Ex-Graduate Assistant Joins SDSU Staff

The final piece of San Diego State’s coaching staff was put into place Monday when former Aztec graduate assistant Sean Payton started work as running backs coach.

Payton, 28, a three-time Associated Press all-American quarterback at Eastern Illinois University, was the running backs/receivers’ coach the past two seasons at Division I-AA Indiana State.

“He’s an individual who has been around our program and understands the way we want to do things at San Diego State,” Coach Al Luginbill said. “We were looking for a person who is young, enthusiastic, an aggressive recruiter, a good teacher and a good person. As we went through the interview process, we felt very good about him.”

Payton was a graduate assistant in 1988 and 1989 at SDSU, when he worked with Aztec receivers, quarterbacks and nickelbacks.

“It’s important to keep as much continuity as we can while making the adjustments we feel are important,” Luginbill said.

Said Payton: “It’s good to be back. For me, this is a chance to jump up a level in football, obviously, and, in my opinion, come to a program that is heading in a real good direction.”

Payton, who worked with a pro-set, I-back offense that was heavy on the rushing attack at Indiana State, said that he will spend the next two weeks studying he Aztec system. Spring football is scheduled to begin March 16.

“I’m one of the younger guys on our staff, so I want to absorb and get into the flow of what everyone is doing,” Payton said. “It’s important that I learn what everyone is doing before spring ball. My main objective now is to get acquainted with the terminology and with what these guys have been doing.”

Indiana State Coach Dennis Raetz said Payton’s enthusiasm is his strongest suit.

“As a young coach, he’s outstanding,” Raetz said. “He communicates effectively on the field coaching or out recruiting. He has tremendous knowledge, particularly with regard to throwing the football. His eagerness and enthusiasm are contagious.”

The addition of a running backs coach at SDSU was necessitated when Luginbill fired offensive coordinator Dave Lay in January and then demoted former assistant head coach Dan Underwood to the role of recruiting coordinator.

Bret Ingalls, former SDSU offensive line coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator and Dave Schramm, former recruiting coordinator, was promoted to the role of offensive line coach. Secondary coach Ron Mims is the new assistant head coach.