Welcome to the fourth post in our twelve-part recruiting breakdown series. Today will look at the #4 team in our rankings, San Diego State. The Aztecs have recruited well under Coach Lewis the past few seasons and did so once again in the 2026 cycle. Read below to learn more about the players that make up this year’s recruiting class.
The Skinny:
- Recruits signed: 28
- High school: 21
- JUCO: 4
- Transfers: 23
- Offensive: 23
- Defensive: 25
- Special Teams: 0
- Number of 3-stars per 247 rankings: 22
- Players with a rating over 85: 10
- Players with a rating over 82: 12
- Breakdown by state (excluding transfers):
- California: 14
- Texas: 3
- Washington: 2
- Hawaii: 1
- Illinois: 1
- Nevada: 1
- 247 Rankings (subject to change)
- Recruiting: 80
- Transfer: 69
- Overall: 76
High School Players:
QB Brady Campbell
Stand out skills:
- Cannon for an arm
- Able to extend plays with his legs and pick up yards on the run
- Displays nice touch on deep balls
- Throws well on the run
RB Josiah Lucas
Stand out skills:
- Great vision in traffic
- Big play threat on every carry
- Finds another gear once in the open field
- Shifty at the line of scrimmage with a knack of avoiding contact
WR Derek Stevenson
Stand out skills:
- Excels at getting yards after the catch
- Skilled at catching over the middle in stride
- Strong hands, making difficult catches in traffic
- Nice releases at the line of scrimmage
WR Carson Diehl
Stand out skills:
- Creates easy separation with speed
- Piles up explosive plays after the catch with elusiveness, causing broken tackles
- Athletic enough to line up in multiple spots on the field
- Great at adjusting his route to be in a position to make a catch
WR Daishaun Davis
Stand out skills:
- Versatile WR who can make plays in the backfield, in the flat, or as a deep threat
- Ability to bounce off tackles and fly by defenders after the catch
- Nice vision to find the open space on the field
- Developed knowledge of the playbook to be used in many different ways
TE Elijah Muliufi
Stand out skills:
- Big target down the seam who gets yards after the catch with his long strides
- A key part of the run game with his blocking ability
- Wide catch radius with his vertical leap, especially in the red zone
- Can line up in multiple spots depending on what the offense is doing
TE Jack Ellis
Stand out skills:
- Huge receiving threat with great hands and route-running
- Tough to bring down, allowing him to pick up extra yards
- A willing blocker who locks onto defenders through the play
- Gets consistently open with his releases, chips, and route-running
OL Brian Borjon
Stand out skills:
- Great size
- Athletic enough to pull on run plays
- Gets off the line quickly
- Initiates contact to reset the line of scrimmage
OL Koi Taiese
Stand out skills:
- Consistently drives players back to open up holes in the run game
- Has a clear understanding of how to execute his assignment every play
- Explodes out of his stance and utilizes his strength well
- Keeps his head up to make additional blocks after winning his initial battle
OL Jarvis Williams-Colon
Stand out skills:
- Athletic two-player who moves well around the line of scrimmage
- Physical and plays with lots of energy
- Evidenet strength allows him to win his one-on-one matchups
- Room to add weight to his ideal tackle frame
OL Harlem Nellum
Stand out skills:
- Excels at driving defenders back out of the play
- Quick on his feet as he gets into position
- Athletic enough to play on both sides of the ball
- Ideal fit at guard in college
DL Roman Paseka
Stand out skills:
- High-motor player who wraps up ball-carriers well
- Overpowers opponents at the LOS with his speed/strength combo
- Takes nice angles to get a step on OL and get into the backfield
- A force in run-defense with his tackling ability
EDGE Alijah Lash
Stand out skills:
- Noticable instincts to determine where the ball is going
- Quick off the edge, beating slower blockers with ease
- Long arms allow him to get his hands on quarterbacks to disrupt plays or get the sack
- Blows up plays immediately with his speed
EDGE Robby Lavata’i
Stand out skills:
- Great job getting off blocks quickly
- Wraps up well on tackles, not leaving room for ball carriers to escape
- Does a great job not overpursuing, staying in position to make a play
- Doesn’t give up on plays, chasing people down from the other side of the field
EDGE Crosby Kelly
Stand out skills:
- Blasts through the line of scrimmage with speed and tenacity
- Great vision to see plays develop and respond accordingly
- Able to rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage when needed
- Long strides and strength give him an edge for most matchups
EDGE Dominic Coelho
Stand out skills:
- Explodes into action as soon as the ball is snapped
- Fights off blockers and gives max effort to make a play
- Can line up anywhere along the line due to his speed and energetic style of play
- Throws his entire body into his tackles to ensure he makes an impact
JUCO LB Jeramiah Lewis
Stand out skills:
- Textbook tackler going at the midsection with force
- Flies through the line of scrimmage on blitzes to blow up plays before they start
- Does a great job diagnosing plays and filling gaps
- Nice tackler in space
DB Rahmeer Henderson
Stand out skills:
