San Jose State has its guy under center. Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Spartans have named Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver their starting quarterback heading into the 2026 season, and his first snap in the new uniform comes against one of the toughest openers in the country.
The debut isn't a soft landing. San Jose State opens the season on the road at No. 14 USC on Aug. 29 at the LA Coliseum, a Week 0 kickoff set for noon PT on NBC. That's about as loud a stage as a first-time starter can ask for, and Weaver's going to be slinging it in front of a Trojans crowd right out of the gate.
Weaver didn't just walk into the job. Thamel notes he won a genuine camp battle over redshirt freshman Robert McDaniel and true freshman Daniel Rolovich, both of whom are still developing behind him on the depth chart. Experience mattered here — Weaver's the only one of the three who's actually started college football games.
Weaver won a close camp battle with redshirt freshman Robert McDaniel and true freshman Daniel Rolovich. In five games last year, Weaver completed 63-of-105 passes for 628 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
That experience is thin but productive. In 5 games for Hawaii last season, Weaver went 63-of-105 for 628 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 picks, and he went 2-0 as a starter — including coming off the bench to throw the game-winning touchdown in the Hawai'i Bowl. Before Hawaii, he built his résumé at Modesto Junior College, where he threw for 5,823 yards and 48 touchdowns across back-to-back conference championship runs.
For San Jose State, this is a straightforward bet: take the guy who's already won games in relief and hand him a full-time job, rather than gamble on an unproven freshman in a Power 4 road opener. USC, fresh off a top-14 preseason ranking, isn't the gentlest test case — but if Weaver's Hawaii tape is any indication, the Spartans think he's built for exactly this kind of moment.