San Diego State graduate transfer running back Marquez Cooper and sophomore transfer linebacker Tano Letuli haven’t been members of the SDSU football program long — but long enough to make a favorable impression on their teammates.
SDSU edge rusher Trey White, though only a sophomore, has been around longer than most of the other Aztecs. He, too, is held in high regard among his peers.
Cooper, Letuli and White were announced Sunday as team captains for the 2024 season, which begins Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce at Snapdragon Stadium.
The honor, which comes from a vote of SDSU players, is often as much for a player’s presence in practice or in the locker room as his performance during a game.
Cooper and Letuli are among four dozen transfers on SDSU’s roster.
Though he hasn’t played a down for the Aztecs, Cooper is the most accomplished player on the offense. He played three seasons for first-year Aztecs coach Sean Lewis at Kent State, before spending the 2023 season at Ball State, and enters this season as the NCAA’s active career rushing leader after back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Cooper was competing during training camp with returner Kenan Christon for starting running back position, but became the de facto starter when Christon was sidelined 10 days into camp with an ankle injury that will sideline him six to eight weeks. Cooper was apparently leading the competition before Christon was hurt. He rushed three times for 32 in the team’s Snapdragon Stadium scrimmage in the opening series before being rested.
Letuli is a Cathedral Catholic High School graduate who played parts of 11 games at Army last season as a true freshman. He decided to return and play for the home team during the offseason, then earned a starting spot during spring practice.
“You’ve got to be consistent,” Letuli said during the first week of training camp. “You want to be consistently good, not occasionally great. That’s kind of our motto.”
White has been competing to start at one of the edge spots, and the Eastlake High School graduate has been among those singled out as a standout by Lewis during training camp.
White was SDSU’s Scout Team Player of the Year in 2022 while redshirting as a true freshman. He appeared in all 12 games last season, mostly in a backup role or on special teams, collecting 15 tackles with one interception and one fumble recovery.
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