Bengal Football Ready to Open Fall Camp Next Week

Summer conditioning has concluded and it’s finally time for the Bengals to hit the field again officially for the start of Fall Camp 26. Head Coach Cody Hawkins is switching it up this year with practices alternating between Morning and Afternoon. As always, practices up until game week are open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend to get a look at the Bengals as they prepare for the August 29^th showdown with VMI to open the season in the ICCU Dome.

"It's gone well. It's been a competitive summer," Head Coach Cody Hawkins said. "I think just the way the turnover went, we've had a lot of these guys here since January, so we've probably been able to do more, we're probably a step further ahead, but there are so many more unknowns this year going into it... we have a lot of really talented players that haven't played a lot of football that we think can compete at a high level."

With seven home games in the ICCU Dome this fall, Hawkins also pointed to the value of practicing in game-day conditions.

"The more that you can do to visualize a game day atmosphere, the better," Hawkins said. "As guys visualize game day and what may or may not happen, being in that environment is a really big deal. You can shut your eyes and you can visualize it, or you can live it, and we have the opportunity to do that this fall."

The Schedule for fall camp is as follows, note changes may happen as team camp progresses towards August 29.

Week 1

· Wed 7/29 — 11AM Practice #1 (Helmets)

· Thu 7/30 — 2–4PM Practice #2 (Helmets)

· Fri 7/31 — 11AM Practice #3 (Shells)

· Sat 8/1 — 2–4PM Practice #4 (Shells)

Week 2

· Mon 8/3 — 11AM Practice #5

· Tue 8/4 — 2–4PM Practice #6 (Shells)

· Wed 8/5 — 11AM Practice #7

· Thu 8/6 — 2–4PM Practice #8 (Full Pads)

· Sat 8/8 — 11AM Practice #9 (Helmets)

Week 3

· Sun 8/9 — 2–4PM Practice #10 (Shells)

· Mon 8/10 — 2–4PM Practice #11 (Full Pads)

· Tue 8/11 — 11AM Practice #12 (Helmets)

· Thu 8/13 — 11AM Practice #13 (Helmets)

· Fri 8/14 — 2–4PM Practice #14 (Shells)

· Sat 8/15 — 2–4PM Practice #15 (Full Pads)

Week 4

· Tue 8/18 — 8:30–10:30AM Practice #16

· Wed 8/19 — 8:30–10:30AM Practice #17

· Sat 8/22 — 4:00PM Scrimmage

Summer Prospectus

Idaho State finished the 2025 season 6-6 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky Conference play, good for fifth place in the final standings. The Bengals opened 1-3 through four non-conference games, including a 22-32 loss at New Mexico and a 90-0 win over Lincoln (Calif.), then split their next four Big Sky games before closing the season with four straight wins over UC Davis, Cal Poly, Weber State and rival Idaho. Quarterback Jordan Cooke anchored one of the Big Sky’s most productive offenses, throwing for 3,040 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Dason Brooks provided a physical running game with 1,007 yards and 10 scores, including a season-high 219 yards at UC Davis. Idaho State finished the season ranked first in the Big Sky Conference in total offense (459.4 yards per game) and passing offense (302.8 yards per game), and led the conference in net punting, sacks allowed and third-down defense. The Bengals will look to build on the late-season turnaround in 2026 after graduating or losing to the transfer portal several key contributors, including kicker Trajan Sinatra, punter Gabriel Russo and receivers Michael Shulikov and Tsion Nunnally.

Quarterbacks

Idaho State returns its starter under center in Jordan Cooke, who completed 237 of 405 passes for 3,040 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in 2025 and ranked among the Big Sky’s leaders in passing yards per game. Davis Harsin gives the Bengals a proven change-of-pace option, having thrown seven touchdowns in nine appearances, including a season-high six-touchdown performance against Lincoln (Calif.). Brett Spencer adds depth after rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns in a reserve role. The room’s lone newcomer is Kepa Niumeitolu, a dual-threat quarterback out of Lone Peak High School in Sandy, Utah, who threw for more than 1,000 yards and ran for 292 more as a senior.

