POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State football wrapped up its second practice of spring ball 2026 inside the ICCU Dome on Thursday, and defensive coordinator Grant Duff said the growth from a year ago is already evident.
"Going into year two, we've got much higher expectations. The guys are way more confident, way more competent in what we're asking them to do. We're very excited, very energetic, and just gotta solidify a couple spots before we get to fall camp," Duff said.
At linebacker, the Bengals return a pair of proven contributors in Nate Reynolds and Jackson Irwin. "Nate Reynolds, all-conference guy last year. Team captain Jackson Irwin, a guy that came in and made an immediate impact. He's really dangerous off the edge as a pass rusher," Duff said. He also pointed to younger players pushing for playing time. "Ryder Holt played in a couple games. We were able to redshirt him last year, but he showed what he could do in that Montana game. Jacob Perez really stepped up as a quality guy last year and he's pushing for a lot of playing time. Those four are gonna be in the mix fighting each other."
Among the new faces at linebacker is Kai Callen, a converted wide receiver. Duff said the transition makes sense given the profile of the position. "I tell the guys all the time, the high school coach's job is to win games. So they're gonna put you where they need, and normally guys at the high school level that play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, that's because they're the best athletes on the field." He added that those athletes tend to translate well to defense. "They're used to being playmakers, and they usually understand a great amount of football because the team's usually centered around them. As long as they're capable physically and have that screw loose that you need to be a good linebacker, we can move those guys over."
Duff also pointed to Devin Rodriguez as a player to watch. "Big believer in Devin Rodriguez. Those guys are just playmakers. They've got some athleticism, they've got a little bit of nasty to them. Really young, up and comers that have a lot of spark."
Reflecting on year one, Duff was candid about where the defense fell short. "I was disappointed in myself a little bit early on. I needed to teach better. I needed to train better. Those first couple games, we gave up way too many rushing yards and it hurt us in critical situations. When you have the lead in the fourth quarter in three of your first six games and you lose all three of them, I put a lot of pressure on myself. That's on me." He credited a midseason turning point as the moment things began to click. "I really believed we needed a game like UC Davis. It was a little bit grimy, gritty. We played the first half really poorly on defense. We played the second half lights out. We held them without a touchdown in the second half, and that's maybe the most explosive offense in the country. You could see the light switch in the guys. They started to believe that they could be really good. And then we went on a tear and played elite defense for the last three and a half games of the season and showed people what we could be."
With that foundation in place, Duff said the focus this spring is on growth across the board. "We gotta get bigger, faster, stronger, smarter. Some component of all of those the guys need to do." He also emphasized the importance of football IQ, pointing to a specific example. "I go back to that Montana game. We had a young player back there. They ran a double move with a senior guy and we bit on it. Some of that football savvy, we were missing at times. That IQ just comes with a million repetitions in the film room, teaching the guys how to study football."
On integrating the new players brought in this offseason, Duff said the approach starts with buy-in. "We wanna show them how the basis of the defense accentuates their skillset, how they're gonna be able to make plays, how they're gonna fit in. They wanna feel wanted, they wanna feel loved, they wanna feel that they have a purpose. All those guys, we gotta make sure that they're feeling that on the team."
For the remainder of spring ball, Duff said he wants his defenders to take ownership rather than rely solely on the coaching staff to put them in the right position. "I want them to take some mastery and ownership in the defense. I want to give them tools that they have in their toolbox and let them go out and use it. Last year we were a little too robotic at times, counting on me as the play caller to just put us in the perfect position." He also stressed the importance of effort. "We gotta learn how to strain. Human nature, the psychology of people is to go the minimum needed to get the job done. On the football field, we gotta be the opposite."
Duff was equally demanding of his coaching staff heading into the spring. "We gotta be better too. That's the reality of all of us. Coaches are teachers. It's not what we know, it's what our players will understand. We've gotta communicate that to them in a clear, concise manner."
He said his staff spent the offseason doing exactly that. "I challenged them this offseason to go learn and bring back some things that we can add to the defense, little wrinkles, and they all did a phenomenal job. We've got a couple things that are really thinking in modern day football and what we're getting from offenses that are gonna put us in a good position that we didn't have last year."
Idaho State's next spring practice is scheduled for Monday, March 31, inside the ICCU Dome. All practices are open to the public and held in the morning unless otherwise noted.
2026 Spring Practice Schedule
All practices are open to the public and held in the morning unless otherwise noted.
Mar 31, Tuesday
Apr 1, Wednesday
Apr 3, Friday
Apr 4, Saturday
Apr 7, Tuesday
Apr 9, Thursday
Apr 11, Saturday - Spring Game / Junior Day, 2 p.m.
Apr 14, Tuesday Apr 15, Wednesday
Apr 17, Friday Apr 18, Saturday - HS Coaches Clinic, 4 p.m.
Apr 21, Tuesday
Apr 23, Thursday
