Washington State transfer Hunter Haines chooses San Diego State

Haines played in five games for Washington State during his redshirt season in 2024

San Diego State Aztecs football helmets. | Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coming out of last week’s college football spring transfer window, San Diego State continues to stock up on available talent.

The Aztecs dipped into the portal and grabbed a commitment from Washington State transfer Hunter Haines, adding to their defensive back room. A three-star recruit out of Oregon while playing for powerhouse West Linn High School, Haines was ranked as a top 10 recruit in the state in the 2024 class. During his brief stay in the portal, Haines added offers from Idaho, Missouri State, New Mexico, Idaho State, Portland State and Montana.

Choosing Washington State over a group of finalists that included San Diego State, Haines went on to play in the final four regular season games this past season for the Cougars while maintaining his redshirt. He also played in the bowl game for Washington State, appearing on special teams in the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium against Syracuse.

Now officially an Aztec, Haines will call Snapdragon Stadium home after getting a taste of it during his final game with the Cougars. He’ll look to break into a defensive back group that had five interceptions last season, with no player on the roster recording more than one. The Aztecs return several veterans in the safety group led by Eric Butler, Dalesean Staley and Deshawn McCuin.

Haines earned Oregon 6A Defensive Player of the Year honors after an 11-1 season with West Linn as a senior. A standout in all three phases, Haines recorded eight interceptions, broke up 10 passes, returned three kickoffs for touchdowns and ended the year with nine total touchdowns.

San Diego State lost 11 players during the spring window of the college football transfer portal, six of whom were players who spent their first season with the Aztecs redshirting last season. Senior running back Cam Davis was the most impactful of the group to move on, leaving San Diego State with three largely inexperienced scholarship running backs on the current roster.

The Aztecs have begun their reload, adding a lineman on each side of the ball from the transfer portal prior to the commitment of Haines. Offensive lineman Kalan Ellis joins San Diego State after four seasons at Syracuse, while Charlotte defensive lineman Kainoa Davis returns to Southern California after one season with the 49ers.

San Diego State will open the 2025 football season, their final season at Mountain West Conference members, against Stony Brook on August 28.