WACO, Texas - San José State wide receivers coach Billy Ray Stutzmann has been selected for the 2026 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, the American Football Coaches Association announced Monday.
Now in his second season with the Spartans—and his first as wide receivers coach—Stutzmann helped guide SJSU to the second-best passing offense in the Mountain West and the 14th-ranked passing offense nationally, averaging 282.3 yards per game.
Under his leadership, wide receiver Danny Scudero earned All-Mountain West First Team honors and was named a Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist. Scudero finished the regular season leading the nation with 1,291 receiving yards and 107.6 yards per game—the fifth-highest single-season total in SJSU history. His 88 receptions rank third in program history, fourth nationally, and first in the Mountain West. Scudero also recorded 10 touchdowns, tied for the fifth-most in a single season at SJSU and 10th nationally.
This marks the second consecutive season that an SJSU wide receiver has led the nation in receiving yards and yards per game following the regular season.
Wide receivers Kyri Shoels and Leland Smith were each named All-Mountain West Honorable Mention selections. Shoels concluded his first FBS season with 59 receptions for 768 yards and two touchdowns, ranking fourth in the conference in receptions and fifth in receiving yards. Smith posted career highs with 43 receptions for 688 yards and three touchdowns, finishing eighth in the Mountain West in receiving yards and 12th in receptions.
The Spartans ended the regular season as the only school in the country to have three different receivers have 100 or more receiving yards in the same game twice during the season.
The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, presented by Riddell InSite Analytics, is a prestigious program designed to identify and develop premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.
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