THE BOARD: San Diego State Football

The number

1 — First. San Diego State's 2027 recruiting class ranks first in the Pac-12 per Profile. The Aztecs have not played a Pac-12 game. They officially join the conference on July 1. They are already out-recruiting it.

The fit

Sean Lewis was hired in November 2023 and went 3-9 in his first season. Then the Aztecs went 9-4 in 2025 with a 6-2 conference record, earned a bowl berth and posted six first-team All-Mountain West selections. That turnaround is translating to the recruiting trail.

The California dominance is the headline. Eleven of the 20 commits are from the state — Oxnard, La Verne, Carlsbad, San Diego, Sunnyvale, Chatsworth, Los Alamitos, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona and Dana Hills. Lewis's staff is locking down Southern California and reaching into the Bay Area. Cathedral Catholic, Sierra Canyon, Damien and La Costa Canyon are programs that regularly send players to Power 4 schools. The Aztecs are in those buildings.

The wide receiver haul defines the class. Five receivers — Brooklyn Bailey (Colorado), Travon Garrison (La Verne), Isaac Cook (San Diego), Jaiden Flores (Sunnyvale) and Braxton Huynh (Peoria, Ariz.) — give Lewis a deep skill corps to develop. Flores had 20 offers. Bailey, the class's second-highest-rated commit, held 15.

Isaiah Phelps is the anchor. The Pacifica-Oxnard linebacker grades at 85.63 on Profile — a top-700 national prospect with 25 offers. He is the highest-rated recruit in the Pac-12's best G6 class. That caliber of prospect choosing San Diego State signals a program ascending.

Texas provides the third pipeline. JuJu Carter (RB, Anna), Jayden Ghee (SAF, Cibolo) and Jack Devine (QB, Austin) give the Aztecs three from the state. The geographic reach extends to Utah (Kemper Castro, Edge), Washington (Drenden Knaevelsrud, LB), Illinois (Carlos Rios, OT) and Nevada (Roman Pulefaasisina, DT).

The commits

Isaiah Phelps — LB, 6-1, 205, Pacifica-Oxnard HS, Oxnard, Calif. Grade: 85.63. Stars: 3.8. Offers: 25. Highest-rated commit in the class. National rank: 630.

Brooklyn Bailey — WR, 5-11, 170, Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo. Grade: 78.18. Stars: 3.6. Offers: 15.

Travon Garrison — WR, 5-11, 175, Damien HS, La Verne, Calif. Grade: 75.33. Stars: 3.5. Offers: 10.

Diego Botron — TE, 6-4, 240, La Costa Canyon HS, Carlsbad, Calif. Grade: 74.65. Stars: 3.5. Offers: 16.

JuJu Carter — RB, 5-11, 200, Anna HS, Anna, Texas. Grade: 72.37. Stars: 3.5. Offers: 10.

Isaac Cook — WR, 6-1, 185, Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego, Calif. Grade: 68.43. Stars: 3.3. Offers: 11.

Kye Cooper — SAF, 6-0, 185, San Diego HS, San Diego, Calif. Grade: 67.60. Stars: 3.3. Offers: 12.

Jaiden Flores — WR, 6-3, 210, The King's Academy, Sunnyvale, Calif. Grade: 67.19. Stars: 3.3. Offers: 20.

Tyson Seidman — IOL, 6-4, 315, Sierra Canyon HS, Chatsworth, Calif. Grade: 64.89. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 14. Sierra Canyon product.

Kemper Castro — Edge, 6-4, 240, Herriman HS, Herriman, Utah. Grade: 63.23. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 9.

Kamden Tillis — RB, 5-11, 185, Los Alamitos HS, Los Alamitos, Calif. Grade: 63.06. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 13.

Johnny Fortune — IOL, 6-3, 295, Rancho Cucamonga HS, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Grade: 62.51. Stars: 3.1. Offers: 12.

Drenden Knaevelsrud — LB, 6-3, 215, Mount Si HS, Snoqualmie, Wash. Grade: 61.25. Stars: 3.1. Offers: 8.

Carlos Rios — OT, 6-6, 290, Brother Rice HS, Chicago, Ill. Grade: 60.48. Stars: 3.1. Offers: 17.

Braxton Huynh — WR, 5-11, 185, Liberty HS, Peoria, Ariz. Grade: 56.79. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 6.

Jayden Ghee — SAF, 6-0, 180, Steele HS, Cibolo, Texas. Grade: 55.66. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 11.

Augus Saunders — CB, 6-1, 165, Centennial HS, Corona, Calif. Grade: 54.98. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 4.

Logan Day — OT, 6-6, 270, Dana Hills HS, Calif. Grade: 54.49. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 15.

Jack Devine — QB, 6-1, 190, Regents School, Austin, Texas. Grade: 51.99. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 6. Class quarterback.

Roman Pulefaasisina — DT, 6-2, 280, Sunrise Mountain HS, Nev. Grade: 49.09. Stars: 2.8. Offers: 4.

The targets

San Diego State's class ranks 70th nationally and first in the Pac-12 per Profile. The average rating (64.4) ranks 71st nationally. The California-heavy footprint is strategic — the Aztecs are establishing themselves as the Pac-12's primary recruiter in Southern California. Lewis's 9-4 turnaround in 2025 is a recruiting tool the roster reflects.

College football's Dead Period began June 22 and runs through July 31. Coaches cannot have in-person contact with recruits during this window. This is a check-in on where the Aztecs' class stands as the Dead Period begins.

Sources: Profile (primary), goaztecs.com

All commitments listed are non-binding verbal commitments. All commitments, offers and visits listed are based on publicly reported information and do not necessarily reflect a complete listing of activity. This board is updated regularly as new information becomes available.