SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Spartans have added transfers Jordan Anderson, Jackson Barton, Isaiah Buxton, Sam Cowart, Brian Dukes, Jr., Agenhart Ellis IV, Anthony Ivey, Tyler Jacklich, Aizik Mahuka, Jerry McClure, Jayland McGlothen, Dominique McKenzie, Jaelen Nichols, Ian Shewell, Trajan Sinatra, Brian Tapu, Lavaka Taukeiaho, Jeremiah Tuiileila, Ikiansio Tupou, Pierce Walker, Jonathan Watts, and Luke Weaver to the 2026 spring football roster and signed Auma Jennings, Shane Kiley and Viliami Lotoaniu on National Signing Day for the 2026 football season, announced by head coach Ken Niumatalolo on Wednesday.
Out of the 22 spring transfers, seven come from "power four" schools and five come from Mountain West schools. The Spartans had 29 transfers in 2024 and 22 in 2025.
Freshmen Carson Clark, Devin Olmande, Daniel Rolovich, and Skylar Tiatia graduated from high school early and have already joined the Spartans for the spring.
The annual spring game is set for April 25 at CEFCU Stadium, and further details regarding kickoff time and fan activities will be released at a later date.
Jordan Anderson, WR, Redshirt Sophomore, Inglewood, Calif./Newport Harbor HS/Oregon State/Sac State
- Rated four stars by Rivals.com and On3 and three stars by 247Sports coming out of high school
- Ranked second on Sac State last season with 24 receptions for 361 yards (15.0 ypc)
- Caught at least one pass in 11 of the 12 games at Sac State last season and had multiple receptions in six games
Jackson Barton, S, Redshirt Sophomore, Phoenix, Ariz./Sandra Day O'Connor HS/Nevada
- Three-star prospect out of high school as rated by 247Sports
- Appeared in 10 games over two seasons, mostly on special teams at Nevada
- Made 33 tackles (27 solo), while breaking up eight passes and blocking a field goal as a senior in high school
Isaiah Buxton, CB, Redshirt Sophomore, San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic HS/San Diego State
- Rated as a high three-star athlete by 247Sports, and a three-star cornerback recruit by On3, Rivals, and ESPN coming out of high school
- Played in nine games last season at SDSU, including one start, and had 11 solo tackles with two pass breakups
- Had career-high nine tackles with two pass breakups vs. North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl (12/27/25)
Sam Cowart, LS, Redshirt Freshman, Redwood City, Calif./Woodside HS/Foothill College
- Played in four games last season at Foothill College
- Had two tackles at Foothill College
- Earned three letters while making 128 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss with one sack at Woodside High School
Brian Dukes, Jr., S, Redshirt Senior, Spring Valley, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic HS/Cal Poly
- Played in four games and had 15 tackles with two interceptions in 2025 at Cal Poly
- Played in all 11 games with a total of 51 tackles, 34 solo and 17 assisted in 2024 at Cal Poly
- Recorded an interception which resulted in a pick-six, two pass breakups, and two tackles for loss in 2024 at Cal Poly
Agenhart Ellis IV, DB, Sophomore, Honolulu, Hawai‘i/Punahou HS/Cal Lutheran
- Played in all 10 games in 2024 at Cal Lutheran
- Totaled 44 tackles (24 solo, 20 assisted) in 2024 at Cal Lutheran
- Ranked second on the Kingsmen with six pass breakups in 2024 at Cal Lutheran
Anthony Ivey, WR, Redshirt Senior, Lancaster, Penn./Manheim Township HS/Penn State
- Rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports, On3, Rivals and ESPN coming out of high school
- Rated the No. 213 prospect, No. 34 wide receiver, and No. 6 in Pennsylvania by On3
- Played in 11 games last season at Penn State
Tyler Jacklich, RB, Redshirt Junior, Modesto, Calif./Modesto Central HS/Wyoming/Merced College/West Virginia
- Played in six games and had eight carries for 36 yards, including a long of 14 at WVU last season
- Rushed for 842 yards on 163 carries and nine touchdowns at Merced College
- Ranked No. 3 in California in rushing with 2,278 rushing yards on 201 carries and scored 32 touchdowns in his senior year of high school
Aizik Mahuka, LB, Junior, Mililani, Hawai‘i/Mililani HS/Weber State
- Had 17 tackles with two for loss and one sack, plus a pass deflection and forced fumble in 12 games played at Weber State in 2025
- Had three tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack at Arizona (09/06/25)
- Had four tackles and one forced fumble at JMU (08/30/25)
Jerry McClure, WR, Redshirt Junior, Coronado, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic HS/UCLA/San Diego State
- Four-star recruit according to ESPN coming out of high school
- Three-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals coming out of high school
- Played in 12 games at SDSU last season
