Welcome to the ninth post in our twelve-part series reviewing each team’s signing class to date. These articles aim to provide a snapshot look at each team and lay out possible next steps once the transfer portal opens. Teams will be examined in alphabetical order. Today will look at the Spartans. The Road So Far: […]
Welcome to the ninth post in our twelve-part series reviewing each team’s signing class to date. These articles aim to provide a snapshot look at each team and lay out possible next steps once the transfer portal opens. Teams will be examined in alphabetical order. Today will look at the Spartans.
The Road So Far:
Number who signed in December: 12
Number who will enroll early: 4
Number of states represented: 3
247 Composite Rankings (subject to change): 119th
MWCConnection December Ranking: 9th
Positional Strengths: Wide Receiver, Running Back
Notable signees: Carson Clark, Bronx Letuligasenoa
Overall thoughts:
The Spartans have been a program that punches a bit above their weight class when it comes to recruiting, taking advantage of the Bay Area talent to come away with talented players. They still have talented players in this 2026 cycle, but it’s more in the realm of meeting expectations rather than exceeding them. The coaching staff continued to load up on players who fit their offensive scheme in order to reload their system and keep the dynamic plays coming.
San Jose State spent a lot of time recruiting California, both around them in the north, as well as the SoCal area. They do a good job of leaning into their home state and reap the benefits of that. But they also spent time getting players in Hawaii, Arizona, and Colorado, showing they are able to expand their recruiting radius when the situation calls for it.
It’s easy to see the plan in most of their commits, as they definitely fit the San Jose State system or primary recruiting areas. The critique is that the list of signees is small, and because of that, there isn’t enough talent to truly stand out. That’s not to say members of this recruiting class won’t pan out, but rather, there isn’t an obvious candidate on paper, and they didn’t give themselves many chances with such a small 2026 class.
The Road Ahead:
Expected Level of Transfer Additions: High
Top Position Targets Remaining: Quarterback, Wide Receiver
Overall thoughts:
The Spartans taking a small contingent of high school players is a clear sign that they will be one of the more active teams in the transfer portal in the new year. They have made a lot of splashes in the portal under Coach Ken Niumatalolo, and it seems like he has decided to embrace primarily being a transfer team rather than a team that prioritizes high school players.
San Jose State has used the portal to make some of their key additions since the staff took over. During the 2025 season, their starting quarterback and primary wide receiver were both added through the portal. And the additions worked to great success. It would make sense for the staff to go back to that well to reload at QB and WR once again. Expect them to add to several other positions, too, but their focus will start with their passing attack.
The Spartans have work to do to boost their roster, but waiting for transfer season seems to be part of the plan. They’ve shown success in their abilities to scour all levels of college football to find the best players and things should be no different this time around. It remains to be see if the program can get back to their level of play from 2024 or if things will continue to resemble more of 2025.
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Category: General Sports
