The NCAA decided this week to allow one member of the San Diego State football team to return and another to transfer.
SDSU cornerback Bryce Phillips announced he will return for the 2025 season, taking advantage of the blanket waiver the NCAA granted to former junior college players this week.
“The job’s not done yet,” said Phillips, who had 40 tackles and one interception for the Aztecs this season.
Defensive tackle Tupu Alualu said he plans to enter the transfer portal and tweeted, “Thank you SDSU for believing in the Juco product.”
According to an NCAA memo, “The NCAA Division I Board of Governors has granted a waiver to student-athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for more than one year to remain eligible and compete in 2025-2026.” – Otherwise, the athlete must have used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year and met all other eligibility requirements (progress toward degree, five-year eligibility period, etc.) Dew. ”
The waiver comes less than a week after a federal judge in Tennessee ruled in favor of Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia. Diego Pavia is suing the NCAA to reinstate the two years of eligibility he spent in junior college at New Mexico State Military Academy. The NCAA is appealing this decision. Meanwhile, those who played junior college baseball this season and exhausted their college eligibility will be given one more year to play.
Phillips spent his first season at Santa Ana College and then played two years at Tennessee State University. He transferred to SDSU before the 2024 season. Phillips started all 12 games this season at cornerback for the Aztecs. The Long Beach native has started 34 consecutive games, including two years at Tennessee State.
Alual had 55 tackles, including 8 1/2 sacks, for the Aztecs over the past two seasons. The Honolulu native played at Mount Sac Junior College and New Mexico Military Institute Junior College before transferring to SDSU before the 2023 season.
With Phillips’ return, SDSU returns seven defensive starters from the 2024 squad. That includes four of the five starting defensive backs, Phillips and safeties Chris Johnson, Eric Butler and Darcien Staley. Edge Trey White, defensive tackle Krisha Clay and linebacker Tano Letuli also return.
First Published: December 29, 2024 3:54 PM PST
