AZTEC NOTEBOOK : Cornerback Louis is Not Improving With Age

The kid who was a starting cornerback as a sophomore is older now, old enough to know better than to blow coverages and let his mind wander.

But the problem for junior John Louis is that he is also deeper on the San Diego State depth chart.

Although he started each regular-season game in 1991, Louis staggered so badly at the end of the season that he was benched for the Freedom Bowl. Now he is the fourth SDSU cornerback--behind Damon Pieri, Gary Taylor and Eric Sutton.

And to make matters worse for Louis, Coach Al Luginbill on Wednesday said freshman cornerback Freddie Edwards (Antelope Valley High), along with freshman free safety Leonard Jones (Carver High in New Orleans), will be “force-fed” to see if they can contribute this season. Edwards, though, is still behind Louis, according to Luginbill.

“We’ll see how it goes,” said Louis, from Point Loma High. “Everybody in front of me is playing really well. If they keep playing like this, all I can do is stay consistent. Everybody came to camp ready to play.”

Said Luginbill: “(Louis) is doing well. He’s had some good practices this fall.”

However, Luginbill wasn’t impressed with Louis’ summer.

“We expected him to have a great off-season, and he had an average summer, to say the least,” Luginbill said.

Specifically, SDSU coaches would like to see Louis get stronger.

Luginbill also said freshman defensive back Michael Driver (Point Loma High) will be brought along, but not as quickly as Edwards or Jones. . . . Former Chula Vista quarterback Derek Chapman will enroll in SDSU--but not necessarily to play football, according to Luginbill. But . . . “If he wants to come out for the team, we’re not going to stop him,” Luginbill said. Chapman would not be offered a scholarship at that point, according to Luginbill--which figures because, since Chapman left Oklahoma State this fall, the Cowboys have not released him from his scholarship. Chapman was Southwestern Community College’s quarterback the past two seasons. . . . The Aztecs have moved Willie Johnson, formerly of Mesa Community College, from cornerback to strong safety.