Now that the SDSU football season is officially complete with their recent loss in the New Mexico Bowl, the announcements of who is hitting the transfer portal and who is returning to the Mesa will begin coming out.
Friday, January 2nd is the official day the portal opens and players can make it official. But before then, Linebacker Owen Chambliss made his intentions known just one day after the team’s bowl loss.
Chambliss had himself a fantastic comeback season in this his Junior year. After last season’s first year as an Aztec, the original Utah transfer struggled to stay on the field after suffering several injuries that sidelined him most of the schedule.
I had it under good authority, Chambliss had much consideration of continuing his football future. It was that kind of a frustrating year. This season Owen came in healthy, strong, and totally bought in to the renewed defensive mindset.
The remixed defensive roster added to DC Rob Aurich’s tool box, but he didn’t stray away from Chambliss’ potential as a starting linebacker and Owen repaid that dedication ten fold. The defense had a host of returning upperclassmen all around the field and being a part of that special group also made this year an attractive locker room to be a part of.
Fast forward to today, Chambliss dominated the linebacker position to earn Mountain West 1st team all LB as a sophomore. Now with his intent to enter the portal, Chambliss is banking on that performance and awards to translate at a higher level conference. No doubt he has suitors.
Nebraska is the obvious assumption to land Chambliss’ transfer. Aurich would be a fool not to try and poach him to the Cornhuskers. Considering how young and how much Chambliss helped lead the Aztecs defense this season it would be the safer choice for him.
Venturing out into the portal comes with many risks and unseen variables. For a player to take a gamble on leaving a program, schematic and locker room where he is guaranteed a starting position, is nothing to take lightly.
If Chambliss signs to an unknown entity and doesn’t receive the same dedication as HC Lewis staff showed, what’s there to say he won’t get stuck behind another player on the roster that is perhaps more of that head coaches ‘guy’.
In the end, none of these transfers out of SDSU may be relative to playing time, roster positioning or competing at the highest levels. When dollar amounts are being thrown out there year after year and your name demands a higher bracket of payment than what you’ve been receiving, the open market tends to work itself out and through all involved.
So far only four SDSU players have officially declared to enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. On the defense some like Trey White, are still on the fence and will announce their decision likely after the new year.
Linebacker Tano Letuli has announced he is returning in 2026. Having suffered a torn ACL, the captain linebacker will have a road of recovery before he suits it up again. But having the experience, physicality and tenacity of Letuli is going to be a very big asset for the unit after losing Chambliss.
Offensively the only real name that has floated around there is WR Jordan Napier and that was during the season before the year ending injury that required surgery. Now it will be interesting to see if that unfortunate play allows him to recover at SDSU and play in a system he is comfortable with for another year.
With so many players set to graduate and make available roster/depth chart space, I don’t expect that many players to exit that were or are being counted on to be starters in 2026. But stay tuned, because you never know.
SDSU Football Players Expected to enter the transfer portal on January 2, 2026.
DE August Salvati
DE Jared Badie
LB Owen Chambliss
P Tashi Dorje
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One Response