- Strong ability to jump routes and make a play on the ball
- Good support in the run game near the line of scrimmage
- Sneaky-good blitzer
- At his best in pass coverage, getting his hands on the ball
DB Dareon Edmonds
Stand out skills:
- Plays tight man coverage and isn’t afraid to be physical
- Solid closing speed to make plays on the ball at the time of the catch
- Uses his body well to run receivers off their routes
- Fluid hips and moves well going backward
DB Tainoa Lave
Stand out skills:
- Able to cover a lot of ground as a deep safety
- Reads plays well and puts himself into a position to make a play
- Fierce hitter in the open field
- Playmaker in run support and pass defense
DB Javari Nash
Stand out skills:
- Good game speed to get into the proper position
- Sound tackler, squaring up to make big hits
- Keeps his eyes moving, which allows him to keep the play in front of him
- Doesn’t give up on plays, often coming from the other side of the field to make a tackle
DB Cammeron Purnell
Stand out skills:
- Huge hitter, stopping players in their tracks
- Excels at punching the ball out
- Reads plays well and can shade over to where the ball is going
- Provides strong coverage as a deep safety over the top
JUCO DB Jamison Starks
Stand out skills:
- Fights through blocks to contribute to run defense in the flat
- Out leaps receivers for the ball on passes
- Physical at the point of contact in pass defense
- Reads the quarterback’s eyes and reacts accordingly
Team Writer Thoughts:
The Aztecs needed to get suitable replacements across the board. Defense remains the ultimate key for the Aztecs as they look to be focused on especially shoring up the EDGE rushers and defensive back units. With the loss of Tre White to Texas Tech, the Aztecs will be looking by committee to fill that void. With high schoolers Lash and Lavatari at Edge, there is good potential for reps and hopefully several years on the roster. The DB’s point to the focus and core of the Aztecs, solid defense. Edmonds, Lave and Purnell are great pick-ups from the prep ranks and will see action during the upcoming campaign. Over half of the transfers were for defensive positions. The Aztecs look to have added significant depth across all areas of the defense. They have also added several large offensive linemen. Those players should be able to play immediately, unlike the high school recruits who might need a season or two. All in all, San Diego State is set to compete in the new Pac-12 Conference this next season, and if early indicators mean anything, they should be competing for a championship.
Quick Hits:
(High school players only)
Headliner(s):
Mike: Lash, Lave, Lavata’i
Jeff: Carson Diehl, Alijah Lash, Cammeron Purnell
Prominent talent:
Mike: Stevenson, Coelho
Jeff: Tainoa Lave, Harlem Nellum
Favorite Recruit(s):
Mike: Lash, Kelly
Jeff: Dareon Edmonds, Alijhah Lash
Sleeper Recruit(s):
Mike: Purnell, Taiese
Jeff: Jack Ellis
Best unit(s):
Mike: EDGE, Defensive back
Jeff: Defensive Backs, EDGE rushers
Transfer Players:
Here is the list of transfer players San Diego State signed. We are moving away from commenting on their film, as it’s often many years outdated by this point, and frankly, it’s become too time-consuming. Jack is doing a tremendous job commenting on transfer players in his transfer tracker. Instead, this section will comment on the class as a whole in terms of attempting to address needs and overall philosophy.
QB Stone Saunders
RB Javion Kinnard
WR Marshel Sanders
WR Justius Lowe
WR Aldrich Doe
TE Kime Fangupo
OL Mercer Luniewski
OL Charlton Luniewski
OL Matthew Montgomery
OL Dennis Jones
OL Isaac Lucas
OL Evan Lawrence
DL Tuaoa Tauili’ili
DL Gavriel Lightfoot
EDGE Nate Henrich
EDGE Kai Wallin
EDGE Djibril Abdou Rahman
LB Jeramiah Lewis
LB Cameron Cooper
LB Sione Hala
DB Jamison Starks
DB Isaiah Greenn
DB Solomon Daviss
DB Jalen Thomeson
DB Jason Oliver
DB Caleb Ricks
DB Mike Lindsay
As they have in the past few cycles, the Aztecs brought in a large number of transfer players to bolster their roster. They are hoping to find the answer at quarterback with their new transfer, a position that has haunted them for the past two seasons. Also, there has been a clear focus on restocking the offensive line, bringing in six new players at the time of this writing. Likewise, the secondary has seen seven new players signed in hopes that there is little drop off from last season’s success. The San Diego State pass-rush was also a priority in the portal
Summary:
The Aztecs were able to add a ton of talent in this class, both of the high school and transfer variety. Making the team better, at least on paper, is the goal of recruiting and they were able to do that. However, it does feels like San Diego State is starting to plateau in their recruiting under Coach Lewis. It’s a small sample size and there are many potential factors, but it is something to keep an eye on. Perhaps it’s merely unfair expectations placed on them, but given their location and investments in the program, there is no reason they shouldn’t be regularly in signing top 65 classes each cycle. Playing under the PAC-12 banner could potentially provide a boost, but that is a discussion for the 2027 recruiting class.
Previously: Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State
Up next: Fresno State
