A well-traveled defensive back who followed Bronco Mendenhall from New Mexico to Utah State for a first-team All-Mountain West senior season, Noah Avinger signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent projected to safety.
Noah Avinger's college career wound through San Diego State, New Mexico and finally Utah State, where he capped things off with the best season of his career under Bronco Mendenhall. A Southern California native, he signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent and is being developed at safety after playing primarily cornerback in college.
Path to the league
Avinger, a three-star recruit out of Servite High School in Cerritos, California, spent his first three seasons at San Diego State from 2021 to 2023 before transferring to New Mexico for 2024. When Mendenhall took the Utah State job, Avinger was one of six New Mexico transfers who followed him to Logan for the 2025 season. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed a three-year, $3.1 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Career highlights
Avinger earned All-Mountain West honorable mention at New Mexico in 2024 after finishing third in the conference with 91 tackles, then improved on that with first-team All-Mountain West honors at Utah State in 2025. At his pro day, he posted a 42-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-4 broad jump, numbers that would have ranked among the best marks at the NFL Combine.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at Utah State, Avinger finished third on the team with 84 tackles while leading the Aggies with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups across 12 starts split between safety and cornerback. He played 897 snaps, the most of any defensive back in the Mountain West, and posted the conference's second-highest Pro Football Focus grade among secondary players at 83.0, earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
Sources
- ESPN: Noah Avinger player page
- Deseret News: Why Noah Avinger transferred to Utah State
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Utah State
- Hometown
- Cerritos, CA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
