CHENEY, Wash. — This past Sunday (Dec. 7), Eastern Washington football celebrated the 2025 season with its annual end-of-the-year Banquet. Head coach
Aaron Best and the Eastern coaching staff reflected on the season and honored individuals who stood out during the season. Best and the staff also honored the '25 senior class.
The improvement for the Eagle defense was clear this season, and one of the key contributors to the effort was Jaylon Jenkins, who earned the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jenkins had a break-out season, snagging five interceptions, which is currently tied for third in the FCS and second in the Big Sky. He made his first career interception against Northern Iowa, stopping the Panthers in the redzone. That interception started a streak of three consecutive games with a pick for Jenkins. The Federal Way, Wash. native also amassed 13 passes defended during the season, adding eight pass breakups to his interception total. He ranked 30th in the FCS and seventh in the Big Sky for pass breakups. Contributing across the board, Jenkins tallied 52 tackles, making 39 solo, placing him fourth on the team.
The Eagle Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to Miles Williams. Williams led the Eastern with 41 receptions and 524 receiving yards, scoring two touchdowns. He averaged 43 yards per game with a long reception of 46 yards against Western Illinois(9/20). Williams posted his first career 100-yard game against Montana, ending with 136 yards on 11 receptions - also a career-best.
Specials Teams Player of the Year went to Landon Ogles, as the senior was a game-changer at punter. Ogles dropped 25 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line during the season, with 16 punts of 50 or more yards. Both stats led the Big Sky. Against Incarnate Word, Ogles booted a 72-yard punt, a career-long and the third-longest in Eagle history. He punted 78 times for 3167 yards, a 40.6 yards per punt average. Ogles departs Eastern with a career 41.0 yards per punt average, sixth on the all-time list.
In his final season in Cheney, Nolan Ulm earned the Golden Eagle Award, his second after earning the award for 2023 as well. The Golden Eagle Award is voted on by the players and awarded to the individual who upholds the standard of being an "Eastern Kinda Guy"; an overachiever on the team and leader on and off the field. Ulm finished his EWU career with 117 receptions for 1330 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2025, Ulm had 27 receptions for 228 yards and one touchdown, scoring on senior day against Northern Colorado (11/15).
Thrown into the action early in 2025, Bryce Smith earned Freshman of the Year. Smith was sixth on the team with 47 tackles, making 27 solo. He had three pass breakups and 0.5 sack during the season, with 2.0 total tackles for loss. Against Northern Iowa(9/13), Smith posted 10 total tackles - six solo - and his 0.5 sack. The safety started six games in his freshman campaign, appearing in 11 games.
Brandon Thomas was awarded the Pat Roberts Memorial Award in his senior season as an Eagle. The Pat Roberts Memorial Award is given to the player who makes everyone around him better through hard work, perseverance, work ethic, team leadership and possess a tenacious attitude. The award is selected by the coaching staff in memory of Pat Roberts who was a loyal Eagle football supporter. Thomas appeared in seven games in 2025, making four tackles.
A key help to the EWU this year was Ryan Sawyer who earned the Tom Oswald Memorial Award, working as the team's mental strength coach. The Tom Oswald Memorial Award is given to an individual who goes out of their way to advocate for players on the team, showing a deep level of care for their well-being and success. The award memorializes Tom Oswald, who was the head coach of Cheney High School and passed away from cancer in 2006. Starting in January of 2025, Sawyer made a noticeable impact for Eagle players this season with guidance for both on and off the field challenges. Sawyer coached at Eastern as the defensive line coach from 2008 to 2016.
During the season, Eastern's offense, defense and special teams were tested in practice by the Eagle scout units. These units helped prepare EWU for their opponents each week. The Eagle offensive scout player of the year was David Cabrera, while Gage Brumfield earned defensive scout player of the year. Bjorn Birmingham was recognized as the Nail Player of the Year, honoring the special teams scout player of the year.
This year's banquet brought the creation of the new honor, the Joy Boy of the Year award. It is given to a member of the program that carries themselves with passion, energy and joy, both on and off the field. The inaugural recipient of the Joy Boy award was Cole Pruett. 2025 was Pruett's best of his career, catching 27 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He ranked fourth on the team in receptions and fifth in yards. Pruett also had his first 100-yard game against the Griz, finishing with 133 yards on 10 receptions and one touchdown.
The 2025 season was the final year for 19 seniors that were recognized for their contributions to the program during the banquet on Sunday. The group included Ulm, Ogles, Thomas, DaJean Wells, Jared Taylor, Dylan Conner, Noah Cronquist, Jheison Saunds, Trevor Thurman, Riley Rudolfo, Talon Betts, Read Sunn, Bryce Lucas, Jaden Price, Landon Cooper, Tyler Lepolo, Amdane Aboudou, Aidan Corning and Fletcher Gibson.
At the end of the '25 season, Eastern finished 4-4 in the Big Sky, going 5-7 overall. The Eagles had its first three-game winning streak since 2021 during the season. EWU defeated rival Idaho 21-14 for the first time since 2021. They also earned their first win over Weber State, the first road win in Ogden since the 2012 season. Eastern tallied 15 interceptions in 2025, ranking sixth in the nation and second in the conference.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access, and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