Running Backs

Dason Brooks headlines a running back room that returns nearly all of its 2025 production. Brooks led the Bengals with 1,007 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, posting three 100-yard games, including a season-high 219 yards at UC Davis. Carson Sudbury returns as a proven complement after totaling 222 rushing yards and four touchdowns while also contributing in the passing game, and Robert Freeman IV and Tytan Mason add depth and explosiveness after each scoring a touchdown in limited action. The Bengals add two backs through the transfer portal and prep ranks: Ryder Smith, a two-way back and linebacker out of Great Oak High School in Winchester, Calif., who rushed for more than 1,900 career yards and also produced 337 tackles on defense, and Jahi Wood, a transfer joining from Northern Michigan.

Wide Receivers

The receiving corps looks markedly different heading into 2026 after Idaho State’s top two producers from a season ago, Michael Shulikov (919 yards, seven touchdowns) and Tsion Nunnally (845 yards, six touchdowns), exhausted their eligibility.

The headline addition is the return of Chedon James, who comes back to Pocatello after stops at Fresno State and Incarnate Word. James remains one of the most productive receivers in program history, ranking seventh all-time in single-season receiving yards after posting 1,045 yards in 2023, one of only eight Bengals to ever cross the 1,000-yard mark in a season. That 2023 campaign also saw James lead the FCS in receptions, earn First Team All-Big Sky honors, earn All-American recognition and be named a Walter Payton Award finalist. His return gives Idaho State a proven, target after a receiving room that otherwise turned over significantly.

Julian Mason returns as the most proven holdover from last season’s room, having caught 12 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown in 2025. Beyond James, the Bengals rebuilt the room heavily through the transfer portal. Amare Ary arrives from West Virginia State as a Division II All-American after catching 54 passes for 995 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, and Anthony Flores joins from Western New Mexico after posting 53 receptions for 611 yards and nine touchdowns. Owen Tomich (Long Beach City College), Jimmy Trilla (Iowa Western), Eli Aragon (Coastal Carolina), Yamil Oaxaca (Sul Ross State) and Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio (Nevada) add further transfer depth to the room. Signee Anthony Harrington joins from Amador Valley High School after totaling nearly 3,800 all-purpose yards over his prep career, and Thomas Porter, a freshman out of New Zealand, adds an international dimension to the group.

Offensive Line

Idaho State’s offensive line was one of the best pass-protecting units in the country in 2025, and the numbers back it up. The Bengals allowed just three sacks on 489 pass attempts, a 0.6 percent sack rate that led the nation. That mark stands out even against the last decade-plus of national sack-allowed leaders: Idaho State’s rate was roughly half that of the next-best figure in that span, Valparaiso’s 1.3 percent in 2014, and well ahead of recent national leaders such as South Dakota State (2.1 percent in 2024) and Dartmouth (1.8 percent in 2023). It is a difficult group to evaluate through traditional individual statistics, since offensive linemen rarely register in a box score, but the unit’s protection numbers speak for themselves.

Idaho State returns significant experience up front, led by All-American redshirt senior Stryker Rashid, all of whom bring starting-caliber size to the interior. Osiel Moreno and Broox McGiven add further veteran depth, while Messiah Johnson, Gunnar Clark, Jaxsen Tuia, and Rex Salas give the room a mix of size and experience across multiple classes. A younger group, including Trevor Hammond, Logan Shearing, David Green, Justin Frost, provides development depth behind the top of the rotation. The Bengals also added proven size through the transfer portal in Zoom Esplin (Weber State), Misiolo Maluia (West Georgia) and Ryan Karby, a 2025 JUCO All-American out of Saddleback College, along with high school signees Luke Kingman and Brennan Mesa.

Defensive Line / Edge

Bronson Childs returns as the anchor of the defensive front after recording 48 tackles, 9.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2025, with two fumble recoveries. Maka Tu’Akoi (18 tackles, 4.5 for loss, three sacks), Collin Lewis (23 tackles), Beau Jaques (21 tackles), Jake East (18 tackles) and Zion To’oto’o (11 tackles, three sacks) all return with meaningful playing experience, and Grant Hessler and Frank Kissick add further depth. Easton Cook, Kanigh Snyder, Jagger Childs and Malik Richardson round out a returning group with size across multiple classes making the Idaho State Defensive line one of the most dangerous units headed into the 2026 season.

