Brian Dutcher to visit top 2026 recruiting target on Wednesday

San Diego State continues aggressive pursuit of 6'11 center Josh Irving

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Brian Dutcher and San Diego State are continuing their aggressive pursuit of 2026 center Josh Irving, with Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers reporting the Aztecs head coach will be visiting the 6'11 big man on Wednesday.

Irving plays at Pasadena High School and is the No. 63-ranked player in the 2026 class according to 247Sports. He's the fifth-ranked center in the class and the No. 7-ranked player in the state of California, and recently named San Diego State in his top seven alongside USC, SMU, Louisville, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Kansas.

The Aztecs had Irving on campus back on August 21, his first official visit of the cycle. He also took an official visit to SMU on August 30 and to Kansas on Sep. 12. He's set to visit Louisville on Sep. 19, A&M on Sep. 27, Kentucky on Oct. 10, and finally USC on Oct. 17.

Keeping Irving in California is a huge priority for Dutcher and San Diego State, who would love to have him on the roster when they begin Pac-12 play in the 2026-27 season.

Irving is young for his age — not turning 18 until May of his senior year — and has a wealth of upside thanks to his length, athleticism, mobility, soft hands, and touch around the rim. That upside has only recently started to manifest as productivity on the court, but a program like San Diego State that preaches development could be a perfect landing spot for the big man.

Irving projects as a great rim protector and lob threat, but will need to prove he can push through contact more forcefully as he gets stronger, which will help him finish more successfully around the rim and draw more contact.

San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher and an assistant will be in today for five-star senior Josh Irving, source told @Stockrisers. He will officially visit Louisville starting Friday.

He talked highly on SDSU in an interview with me last week.

🔗: https://t.co/rC07XO0qdO pic.twitter.com/K8hkO3izHT

— Jake (@jakeweingarten) September 17, 2025

Irving is one of nine players San Diego State has offered in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. One of those players, small forward Zach White, committed to the Aztecs last week to become the program's first addition in the class.

Two others, point guard Isaiah Rogers and forward Trevon Carter-Givens, have committed to Stanford and NC State, respectively, while the Aztecs remain in the hunt for the other five — Josiah Johnson, Elias Obenyah, Jaxon Richardson, Lattimore Ford, and Brandon McCoy.

Johnson, a 4-star point guard from Lakewood, CA, is ranked No. 89 in the class and visited San Diego State on Aug. 26. Obenyah is a 4-star combo guard ranked No. 134 in the class who visited SDSU in late August and who is also drawing interest from Saint Mary's, Stanford, and Cal.

Richardson is the No. 20-ranked player in the class and has offers from programs like Louisville, Ole Miss, Alabama and Creighton. He is the son of two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson and the younger brother of former Michigan State guard Jase Richardson.

Ford is a 3-star forward from Snoqualmie, WA, who has offers from Utah, Utah State, Oklahoma, Seattle, and Washington, while McCoy is a top ten recruit nationally who recently visited Arkansas and has a visit scheduled to Duke in early November.