesn’t matter where you start on the depth chart. All that matters is that you’re willing to give that effort and have that consistency every day,” Aguayo added.
Talk about consistency, Aguayo picked up right where he left off in 2018. In the 35-18 win over Northern Colorado in the season opener, he was in on 20 tackles, a quarterback sack, and 2.0 tackles for loss. If that sounds familiar, his 20 tackles matches his career-high 20 tackles in last year’s game vs. Nevada.
HIKING WITH “NOODLES”: With a nose for the ball and a tenacious personality on the field, it surprises some to learn that off the field, he’s a quiet, reserved young man that has a heart of gold. He’s a huge dog lover and met his best friend, Noodles, back in 2017. The two have formed a bond that has made them inseparable.
“I adopted Noodles from the San Jose Animal Shelter,” Aguayo said. “He loves to go on hikes. He’s pretty friendly, but when he gets tested he will fight back a little bit. He’s small but he’s aggressive. He and I like to hang out. We both like to nap together. Whatever I do, he’ll do. He’s kind of my best friend.”
Whether he’s spending time with Noodles or spending time in the opponent’s backfield, Aguayo’s poised to have a big career ahead of him, whether that career will be in the NFL or elsewhere. Either way, he’s prepared for it.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, of course,” Aguayo said. “I think that anyone that has played football dreams about getting to that next level. But I also know that football doesn’t last forever. So while I’m interested in the NFL, I’m interested in the rest of my life, too.”
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