San Jose State Football Looks to Rebound from Disappointing 2025 Season
The San Jose State Spartans football team's historic run of three straight bowl appearances came to an abrupt end in 2025. The once-promising squad failed to meet expectations, finishing the season with a dismal 3-9 record and narrowly avoiding last place in the Mountain West conference standings.
New Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo is already on the case, implementing a radical overhaul of his coaching staff and roster. Gone are veterans like defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and special teams coach Joe Palcic, replaced by fresh faces. The loss of top linebacker Jordan Pollard also weighs heavily on the team's future prospects.
The biggest challenge for Niumatalolo will be retaining talented players like star receiver Danny Scudero, who led the FBS with 1,291 receiving yards this season. With several Power Five schools rumored to be vying for his services, SJSU will need to put together an attractive package of incentives and resources to convince him to stay.
On the quarterback front, Niumatalolo has identified a trio of hopefuls: Tama Amisone, Robert McDaniel, and newcomer Daniel Rolovich. With only three full-season starts under his belt, it's unfair to judge McDaniel solely on last year's limited playing time. The true test of their mettle begins next season.
Perhaps the most pressing concern for SJSU, however, is the kicker position. After missing 11 out of 23 field goal attempts, Niumatalolo has vowed to do better by offering revenue sharing incentives like other teams in the conference. With senior Denis Lynch already on board, it's unclear how much improvement can be expected.
Next season will also bring a new-look Mountain West conference landscape, with Boise State, Fresno State, and several others departing for the Pac-12. San Jose State will face four non-conference opponents, including Eastern Michigan, Cal Poly, Fresno State, and Stanford.
While it's uncertain what 2026 holds for the Spartans, one thing is clear: after a disappointing season, Ken Niumatalolo has his work cut out for him in rebuilding a program that had once been on the rise.
The San Jose State Spartans football team's historic run of three straight bowl appearances came to an abrupt end in 2025. The once-promising squad failed to meet expectations, finishing the season with a dismal 3-9 record and narrowly avoiding last place in the Mountain West conference standings.
New Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo is already on the case, implementing a radical overhaul of his coaching staff and roster. Gone are veterans like defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and special teams coach Joe Palcic, replaced by fresh faces. The loss of top linebacker Jordan Pollard also weighs heavily on the team's future prospects.
The biggest challenge for Niumatalolo will be retaining talented players like star receiver Danny Scudero, who led the FBS with 1,291 receiving yards this season. With several Power Five schools rumored to be vying for his services, SJSU will need to put together an attractive package of incentives and resources to convince him to stay.
On the quarterback front, Niumatalolo has identified a trio of hopefuls: Tama Amisone, Robert McDaniel, and newcomer Daniel Rolovich. With only three full-season starts under his belt, it's unfair to judge McDaniel solely on last year's limited playing time. The true test of their mettle begins next season.
Perhaps the most pressing concern for SJSU, however, is the kicker position. After missing 11 out of 23 field goal attempts, Niumatalolo has vowed to do better by offering revenue sharing incentives like other teams in the conference. With senior Denis Lynch already on board, it's unclear how much improvement can be expected.
Next season will also bring a new-look Mountain West conference landscape, with Boise State, Fresno State, and several others departing for the Pac-12. San Jose State will face four non-conference opponents, including Eastern Michigan, Cal Poly, Fresno State, and Stanford.
While it's uncertain what 2026 holds for the Spartans, one thing is clear: after a disappointing season, Ken Niumatalolo has his work cut out for him in rebuilding a program that had once been on the rise.
they gotta make some major changes and rebuild from scratch lol like whats up with the coach not wanting to keep odum tho? 
anyway idk if its possible for them to win over scudero, he was on fire last season and power 5s are always gonna be interested in that dude 
but hey at least they got some new blood coming in which is def a good start 
The sad part about SJSU football not making bowl appearances this year is that it's a shame to see all the hard work their players put in go to waste 
. New coach Ken Niumatalolo better get his act together ASAP or they'll be stuck with another losing season 
. I'm keeping an eye on Danny Scudero though - he's got skills, let's hope he stays 
. What do you guys think about the Mountain West conference changes? 
their season ended so abruptly and it's like they went from promising to disappointing overnight 
i hope ken niuatalolo can work his magic and bring back that bowl appearance magic 
i'm curious to see how he'll manage to keep danny scudero on board, those power five schools are surely eyeing him 
I mean, 3-9 record is not good at all! They need to make some big changes, like getting rid of the old coach's staff and finding new players who can actually help them win. And what's up with their kicker position? Missing that many field goals is crazy 
. The new head coach, Ken Niumatalolo, seems like he's trying hard to turn things around, but it'll take more than just changing the coaching staff to get those Spartans back on track 
he's been carrying that team for years now
. I mean, they've got some major talent like Danny Scudero and all, but it's clear they're gonna have to do a lot more than just keep him if they wanna get back on top. The fact that multiple Power Five schools are sniffing around his neck is concerning, and I'm not sure the SJSU coaching staff has got the juice to compete with those guys for talent.
. I mean, 3-9? That's not just a bad season, that's an embarrassing one. And don't even get me started on kicker Denis Lynch - missing 11 out of 23 field goals is just unacceptable.
. Ken Niumatalolo seems like a smart coach who knows what he's doing, and the fact that he's already making changes to the roster and coaching staff suggests he's got a plan in place to turn things around. Plus, with the Mountain West conference shakeup next season, SJSU might just get some extra motivation to prove themselves.
. Maybe they'll surprise us all and become a force to be reckoned with in the FBS again 
they always got that one place stuck at 30 min mark and then another one that takes forever to arrive too... and don't even get me started on the reviews 
i swear, people are so picky about their pizza toppings... anyway, back to san jose state... 
i feel bad for the fans, but maybe this is an opportunity for them to rebuild and come back stronger 
ken niu is trying to fix it but it's gonna be tough 
and the kicker position is just... 
11 out of 23 field goal misses? 
that's a big problem to fix 
And yeah, retaining players will be tough, but maybe some incentives and resources will do the trick? 
. Danny Scudero's leaving already? 
I know he had an amazing season, 1,291 yards?! 
and Tama Amisone, Robert McDaniel, and Daniel Rolovich on QB?? they gotta bring the heat next season or else 
! 
and can someone pls get that kicker to make some field goals already? 
11/23 is a lot of misses... I just wanna see Coach Niu do his thing again and SJSU come out on top 
but like i know niumatalolo is tryin to rebuild and all, so lets be real tho... Danny Scudero aint goin nowhere 
the pac-12 expansion is gonna throw a wrench into things 2 boot and now sjsu gotta deal w/ new opponents 
. But, I gotta say, I'm low-key hyped about Ken Niumatalolo's new coaching staff and roster changes 
- he'll attract some serious attention from Power Five schools for sure 
. Fingers crossed SJSU can keep him around and make some magic happen on the field 
they ended up 3-9 which is like super bad 
he got 1,291 receiving yards which is crazy! 
so maybe niuatalolo can get some better deals or something 
and revenue sharing incentives r a good start but like coach niumatalolo needs to put in work too