NFL prospect watch: Owen Chambliss leads dominant Aztecs defense

San Diego State begins this season’s conference schedule by hosting future Pac-12 foe Colorado State. Here’s a look at potential NFL prospects to watch in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Snapdragon Stadium:

Owen Chambliss, LB, San Diego State, So.

Chambliss has bounced back in a big way after missing five games as a redshirt freshman last season with a hand injury. The former three-star recruit and Utah transfer leads the Aztecs in tackles with 36, has three tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defensed for a defensive unit that ranks top-10 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring, total yards allowed, yards allowed per play, pass efficiency, first downs allowed, and red zone percentage. Chambliss is big (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), athletic and graded by Pro Football Focus as the 11th-best linebacker in the nation in coverage (85.3).

Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli, OL, San Diego State, Sr.

Ulugalu-Maseuli is the smallest of the Aztecs’ offensive line starters at 6-4, 335 pounds, but he’s also the glue that holds it together. The San Diego native started the first three games last season at right guard and finished at left guard, earning All-Mountain West honorable mention before switching back to center for his senior year. Ulugalu-Maseuli has 31 career starts on the interior and was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, one of 36 selections from the Mountain West.

JaQues Evans, Edge, Colorado State, Sr.

Evans transferred from Baylor earlier this year, but spent the previous four seasons at Western Kentucky, where he played under new Rams defensive coordinator Tyson Summers. He was a star in Summers’ system, occupying the Jack position, as a hybrid who can rush the passer, blitz, cover and defend the run. Evans earned All-Conference USA first team honors as a sophomore in 2022 with the Hilltoppers, producing 107 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

Justin Marshall, RB, Colorado State, So.

Marshall, the Rams’ lead returning rusher, was tabbed to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award after rushing for 746 yards and four touchdowns on 154 carries (4.8 yards per carry) as a redshirt freshman last year. He was one of only three backs to run for over 100 yards against College Football Playoff Semifinalist Texas in 2024 — the other two were Florida’s Ja’Kobi Jackson and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo. Marshall has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since training camp that caused him to miss the opener and fall behind some of the other talented players in CSU’s running back room, but it appears he’s healthy now.