San Diego State's Sean Lewis ready to take lessons learned from 'crazy ride' at Colorado into next chapter

LAS VEGAS -- Sean Lewis walked into Mountain West Media Days looking tan and invigorated, a changed man after one of the most absurd 18-month stretches of any coach in college football .

After voluntarily leaving amid a successful stint as Kent State coach, one of the toughest jobs in college football, everything – technically – went to plan. He's landed a job at one of the top programs in the Group of Five, one of a handful that truly aspires to compete at the national level. Success at San Diego State means national attention and potentially even more opportunities in the expanded College Football Playoff era.

At San Diego State, Lewis can recruit one of the most talented regions in the country within driving distance and still be back to put his kids to sleep. His favorite part of living in San Diego is the unlimited high-quality Mexican food. Things will change, of course, when games actually begin, but life couldn't be much better.

"What's not to love?" Lewis said. "Quality of life, professional growth, unbelievable opportunity, it was a no brainer. Every single time I talked with [SDSU athletic director John David Wicker] and we went through this process, I kept hoping I'd get another callback."

Of course, there was that tiny little detour in the middle where Lewis joined the insane ride as offensive coordinator at Colorado . Three weeks into the 2023 season, he was the talk of the sport after miraculously turning an island of misfit toys into one of the top offenses in college football. Colorado cleared 40 points in five of its first seven games. Then, Sanders suddenly pulled the plug on Lewis, a move that shocked staffers around the sport.

I asked Lewis about what he learned most from his bizarre tenure at Colorado. His answer? Perspective. Let's translate the polite Midwestern verbiage: It was brutal.

"Every single opportunity I've had, every chair I've sat in, I've been able to learn and grow from that," Lewis said. "There's very real value. To be at a spot at CU last year, there's the media attention, there's the spotlight, there's the NIL, there's the reality TV show, there's all of it. It challenges you to think about all the things that are important within the program that have helped me grow as a coach and as a man."

Fortunately for Lewis, attention cuts both ways. What Colorado and Sanders saw as public failure during a 4-8 season (and an offense that fell from 32 to 20 points per game post-Lewis), others saw an undervalued asset. More than anything else, though, the Colorado media machine meant people simply saw Lewis. Coming from Kent State, where his success was consistently passed over or taken for granted, that was all that mattered.

Ultimately, the attention of his doomed Colorado tenure led to perhaps the most desirable Group of Five job in the sport. The attention helped lead to the second-best transfer class and third-best high school recruiting class in the Mountain West. The attention has helped drive season ticket sales and interest as San Diego State continues to position itself for the future of college football.

And here's the little secret about Lewis: When you watch, he's a pretty darn good football coach. From 2018-22, he led Kent State to one of its best runs of success in program history. In 2021, the Golden Flashes reached the MAC title game for only the second time. He led Kent State to its first bowl win. Lewis posted more seven-win seasons than the previous 30 years of the program combined. At San Diego State, Lewis won't have to do more with less; long term, he can do more with more.

Lewis' first year will put his figure-it-out chops to the test. The Aztecs rank No. 108 nationally in returning production in Lewis' first season. SDSU doesn't have a single selection to the preseason All-Mountain West team, though transfers from Florida State , Utah and USC will try to quickly fill holes. San Diego State was picked eighth in the preseason poll, but behind Boise State , the league is wide open. By the way, at least one Buff believed in Lewis: Tight end Michael Harrison , CU's second-leading touchdown catcher, followed Lewis to San Diego.

Needless to say, getting demoted and publicly embarrassed was never high on Lewis' list of goals when he left Kent State. But he ultimately took it in stride and landed right where he belongs.

"[I left Kent State] to be in a better place," Lewis said. "You make a move professionally and personally to be in a better position than where you were. Sitting here today, we accomplished that goal. It was a crazy ride to get here, but we did what we set out to do."