San Diego State gets commitment from Hawaii athlete
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Class of 2026 three-star athlete Tainoa Lave of James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, has committed to San Diego State.
The all-around standout plays wide receiver and defensive back, and is a key special teams performer.
Lave also had received offers from his hometown Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, as well as fellow Mountain West teams Boise State, UNLV, Nevada, San Jose State and future Pac-12 foe Washington State.
Who is Tainoa Lave?
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Lave is rated No. 13 among all Hawaii recruits in the class of 2026 and No. 122 among athletes nationally by 247Sports.
Campbell finished 9-2 overall after a three-point loss in the semifinals to eventual state Division I Open champion St. Louis.
One of the highlights of Lave’s season was an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown against Punahou.
The Aztecs now have 24 commits from the class of 2026, according to 247Sports.
SDSU is looking to bounce back from a 3-9 finish in Sean Lewis’ first year as head coach.
Depending on how the Aztecs plan to use Lave once he arrives on campus, there should be spots to compete for.
SDSU’s secondary was one of the team’s few bright spots last fall. The pass defense ranked fourth in the Mountain West with an average of 214.1 yards allowed per game, although it did allow 21 touchdowns and had just seven interceptions.
It could be even better this year as SDSU returns all five starters, four of them seniors. They include cornerbacks Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips.
Like the other skill positions, San Diego State is having to largely rebuild at wide receiver.
The only returning receiver who had notable production last year was sophomore Jordan Napier, whose breakout 2024 season included 43 catches for 440 yards — an average of 10.2 yards — and four touchdowns.
Napier entered the transfer portal in December but announced a change of heart a week later in a social media post that said, “Unfinished business.”
Just like at quarterback and running back, the Aztecs have tapped the transfer portal to bring in new receivers.
AG2G‼️ #AztecFast https://t.co/LHSsdabTk8
— Tainoa Lave (@TainoaLave) July 14, 2025
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-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.