San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo joins Rebel Daily Drive at 2026 Mountain West Football Media Days in Las Vegas.

Niumatalolo talks about his time coaching at UNLV under John Robinson, his memories of Jason Thomas, San Jose State’s quarterback competition, the promotion of Bojay Filimoeatu, the current NIL and transfer portal landscape, what he looks for in players, the five-for-five rule, roster retention, leadership, team chemistry, opening the season against USC, future scheduling and what success looks like for the Spartans this season.

Tap in for the full interview from Mountain West Football Media Days.

00:00 - Ken Niumatalolo’s Time at UNLV
00:36 - Coaching Jason Thomas
01:32 - San Jose State Quarterback Battle
02:29 - Promoting Bojay Filimoeatu
03:08 - NIL and the “Wild West”
04:27 - What Coaches Look For in Players
05:23 - Finding Players Who Want to Play
06:13 - Five-for-Five Rule and Transfer Questions
07:03 - Building a Bounce-Back Season
08:34 - Keeping Players Engaged
10:02 - Revenue, Recruiting and College Football Changes
10:57 - Defensive Leaders and Team Leadership
12:07 - Building Chemistry With New Players
13:43 - Preparing for USC
14:48 - Scheduling Big Games
16:13 - Future Scheduling Strategy
17:08 - Fresno State and Former Mountain West Teams
17:52 - Defining Success This Season

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