Gallery: (7-30-2026) Football Fall Camp #2
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State football completed its second practice of fall camp Thursday, a helmets-only session at the ICCU Dome that continued an early-camp emphasis on special teams.
Special teams coordinator Scott Thiessen said the energy through the first two practices has been strong, with competition building at every position group, including the specialists.
"So far so good," Thiessen said. "The energy is awesome. Got a lot of competition going on from both sides of the ball to include the specialists, so it's exciting to see, exciting to get back out on the field for the 2026 season."
Thiessen said special teams success depends on more than the specialists alone.
"That's a third of the game, and we rely on everybody, whether it's offense, defense, it does not matter," Thiessen said. "You've got to be able to contribute to special teams, and our position coaches do a great job of emphasizing that with their groups. That's part of what we do and why we've had some success over the last couple years, because of the buy-in with really the whole team, not just the specialists."
Idaho State returns long snapper Maverick Harrington and place-kicker Mason Lindberg this season. Thiessen pointed to their consistency and experience as a foundation for the group.
"Consistency is one of the biggest things with those two guys coming back, a long snapper and a kicker," Thiessen said. "Mason's been here since his freshman year, and he's done a great job of just incorporating everybody, whether it's a new long snapper or a new punter or a new kicker into that group, and really elevating the standard of the entire group."
Harrington said the specialist room has welcomed its newcomers quickly.
"I feel like everybody's integrating great," Harrington said. "I feel like we do a great job of going and inviting and welcoming everybody, and just trying to gel together as much as a family and team as we can."
Idaho State finished as the nation's No. 1 net punting team a season ago, a standard Thiessen said continues to rise.
Lindberg, entering his third season handling more placekicking duties after primarily kicking off a year ago, said the transition has been aided by his experience in the program.
"Truthfully, I had things I needed to work on, and I was addressing that during the summer," Lindberg said. "Luckily going onto year three, I've been in a fall camp or two. I've been through spring ball. I've had adversities, I've had success. Being able to have those past experiences, as well as playing behind two phenomenal kickers, all that knowledge, I'm super blessed for it and I'm looking to make the most of it."
Harrington said the standard for the group is set by special teams coach Dan Hawkins and comes down to consistency.
"We have a standard that's set pretty high by our coach, Coach Hawkins, Coach Big Hawkins," Harrington said. "The standard is just being our best, and through that we can go and accomplish all the goals that we want, and those in turn will help the team win."
Both specialists pointed to consistency as the priority heading into the next several weeks of camp.
"It's easy to ride the highs and it's easy to ride the lows," Lindberg said. "Being able to just flush the rep and go onto the next one, that's honestly what people look at the most, and that's gonna be very important for us and new people who haven't played in too many games to get into our system."
"The easier I can make Mason's job, the better," Harrington said. "I'm gonna go and provide my punters the best ball that I can, and I know me and Preston are gonna continue to do that so they can perform at their best."
With seven home games scheduled in the ICCU Dome this season, Thiessen said the venue remains a distinct advantage for his group.
"That's one of the recruiting pitches that we have, you're kicking in perfect conditions, no wind, no weather," Thiessen said. "Now it's all on us. That's a huge advantage for us when we get to play here in the Dome."
The Schedule for fall camp is as follows, note changes may happen as team camp progresses towards August 29.
Week 1
· 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
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.
