Looking back on the recruitment of San Diego State's starting five
The 2023 national title game is set to tip off Monday night in Houston, and the night promises to have at least a bit of a David-vs-Goliath feel. Mountain West darlings San Diego State, a No. 5 seed, will look to capture its first title and become one of the five lowest seeds to ever win the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, fourth-seeded UConn is hunting its fifth national championship.
In advance of the game, Rivals explores the construction of each squad’s roster with a look back at the recruitment of each member of the two teams’ starting five.
*****
McDonald's All-American Game: Final news, notes from the event | Top performers | People that should be pleased | Players single out top performers | Standouts give advice to college coaches
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 80
Transfer Portal: Latest news
*****
SAN DIEGO STATE'S STARTING FIVE
Ranking: No. 55 in the class of 2018
Recruitment: Bradley originally signed with Cal over offers from San Diego State, Nebraska, Nevada and a long list of other programs west of the Mississippi. He averaged more than 30 points per game as a junior at Southern California's San Bernardino High School before transferring to powerhouse basketball school Wasatch Academy in Utah.
Bradley’s statistical output increased every year of his three-season run as a Golden Bear, and the second-team All-Pac 12 selection hit the transfer portal following a junior season that saw him average 18 points and four rebounds per contest. Bradley’s second recruitment was a short one, as the bond he built with the SDSU staff during his original recruitment helped him make a quick decision.
*****
Ranking: Three-star in the class of 2019
Recruitment: As a recruit, Johnson was viewed as an athletic, high-motor project that had a developing skill set and a pile of raw physical gifts. He carried a three-star rating as a senior at San Leandro (Calif.) High School but never cracked the Rivals150.
Johnson was lightly recruited coming out of high school and is a poster boy for development, as he’s improved steadily each year he’s played for the Aztecs.
*****
Ranking: Three-star in the class of 2018
Recruitment: The 6-foot-10 center was lauded for his athleticism and defensive prowess as a high school prospect, but scouts were waiting for him to polish his jumper and become more of an versatile offensive weapon. He committed to SDSU as a package deal of sorts with fellow Ghanaian center Joel Mensah, who has since transferred from the university.
Nathan Mensah, who didn’t start playing basketball until he was 13, received serious interest from schools such as Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Texas Tech before choosing the Aztecs in October of 2017, citing the opportunity to win as the reason behind his transfer.
*****
Ranking: Unranked in the class of 2018
Recruitment: The 5-foot-10 guard flew under the radars of most major programs based, at least in part, on his 5-foot-8 size. He was a lightly recruited junior college prospect at City College of San Francisco before signing with Seattle in the class of 2018.
Trammell proved himself as a scoring threat immediately, averaging more than 20 points per game in his first season as a Redhawk. He played two seasons for his original school before making the jump to SDSU prior to this season.
He fielded preliminary transfer interest from schools such as USC, Georgetown, Colorado and Iowa State before choosing Brian Dutcher’s program in April of last year.
*****
Ranking: Three-star in the class of 2020
Recruitment: A three-star prospect at California's Riverside Poly High, Butler chose SDSU over a few high-major offers and a long list of other opportunities at the mid-major level. He had some serious Pac-12 looks in addition to offers from Washington and Colorado. He landed an SDSU offer on an unofficial visit in December of 2018 and committed to the Aztecs in June of the following year.
Butler played his grassroots basketball for California's West Coast Elite on the Under Armour Circuit.