Jayland McGlothen, DL, Junior, Las Vegas, Nev./Silverado HS/Sac State
- Second Team All-Big Sky (Sac State, 2025)
- Appeared in all 12 games in 2025 at Sac State and finished the season with 31 total tackles, including 19 solo
- Tallied 9.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2025
Dominique McKenzie, WR, Redshirt Sophomore, St. George, Utah/Pine View HS/BYU
- Rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports coming out of high school
- Played in six games and had one rush for 41 yards and a touchdown in 2025 at BYU
- Had 149 receptions for 3,208 yards and 30 touchdowns in high school
Jaelen Nichols, LS/S, Redshirt Junior, Modesto, Calif./Central Catholic HS/Modesto Junior College/Campbell
- Did not play in a game at Campbell
- Totaled 87 tackles, including 3.0 stops for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass breakups over two seasons at Modesto JC
- Earned First Team All-Valley Oak League twice in high school
Ian Shewell, DL, Redshirt Senior, Gilbert, Ariz./Williams Field HS/New Mexico/Arizona State
- Played in five games with one tackle in 2025 at ASU
- Recorded nine tackles on the season with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, a quarterback hurry, and a pass breakup at UNM
- Named Second Team All-Region 5A San Tan by AZPreps.com in high school
Trajan Sinatra, K, Junior, San Jose, Calif./Silver Creek HS/Foothill College/Idaho State
- First Team All-Big Sky (Idaho State, 2025)
- Set the Idaho State single-season kick scoring record with 97 total points in 2025
- Converted 18-of-22 field goal attempts on the year, finishing with an 81.8% success rate in 2025
Brian Tapu, OL, Redshirt Freshman, South Auckland, New Zealand/Salt Lake City West HS/Nebraska
- Went to Salt Lake City West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Tapu was a three-star recruit who was regarded as one of the top 10 recruits in Utah
- Rivals ranked Tapu as one of the top 65 offensive tackle prospects in the country
Lavaka Taukeiaho, OL, Redshirt Senior, South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS/Weber State/Oklahoma State
- Played in eight games at Oklahoma State last season
- Played in nine of 12 games and started all nine that he played in 2024 at Weber State
- Played more than 600 snaps without allowing a sack in 2024 at Weber State
Jeremiah Tuiileila, DL, Redshirt Freshman, Sacramento, Calif./Grant Union HS/San Diego State
- A three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN, and On3 out of high school
- Had 217 tackles (160 solo), 60 tackles for loss, 36 sacks, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries in high school
- Earned 2024 MaxPreps All-San Joaquin Section first team honors
Ikiansio Tupou, OL, Redshirt Sophomore, Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto HS/BYU
- A three-star recruit on 247Sports coming out of high school
- Played in one game at BYU last season
- Posted 97 total pancake blocks in high school
Pierce Walker, S, Redshirt Sophomore, Keizer, Ore./North Salem HS/Portland State
- Started all 12 games and had 73 tackles with 4.5 for loss, six pass deflections, and one fumble recovery at Portland State in 2025
- Had career-high 12 tackles with one for loss and a quarterback hurry vs. Northern Arizona (9/27/25)
- Lettered in football and track and field at North Salem High School
Jonathan Watts, S, Redshirt Sophomore, Union City, Calif./James Logan HS/Laney College/Idaho State
- Appeared in two games during the 2025 season at Idaho State
- Played in seven games at Laney College
- Had one interception with a 22-yard return and two pass breakups at Laney College
Luke Weaver, QB, Redshirt Senior, Manteca, Calif./East Union HS/Modesto Junior College/Hawai‘i
- Played in five games, completing 63 passes for 628 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 at Hawai‘i
- Also ran for 73 yards on 27 attempts in 2025 at Hawai‘i
- Threw game-winning touchdown in the Hawai‘i Bowl against Cal (12/24/25)
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
Auma Jennings, DL, Freshman, Long Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS
- Two-time All-CIF
- Had 208 total tackles (85 solo) over four years (45 games) on varsity
- In his senior year, he had 13 tackles for loss and 52 over his career
Shane Kiley, TE, Freshman, San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS
- Had 47 catches for 591 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season
- First-Team All-League
- First-Team All-CIF
Viliami Lotoaniu, LB, Freshman, Antioch, Calif./Liberty HS
- Had 43 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks his senior year of high school
- First-Team All-League - Bay Valley Athletic League
- Had two sacks with eight tackles and two tackles for loss in the GSF All-Star Senior Game
#AllSpartans