FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State football program announced the addition of Jadon Pearson and Simeon Harris to the roster for 2025 on Wednesday. The duo are the first transfer portal signees brought in by Matt Entz, who was hired as the program's head coach on December 4. Both players transfer to Fresno State from Utah State, and both have Valley connections.
Pearson has one year of eligibility remaining while Harris has two.
Pearson, a linebacker, began his collegiate career at Air Force in 2020 before transferring to Reedley College where he spent the 2021 season. While at the nearby junior college, he was rated the seventh-best junior college safety and 34th-best junior college player in the nation by 247Sports.com. He appeared in 11 games and recorded 74 tackles, including 9.0 tackles for loss, to go along with four pass breakups and three interceptions.
From Reedley, he transferred to Utah and spent two seasons there (2022-23) as he appeared in 16 games and recorded nine tackles. He redshirted in the 2023 season, appearing in three games and recording four tackles. Pearson played in 13 games as a sophomore in 2022 and posted five tackles, including a career-high three stops against Colorado.
He spent the 2024 season at Utah State, totaling 42 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry in 10 games.
Harris, a defensive back, appeared in three games for Utah State in 2024 and was able to redshirt. In his first season as an Aggie in 2023, he started nine of the 13 games he played in during the season. Harris, a then-true sophomore, finished the year fifth on the team with 59 tackles (31 solo, 28 assist), which included 2.5 tackles for loss, to go along with four pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Harris' collegiate career began at Colorado. He played in 11 games with four starts at Colorado as a true freshman during the 2022 season, and finished the year with 20 tackles, which included a season-high eight stops against Washington.
His mom Kelly was a Fresno State cheerleader in college. Harris grew up in Vallejo, Calif. and attended both Benecia High School and Jesse Bethel High School.