The bond Danny O'Neil has built with new San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis is a strong one. The Indianapolis native has been building that relationship with Lewis since the early stages of the process, and it eventually led to a commitment at Colorado while Lewis was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Boulder.
O'Neil backed off that pledge to the Buffaloes shortly before Lewis was announced as the new head coach for the Aztecs signaling that possibly another move would be coming that would link the two together for good.
Wednesday that became a reality as O'Neil took to social media to announce his commitment to SDSU after a weekend visit to The Mesa.
"Ultimately, it was just the people," O'Neil said about what pushed him to make his decision in favor of SDSU. "Coach Lewis was the main factor of why I chose Colorado earlier this year, and the relationship that I've built with him has really carried me throughout the last few months of this process — especially as of late. Just the type of guy that he is and the type of coach that he is, and where he sees me fitting into his offense.
"It's definitely going to be a good fit, and I'm just excited to play for a guy like him."
The high three-star recruit, who is currently rated as the No. 12 dual-threat quarterback by Rivals, is the highest-rated commit for the Aztecs in the 2024 class as Lewis and the new staff at SDSU continue to raise the talent level of the roster.
Cornerback Isaiah Buxton recently committed to SDSU after previously backing off his pledge to Arizona, and now both sit atop the list as the highest-rated future Aztecs as it stands now.
O'Neil, who is a senior at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, has racked up plenty of accolades during his high school career. He's passed for at least 2,000 yards in each of the last three seasons and enters his career at SDSU having thrown for 7,786 yards to go with 98 career passing touchdowns — including 31 this season.
He also has rushed for 1,326 yards in his career highlighted by a career-best 722 yards on the ground this season. In all, O'Neil has 27 rushing scores as a high school player.
The 6-foot-1, 183-pound recruit was also a finalist for the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp allowing him to compete against other top signal callers in Los Angeles this summer.
O'Neil previously told AztecSportsReport contributing reporter Kelly Horyczun at the event that he plans to enroll in college in January giving him an inside track at earning early playing time for the Aztecs when he arrives on campus.
"That's kind of why the last month was as stressful as it was just because we had to find a home and we had to do it quick," O'Neil said. "Now that we're settled in, I'm definitely gonna be out there in a few weeks ready to get to work. It's definitely going to be a huge part of the process for me just to get everything rolling now and go fight for a spot."
He remains on a path to arrive at SDSU in a few weeks, and his goal is to eventually earn the starting job next season.
The Aztecs now hold commitments from 11 recruits with the two highest-rated commits coming in since Lewis' hiring was announced.
O'Neil is the highest-rated quarterback to commit to SDSU since 2011 (Chad Jeffries) according to Rivals.
Video shot by AztecSportsReport contributor Kelly Horyczun and reporter Matt Moreno
