POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State Head Football Coach
Cody Hawkins spoke to local media prior to the Bengals' season-opening contest at UNLV on August 23, 2025
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On Overall Readiness and Season Outlook
"It feels like we've been in camp since February, but our guys are excited to go out and hit somebody else."
"I'd rather have more football than less, but I always think it's important to find time for those guys to recoup and rest, to take care of their souls and their bodies."
On First Game Energy and Unknowns
"Normally we go into it with the element of surprise. This is the first time where we've had to go into it with no tape, and I'm a guy that loves to grind tape."
"There are more unknowns because of the amount of new guys we have, the new staff, and the unknowns from the opponent we're going to play."
"The excitement of seeing these guys play, that's always going to be there, because there's nothing like a fall Saturday."
On Preparing for UNLV and Dan Mullen
"They're long and they're big, and Coach Mullen's teams, regardless of scheme, always want to get you downhill."
"You always have to keep it vanilla but be ready to tweak the car once game day starts."
"We've got to be ready for both—a guy who can be a great passer and a guy who can really run the football at quarterback."
On Jordan Cook's Development
"He was like a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 14-year-old playing college kids. Now he's a young man."
"He's been baptized, he's married, he's matured physically, mentally, spiritually. His whole outlook has changed since he came to Pocatello."
"He has the potential to be conference player of the year, and we're holding him to that standard."
On What He's Looking for in the Opener
"You want to see guys play hard, handle adversity well, and hit—who can really hit and perform when they're going to get hit."
"We've got a lot of guys who've been here but never had their butt held to the fire, that moment of 'you have to make the play here.'"
On Defensive Changes Under Grant Duff
"Coach Duff's forcing the issue—ownership, making calls, having input. Guys are taking more pride in what they're doing."
"A one-gap defense lets you play faster, but if you don't make the play, you're screwed."
"The word you hear a lot is: fun. Guys are moving around, playing new spots. They feel like they're really playing football."
On Defensive Playmakers
"Tuco and Cam Willis—those are the two guys you'll probably notice most on the edge."
"Maka's growth is incredible. He went from a guy we thought was a miss to someone who's really risen because someone believed in him."
"Cam Willis has as good a speed rush as anybody in the Big Sky. He can go."
On Special Teams
"Gabe Russo, our new punter from Auburn, is a better pure punter than Ross. He has a leg like Dan Whelan, who punts for the Packers."
"Trajan Sinatra won't boom a 57-yarder like Gabe did, but he's a guy you trust to hit a game-winner and bounce back if he misses."
"Ryan Carter's a better long snapper than Scotty Atkinson in terms of op time, now he's just got to do it consistently under pressure."
On Defending UNLV's 240-lb Quarterback
"That's a big linebacker. Every problem you can imagine in football—bigger, faster, stronger—he creates it."
"If I choose to block everybody and make it one-on-one between my quarterback and your safety, then so be it."
"That's why the quarterback run game has become such a big part of football—it's all about numbers."
