Idaho State University held its 2026 Spring Game on April 11 inside the ICCU Dome, where the defense delivered a strong performance in front of fans attending Junior Day. Quarterback Jordan Cooke said, “Defense looks really good. Thought they kicked our butt today.”
Head coach Cody Hawkins agreed with Cooke’s assessment and highlighted the defensive unit’s strengths. “You can see just how stout our defense is gonna be. We’re really good upfront. We’re really long and fast in the secondary, and I’m really excited about what that unit is gonna do in the fall,” Hawkins said.
The structured event featured situational drills for both offense and defense, including drives starting from different yard lines, goal line scenarios, and clutch situations with limited time to score. The defensive team set an early tone by forcing a three-and-out on the opening drive and continued to challenge the offense throughout practice.
Hawkins said one focus of spring practice was providing younger players with opportunities to gain experience: “We just wanna get a lot of situational work in, and I think for us it was about getting a lot of younger guys reps and continuing to build that cohesion on both sides of the ball.” He also mentioned evaluating quarterbacks beyond Cooke and Davis Harsin: “It was fun to see some of the young quarterbacks get some reps… we know the quarterback position is gonna be really important for our future here. I was excited to see them get a lot of reps,” Hawkins said.
Defensive coordinator Grant Duff received praise from Hawkins for fostering high standards among his staff: “It’s the standards and the attitude in the room… Bobby Jay’s a great coach. Ricky Lee is a great coach. Devin Holiday, great coach.” Linebacker Jacob Perez emphasized stopping opponents’ running games as key: “The most important thing is we’re focused on stopping the run now… And that’s why you see all these interceptions happening on the back end.” Defensive lineman Beau Jaques added that unity has been vital: “Our team, I feel, has never been as close as it is now.” Jaques described their defensive identity simply: “Put goose eggs on the board.” Perez added: “After every game, the offense needs to know that they played the Bengals… That’s basically what we want.”
On offense, Cooke discussed building chemistry with new receivers during spring ball but noted summer would be crucial since coaches have less involvement then: “That’s really time to hone in on chemistry… just get ready for fall,” he said. Receiver Tommy Poe echoed this sentiment about developing connections daily at practice.
As Idaho State transitions into late-spring practices ahead of fall camp, Hawkins stated that developing depth around experienced players will become central while competition remains open at several positions.
