Updated look at San Diego State's roster ahead of 2025-26 college basketball season

Brian Dutcher managed to keep 10 players, including three starters from last year's squad

San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Brian Dutcher has taken the San Diego State Aztecs to the NCAA Tournament each of the past five seasons, with three regular-season titles, two conference titles, and a Final Four appearance in that time frame as well.

As the program embarks on its final year in the Mountain West before joining the new-look Pac-12 in 2026-27, coach Dutcher and the Aztecs will hope to keep that streak alive in 2026.

In an era where retaining talent is becoming more and more difficult — with NIL and the transfer portal disproportionately impacting non-power conference programs — the Aztecs' offseason is nothing short of a miracle.

San Diego State retained ten players from last year's team, including starters Magoon Gwath, Miles Byrd, and BJ Davis, as well as key reserve Pharaoh Compton and injured guard Reese Dixon-Waters. Add in a trio of transfer specialists and two 4-star freshmen and you have all the makings of another Mountain West championship roster, and perhaps another deep run in March.

Below is a look at SDSU's roster with the college basketball season starting up again in less than six weeks:

The Returners (10)

Byrd coming back to San Diego State is a massive win for the Aztecs, as he could have stayed in the NBA draft and likely been selected in the second round. Instead, the 6'7 guard will be back to build on last year's outstanding season, where he averaged 12.3 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.1 steals as one of the most versatile two-way wings in the country.

Dec 21, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21) gestures after making a three-point basket against the California Golden Bears. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Gwath entered the transfer portal and declared for the NBA draft after the season ended, but opted instead to stay with the Aztecs — another major win for coach Dutcher. Gwath is a very raw defensive big man who averaged a whopping 2.6 blocks per game last year, along with 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds — while shooting 37.8% from three on nearly two attempts per game.

Davis was SDSU's third leading scorer last year, averaging 9.0 points and 1.5 steals. He'll be relied upon to take on more scoring in the absence of Nick Boyd, SDSU's leading scorer, who opted to transfer to Wisconsin this offseason.

Dixon-Waters will also help shoulder the load following Boyd's departure, and his return after missing all of last season with an injury will be a welcome one for San Diego State. Dixon-Waters averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 37 games for SDSU in 2023-24 and will be a huge part of coach Dutcher's team this upcoming season.

Mar 24, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; Yale Bulldogs forward Nick Townsend (42) battles San Diego State Aztecs guard Reese Waters (14) for position. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Compton was a critical piece for SDSU off the bench last year, averaging over 13 minutes per game with 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds, while converting at an outstanding 64.5% clip. The sophomore could be a prime breakout candidate for the Aztecs.

Miles Heide started eight of the 30 games he appeared in last year, averaging 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. He'll once again be a key role player for coach Dutcher's club.

Taj DeGourville, like Heide, was a key role player off the bench for SDSU, averaging 5.1 points with 1.8 assists in roughly 20 minutes per game.

Thokbor Majak redshirted last year and is a name to watch entering his first season on the court, while Cam Lawin and Raymar Gonzales will be back as walk-ons for this upcoming season as well.

The Transfers (3)

Latrell Davis makes the trip down south from San Jose State to join the Aztecs, a rare intraconference transfer. The 6'2 guard from England averaged 11 points for the Spartans last year, while shooting 38.3% from three on nearly four attempts per game. He'll be relied upon to help replace the scoring of Boyd and senior Wayne McKinney in the backcourt.

Jeremiah Oden spent three seasons at Wyoming in the Mountain West, averaging 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Cowboys in the 2022-23 season. He then spent one year at DePaul in 2023-24, averaging 7.6 points, before transferring to Charlotte and sitting out all of last year. Now he's back in the Mountain West and ready to contribute for the Aztecs in his final season of eligibility.

Jan 6, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; DePaul Blue Demons forward Jeremiah Oden (25) dribbles as Georgetown Hoyas forward Ismael Massoud (25) defends. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Finally, Sean Newman comes over after two great seasons at LA Tech, including leading the conference and finishing third nationally with 7.9 assists per game last year. He's an elite passer who will be asked to facilitate this offense in a major way this upcoming season.

The Freshmen (2)

Tae Simmons is a 6'6 forward from Northridge who 247Sports ranked No. 134 overall in the 2025 class, while Elize Harrington — a 6'5 wing from Bellflower — comes in a few spots behind him at No. 139 overall.

Neither project to be a huge part of SDSU's rotation in year one, but they are quality pieces in a system that has developed talent extremely well under Dutcher the past eight years.

SDSU is set to open up the season at home against Long Beach State on Tuesday, Nov. 4.