CHENEY, Wash. — The roster for Eastern Washington football is shaping up in preparation for spring practice and the 2026 season in the fall. The team has 64 players staying from the 2025 roster, with two players joining for early enrollment. 

Overall, the roster consists of three quarterbacks, three running backs, eight wider receivers, five tight ends, and 14 offensive linemen. On defense, the roster includes six defensive tackles, five defensive linemen, five linebackers, four cornerbacks, and nine safeties. 

Eastern retains its scoring leader from last, as Soren McKee returns for his senior season after accounting for 62 points in 2025. True freshman Luke Faccone also returns for EWU as the team's punter, following Landon Ogles' graduation. 

The Eagles return four all-conference players from the '25 team, led by first-team selection Jaylon Jenkins. Along with Jenkins, Nate Bell, Isaiah Perez and Drew Carter return after earning all-conference honorable mentions last season.

Jenkins finished with five interceptions in the fall, which was tied for fourth in the FCS and second in the Big Sky. The redshirt-sophomore added 13 passes defended that ranked 30th in the nation. He added 52 tackles in 12 starts at safety. 

An all-purpose player, Bell amassed 1666 total yards on offense that ranked eighth in the Big Sky. He accounted for 42 points scored- 17th in the conference - with seven rushing touchdowns. He also threw for seven touchdowns and passed for 1003 yards, completing 53.7 percent of his passes in six starts at QB. 

Perez broke the EWU single season record with four blocked kicks in the '25 season, blocking an extra point in the season finale against Cal Poly. Perez started nine games and played in all 12, making 51 tackles - fifth on the team - and adding 4.0 sacks, with 5.0 total for loss.

Carter was all over the field for the Eagles this past season, tallying 66 tackles - 42 solo-  that ranked third on the team and 22nd in the Big Sky. Additionally, Carter had one interception, one fumble recovery, and one fumble forced, with two pass breakups. 

The Eagles finished 4-4 in the Big Sky last season, going 5-7 overall. 

EWU has 11 returning starters, with seven on defense and four on offense. Head coach Aaron Best is going into his 30th season at Eastern Washington and 10th as head coach. 

The 2026 season kicks off on Aug. 29 with a conference matchup against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz. Eastern home opener will be the following week (Sep. 5) against Northern Iowa. 
 

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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.

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