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…
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