San Diego State got its head coach in Sean Lewis, and on Wednesday they got their quarterback in Danny O'Neil. Those pieces of news following one another is no coincidence.
O'Neil - who had previously committed to play for Lewis at Colorado - announced that he will continue his football career on the Mesa.
Lewis' presence was a big factor in landing O'Neil.
"I think he can help me off the field as much as he can help me on the field," O'Neil told NBC 7 Wednesday.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The two-time Indianapolis City Offensive Player of the Year is the 34th ranked quarterback in the 2024 class. O'Neil won a state championship for Cathedral High School, and racked up over 9,100 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns over the course of his career.
"Every Friday the last four years my goal was to get a check mark in the 'W' column," O'Neil said. "I didn't really care how we got there or what it looked like."
O'Neil will graduate early, allowing him to enroll at San Diego State in January and take part in spring football. He said his goal is to play in 2024 as a true freshman.
Local
Last weekend O'Neil was among the recruits that visited SDSU, and said he had a strong feeling about his decision after the trip.
"Everything that I didn't know about blew me away."
He was impressed by San Diego State's campus and Snapdragon Stadium, and said the program "didn't feel Group of Five".
Like Lewis, he believes the Aztecs will have a chance to compete for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff in the coming seasons.
