San Diego State star Miles Byrd transfers to Providence

With a two-word post on X, Miles Byrd made it official on Thursday that he’s leaving the San Diego State Aztecs for the Providence Friars.

Byrd heads across the country to join the Friars under their new coach, Bryan Hodgson, who was hired from the University of South Florida after Kim English was fired following a 15-18 season that included a 7-13 finish in the Big East.

Byrd’s post read, ‘’go friars !!” and showed him in a Providence uniform with his familiar No. 21 that he wore for four seasons with the Aztecs.

Byrd didn’t immediately give a reason for his choice.

The Field of 68 posted on X Wednesday evening that the 6-foot-7 Byrd’s choices included Providence, Baylor, Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Texas.

Why Byrd transferred

Byrd is the most notable of the five Aztecs players who entered the transfer portal in the wake of the most disappointing season in program history.

He announced on March 27 that he would enter the portal as a graduate student. He is due to graduate from SDSU in May.

Byrd was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and the last link to SDSU’s 2023 Final Four team.

Of Byrd’s six suitors, Louisville, Kentucky, Texas and Vanderbilt all made the NCAA Tournament this season.

Providence hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2023.

SDSU missed the Big Dance for the first time in six seasons.

Who is Miles Byrd?

Byrd came to SDSU from Stockton beginning with the 2022-23 season and appeared in four games before being redshirted. That’s the season the Aztecs made it to their first Final Four, advancing the national championship game before losing to UConn.

Byrd was a reserve the following year before moving into the starting lineup in 2024-25.

Byrd withdrew from the NBA Draft process last spring to return to Montezuma Mesa for another shot at the NCAA Tournament after the Aztecs lost in the First Four last year.

A fourth-year junior, he was voted the MW Preseason Player of the Year and then won the MW Defensive Player of the Year Award after the Aztecs finished second overall behind Utah State.

Byrd was third in scoring at 10.4 points, first in rebounding at 5.7, first in steals at 1.9, second in assists at 2.6 and second in blocks with 1.2.

The Aztecs entered the season with high expectations after Byrd and 7-footer Magoon Gwath withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for what they hoped would be a deep run in March Madness.

But the Aztecs hit some speed bumps almost immediately. They needed to win the MW tournament title game to assure a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Utah State and were then snubbed by the selection committee due to a weak resume. They declined invitations to the NIT and The Crown.

Transfer history

Byrd is following in the footsteps of Lamont Butler, Nick Boyd and Keshad Johnson, who left the Aztecs for bigger programs and bigger paydays in recent seasons.

Butler, best-known for making the buzzer-beater against FAU that lifted the Aztecs into the national championship game in 2023, played one more season with the Aztecs before transferring to Kentucky. Boyd, who was on that FAU team that lost to SDSU, transferred to the Aztecs in 2024-25 and then moved on to Wisconsin. Johnson left SDSU for Arizona for his final season in 2023-24.