POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State football wrapped up the first week of fall camp Saturday with Practice No. 4 at the ICCU Dome, the team's second consecutive practice in shells and its most physical test of camp so far.
Head coach Cody Hawkins said the jump in physicality once players moved out of helmets-only work has been noticeable.
"You feel a definite intensity once you get those first two practices out of the way and you can start hitting," Hawkins said. "The pads make a real difference. Football's a physical, tough game, and there's a lot of awesome things that you can work on, but you can't simulate contact, and the real players show up when the pads are on. It's been great the last couple days to see who's ready to go."
Hawkins said the opening days of camp bring a familiar set of challenges every year, as the coaching staff balances installing the offense and defense with keeping players healthy.
"You're installing things and practicing things that have to happen at full speed, and you just can't go full speed the first couple of days because of the way the rules are," Hawkins said. "You're trying to get work on zone combinations, but you can't go full speed and you can't simulate them without pads because you don't want guys [getting hurt]. So you have to be smart and modify your install a little bit. You're not going to get as much team work as you want because you've got to keep guys safe, but you make the most of it, you adjust to it, and it is what it is."
Hawkins said Saturday's practice was a strong measuring stick across all three phases of the team.
"I thought today was a really good look at just how intense these practices can be," Hawkins said. "Our defense played awesome, they got after us, but it was nice to see the offense respond, and then Mason hitting a couple of those really long game-winning field goals there at the end. It's important for the team to see guys make plays and guys respond and build a little bit of resiliency. No championship team is going to be all one-sided. We've got to be great in all three phases, and all three phases had their moments today."
Asked about standout performers through the first week, Hawkins said he is more interested in sustained progress than one-off plays.
"A flash in the pan isn't going to win us any football games," Hawkins said. "We need consistent excellence, and a lot of guys made one-off plays. If I were to name a list, I would leave somebody out and I would feel bad. Ask me at the end of next week, when the guys are six practices in, that's a little bit different than two as far as pads are concerned."
Idaho State enters the season on a four-game winning streak to close out 2025, but Hawkins cautioned that last year's momentum carries little weight into a roster that has changed significantly.
"That's the funny thing about the way football goes, all the fans are like, 'Oh, we got all this momentum,' and it's a totally different team," Hawkins said. "You've got different coaches, half the team is new. It's totally different when you've got nine new starters out there on offense. You've got Jordan and Dason back, who are awesome, a great place to start, but everybody else is new. We're excited about where we're going. There are a lot of pieces in play that we've got to fix, and the biggest challenge is that all the outside noise is outside noise, and we really haven't earned anything. Nobody's going to throw a parade if we do the same thing we did last year, just as the year before. We want to continually chase improvement and the best version of ourselves."
Hawkins said the defense is currently ahead of the offense but that both units are trending in the right direction.
"On defense right now they're ahead of the offense, but they still need to continue to improve," Hawkins said. "They've got to be a little bit more consistent on offense. There are some definite signs of improvement and cohesion coming together. I love our pieces. I'm not worried about where we're going to get, but I know that right now we're not as good as we need to be."
Idaho State also returns an almost entirely new group of specialists this fall after losing key contributors from a season ago, including the nation's top-ranked punter. Hawkins said place-kicker Mason Lindberg has stepped into a larger role.
"We have all new specialists," Hawkins said. "We have to do a lot from a development standpoint there, and Mason Lindberg has stood in and done a great job. Really excited about the work that the specialists have put in, but they've got to go prove it."
Idaho State will move outdoor practices into the schedule beginning next week, though Hawkins said the ICCU Dome remains a valuable tool early in camp as the team works through NCAA-mandated heat acclimatization.
"We'll get outside," Hawkins said. "You want to be cognizant of the acclimatization periods, especially the first time guys have a helmet on. There was a team in our conference that had to cancel their first practice because they were outside and there were thunderstorms, and that's awful. That's why I think the dome is such a great training tool for us right now. We'll definitely get the majority of our practices outside once we get rolling."
Idaho State opens Week 2 of fall camp Monday with Practice No. 5, scheduled for 11 a.m.
WEEK 1 RECAP
Idaho State opened fall camp July 29 with a helmets-only practice and closed out the week Aug. 1 in shells, progressing from installation to the team's first extended contact work over four practices at the ICCU Dome.
Quarterback Jordan Cooke and defensive lineman Beau Jaques set the tone on Day 1, each pointing to the depth and competition across the roster.
"We got a lot of talent and a lot of depth, and so just everyone's got position battles going around the team," Jaques said. "The level of competition we have here, I don't think we've had anywhere else."
Cooke said the Bengals' first home opener of his career, set for the ICCU Dome, gives the team a head start as it builds toward the season.
"The dome's an advantage to us, and this is my first time since I've been here where we've opened up at home," Cooke said. "That's a super cool experience, and I think we'll use that to our advantage."
Special teams took center stage on Day 2, with coordinator Scott Thiessen highlighting the return of long snapper Maverick Harrington and place-kicker Mason Lindberg alongside a wave of newcomers, including a new long snapper and two new kickers from outside the program.
"Consistency is one of the biggest things with those two guys coming back," Thiessen said. "Mason's been here since his freshman year, and he's done a great job of just incorporating everybody into that group and really elevating the standard."
Idaho State moved into shells for the first time on Day 3, marking the team's first contact work of the year. Defensive backs Noa Calaycay and Gabe Tahir said the group has grown more disciplined and confident since a season ago, while corners coach Devin Holiday said the veteran players have taken the lead in developing newcomers.
"It's always easy to come out the first day in shells and have excitement," Holiday said. "I really want to see what they do next week as we push forward through camp, keeping that same energy. That's the theme of fall camp for us."
The week closed Aug. 1 with the Bengals' most physical practice of camp, as head coach Cody Hawkins pointed to strong play across all three phases, including a pair of long field goals from Lindberg late in the session.
"No championship team is going to be all one-sided," Hawkins said. "We've got to be great in all three phases, and all three phases had their moments today."
With a stack of new starters on offense and an almost entirely new specialist group, Hawkins said the Bengals are not looking to last season's four-game winning streak for momentum.
"It's a totally different team," Hawkins said. "We're excited about where we're going. There are a lot of pieces in play that we've got to fix, and we really haven't earned anything yet."
Idaho State moves into Week 2 of fall camp Monday with Practice No. 5, scheduled for 11 a.m.
Â
The Schedule for fall camp is as follows, note changes may happen as team camp progresses towards August 29.
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
Â
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.
