Aztecs get unusual in-season addition in defensive line transfer from UNLV

College football rosters are usually set by summer and certainly by the first day of school, which makes San Diego State’s addition of UNLV transfer defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson this week highly unusual.

And welcome.

Martinson was a significant contributor for UNLV the past two seasons, collecting 55 tackles and two sacks while playing in all 28 games of the Rebels’ games.

The defensive tackle from Sacramento is a graduate senior who was listed at 6-foot-1, 300 pounds last season for the Rebels. How much he can immediately contribute for SDSU remains to be seen.

Martinson was cleared this week to join the Aztecs, giving him two weeks to practice, begin regaining his fitness and familiarize himself with the defense before SDSU’s Sept. 20 game against Cal.

He played two seasons at American River College before transferring to UNLV before the 2022 season.

Martinson went to court to petition for an additional year of eligibility, his case hinging on the two years he spent in junior college.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia opened the door in December when he was granted an injunction after suing the NCAA, arguing that playing at a JC shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility.

Martinson similarly prevailed in court late last month. The decision came too late to return to UNLV, which opened the season Week 0 and already had its roster submitted. That started him down the road to SDSU.

SDSU returned junior starting edges Trey White and Brady Nassar this season. Senior nose tackle Sam Benjamin also returned and moved into a starting role, along with junior transfer Malachi Finau. Martinson also will be competing with senior transfer Niles King and senior returner Teivis Tuioti and junior returners Krishna Clay and Ryan Henderson, among others.