Max Difilippo wasn't a football player until his senior year at San Juan Hills HS. Now he's one of the more intriguing offseason additions for the San Diego State offense.

Difilippo, who comes over from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, is a versatile 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end who joins the Aztecs as a still-raw prospect with untapped upside.

Finding a program he thought could both develop him while also giving him a good shot of contributing in 2023 was what drew him to SDSU.

"I had a couple other offers I was really looking at too, but ultimately I thought the style of offense and the coaching would be the best fit for me as an athlete and a player because I felt the staff there would help me grow," he told Aztec Sports Report. "I'm very young to football -- I've only played football for two years, I was always a basketball kid growing up -- so I'm still very raw to the game and I also have a lot to learn. I felt this was somewhere I could come in and play and also they're going to be able to coach me up, teach me a lot and help me learn."

Troy, ASU, Hawaii and New Mexico were some of the other schools he looked at this time around as there was a greater market for his talents than he had coming out of high school.

Undermined by entering college on the heels of the pandemic year, where all college athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility thus leaving less spots for incoming freshman, Difilippo thought he had a spot at BYU but it ultimately didn't materialize.

That's when he chose the JUCO route to go try and open more eyes.

He had 9 catches for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns over eight games for Orange Coast College, but again, it was about more than the stats -- it's the size and athleticism and what the potential that projects for the future.

"I played basketball my entire life. My dad played college football at Cal and I have a couple cousins who played in the NFL, one who plays in the NFL right now (Chicago Bears WR Dante Pettis). I don't know, for some reason I was never into football as a kid. I was always basketball, basketball, basketball," Difilippo recalled. "My best friend talked me into playing football my senior year of high school, and really since then I just kind of stuck with it and I realized I kind of liked football more than basketball.

"The transition really wasn't too hard because as a basketball player you have to be athletic and be able to move, and football just kind of came natural. There was nothing that I had to work super hard to get good at -- I came in and I was able to be good at it from all the movements in basketball. The hardest part was probably putting on weight and gaining strength, but it was all a pretty smooth transition for me."

As should be the move to San Diego State, just an hour from his home.

As much as the geographical comfort was a nice perk, it was just as important that Difilippo felt at home in the Aztecs offense.

"They've very heavy tight ends, a lot of 12, 13 personnel and they see me as someone who can not only play the Y but I can also play the wingback tight end as well, they can put me in the backfield and also put me at wide receiver," he said. "It was somewhere I felt that they saw me as extremely valuable and I would be competing for not just one position but probably about four."