Idaho State bolstered the room through the transfer portal in Nate Abbott, who recorded 6.5 sacks and earned JUCO All-American honors at the College of San Mateo, and Sani Tuala, a BYU transfer. Signee McKay Dougal, a First Team All-East Idaho Conference performer at Thunder Ridge High School, joins as an in-state addition, along with freshman signees Ryan Bingham, Sitili Palmer and Trehsyn Fesili.

Linebackers

Nathan Reynolds returns as the leader of the linebacker corps after finishing as the team’s No. 2 tackler with 81 total stops and an interception in 2025. Jacob Perez (23 tackles), Devin Rodriguez (17 tackles) and Jackson Irwin, who posted 14 tackles and six sacks, all return with proven production, while Trey Jacobsen, Porter Lee, Ty Beadle and Ryder Holt add depth across the room. The Bengals add experienced production at the position in transfer Jaxin Patterson, who recorded 75 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions at Truman State in 2025, along with high school signees Justyn Jordan, Braylen Gardner, Garrett Miller and Ryker Mikkelsen.

Defensive Backs

Idaho State’s secondary returns a group of proven tacklers and ball hawks. Dekker Haggler (33 tackles) and TreShawn Shorty (31 tackles) return as experienced contributors, while Gabe Tahir (27 tackles, an interception and a sack) and Jackson Daniels (17 tackles, an interception) add production at cornerback. Noa Calaycay (20 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery) and Isaiah Cook, who recorded an interception and a fumble recovery, round out a returning group that also includes Troy Wilkey, Bryce McCray, Parker Graham and Jaylin Wilson, for a deep secondary group headed into the 2026 season.

The Bengals added significant transfer experience at defensive back in Tre Parks-Vinson (Weber State), Titan Saxton (Utah State), Khaliq Johnson (El Camino College) and Tyler Lewis, who recorded 45 tackles and four interceptions at Bakersfield College. The signing class adds further depth with Tiwan Jones, Teddy Johnson, Jaden Rodgers, Steel Kurtz, Kaedyn Smith and Tyran Hicks. Kai Callen, a Pocatello native who redshirted in 2025 at James Madison, returns home as a versatile athlete capable of contributing across multiple positions.

Specialists

Idaho State faces significant turnover at the specialist positions after the departures of kicker Trajan Sinatra, who led the nation in kicking points in 2025, and punter Gabriel Russo, who led the Big Sky in net punting. Mason Lindberg returns after converting all three of his point-after attempts and handling the bulk of kickoff duties. Jinhyun Kang, who saw limited punting and kickoff action last season, has returned to South Korea to fulfill his country’s mandatory military service and will not be available in 2026. The Bengals added transfer competition at both spots in punters Jordan Rucker (Foothill College) and Jeffry Kavanagh (Glendale Community College), and kickers Billy Hewitt, a 2024 JUCO All-American out of Laney College, and Logan McCreery, a transfer from Oregon State by way of American River College.

Stats Perform Preseason

The Bengals were represented on the Stats Perform preseason All-American list heading into the 2026 season.

Offensive lineman Stryker Rashid earned preseason first-team honors. Running Back Dason Brooks and Wide Receiver Chedon James were named Third-Team preseason All-Americans.

The full list of preseason all-americans can be found here.

Walter Payton Award Watchlist

Going into the 2026 season, Idaho State running back Dason Brooks has been named to the Walter Payton Award watchlist. The last Bengal to get a nod on the list was Chedon James in 2023 who was named a finalist at the end of the season.

The full watchlist can be found here

Season tickets on Sale Now

Idaho State season tickets are on sale now, don’t miss any of the seven exciting home games in the ICCU Dome this year as the Bengals keep making the push forward.

Get your tickets today HERE

2026 Football Schedule

2026 is set to be an exciting year for the Idaho State Bengals. Seven home games in the dome and the rest just off of I-15. Get ready to cheer on the Bengals all fall.