San Diego State football secures commitment from 3-star recruit

Josiah Lucas is in the class of 2026

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Sean Lewis. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

The San Diego State Aztecs received another commitment from a Texas three-star class of 2026 recruit, this one coming from running back Josiah Lucas of South Grand Prairie High in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie.

Lucas was heavily recruited, receiving 22 offers from around the country, including Big 12 and ACC schools. He was also offered by Texas State, which is expected to receive an invitation in the next few days to join the reconfigured Pac-12 Conference, which will include SDSU.

Who is Josiah Lucas?

The 5-foot-7, 175-pound Lucas is rated No. 72 nationally among running backs and 168th among all Texas prep players by 247Sports. 

He had a big junior season, rushing 176 times for 1,403 yards (8.0 average)  and 18 touchdowns in 10 games, according to MaxPreps. He had seven 100-yard games and his longest run was 89 yards. His two-year varsity totals are 288 carries for 1,931 yards and (6.7-yard average) and 21 touchdowns. 

He also caught 19 passes for 132 yards last year, and had a touchdown reception as a sophomore, when he had nine catches for 126 yards. 

South Grand Prairie went 6-5 overall and 4-3 in 6A Region I District 8. It lost 27-0 to Lake Highlands in the playoffs. 

Lucas is the 17th commit from the class of 2026 listed by 247Sports, but the number is believed to be higher due to a flurry of commits coming out of weekend visits. Four of the known commits are from Texas.

Lucas is the only running back among the new commits. 

We home 619🏡! #committed @DarianLH3 @AztecFB #AztecFAST 🍢@Coach_DeLay @DBCoachTeal @coachphilvc @CoachC_Osunde @CoachJ_O @adamgorney @MikeRoach247 @SWiltfong_ @ParkerThune pic.twitter.com/kC8VcEdckl

— Josiah Lucas (@JosiahLucas26) June 25, 2025

The days of San Diego State being “Running Back U” appear to be over, until further notice. Second-year coach Sean Lewis is looking for his offense to move mostly through the air rather than on the ground. And whenever he wants to put emphasis on the ground game, he can get production out of either of the dual-threat quarterbacks competing for the starting job, Bert Emanuel Jr. and Jayden Denegal.

Of course, there are still running backs on the roster, just not as many as there had been at the school that produced Marshall Faulk, Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny.

Lewis has made it clear the Aztecs won’t rely on the run as much as they did under predecessors Rocky Long, an old-school, defensive-minded coach; and Brady Hoke, who also focused on defense.

“Whereas in the past, I think our fan base was accustomed to a different style of play where you needed more backs on scholarship. Our style of play doesn’t warrant that,” Lewis told Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune during the spring.