CHENEY, Wash. — The hype for the 2026 season begins this weekend as the Big Sky Conference arrives in Spokane. The Big Sky football Kickoff Weekend begins on Saturday (July 25) and ends on Monday (July 27) with the conference's official media day.
Eastern Washington football head coach Aaron Best will be joined at the event by redshirt-senior defensive tackle Isaiah Perez and graduate running back Malik Dotson.
The Kickoff Weekend is hosted by Northern Quest Resort & Casino.
In addition, the Big Sky hosts the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) summer meetings, allowing student-athletes to share ideas and provide input to a variety of conference and national issues. Eagle SAAC president Boden Gardner and vice president Alton Hamilton IV will represent the university this weekend.
The 2026 Kickoff Weekend this year features the return of Big Sky U, where 13 assistant coaches will participate in different training sessions to prepare them for the next steps in their coaching careers. Associate head coach Marc Anderson represents the Eagles staff at Big Sky U.
On Saturday, the Big Sky will host a free youth football clinic at North Central High School from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. During the clinic, kids will have the opportunity to run practice drills with the 13 student-athletes from the Big Sky member universities who will be participating in Kickoff Weekend. Kids will also receive a free poster for autographs at the conclusion of the camp. Spokane Sports will support the event by providing essential gear and supplies, reinforcing their commitment to creating opportunities through sport and connecting young athletes with collegiate role models. The clinic is limited to the first 100 kids who register at
BigSkyConf.com/YouthClinic.
Also on Saturday will be the 2026 Big Sky Hall of Fame induction ceremony starting at 6:30 p.m. Former EWU volleyball coach and administrator Pam Parks will be inducted into the conference's hall of fame.
Sunday will feature training sessions and discussions for student-athletes about the rapidly evolving collegiate sports landscape.
Monday will be the Big Sky's live coverage of Media Day starting at 9 a.m. Eastern's segment with Coach Best, Dotson and Perez will air at approximately 12:42 p.m.
The three Eagles will also be live on SWX, starting with Coach Best at 10:34 a.m., followed by Dotson and Perez at 10:42.
The Big Sky Kickoff Weekend show can be streamed on ESPN+ and select Scripps Sports stations.
2026 Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend Attendees
Cal Poly: Tim Skipper (HC), Leif Magnuson (OL), Mikey D'Amato (LB)
Eastern Washington: Aaron Best (HC),
Malik Dotson (RB),
Isaiah Perez (DL)
Idaho: Thomas Ford Jr. (HC), Joshua Wood (QB), Cruz Hepburn (LB)
Idaho State: Cody Hawkins (HC), Jordan Cooke (QB), Nathan Reynolds (LB)
Montana: Bobby Kennedy (HC), Eli Gillman (RB), Peyton Wing (LB)
Montana State: Brent Vigen (HC), Taco Dowler (WR), Caden Dowler (DB)
Northern Arizona: Brian Wright (HC), Ty Pennington (QB), Ammon Allen (LB)
Northern Colorado: Ed Lamb (HC), Levi Johnson (OL), Blake Weslin (DL)
Portland State: Chris Fisk (HC), Terence Loville (WR), Jaxton Helmstetler (LB)
Southern Utah: DeLane Fitzgerald (HC), Will Burns (QB), Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner (LB)
UC Davis: Tim Plough (HC), Samuel Gbatu, Jr. (WR), Drew Cofield (DB)
Utah Tech: Lance Anderson (HC), Ace Chatman (RB), Fasitootai Sagapolu (DL)
Weber State: Eric Kjar (HC), Devin Brown (QB), Trevian Tribble (DB)
2026 Big Sky Hall of Fame Class (Alphabetical Order)
Dennis Erickson, Idaho/Montana State (Football Student-Athlete/Head Coach)
Frank Hawkins, Nevada (Football Student-Athlete)
Eric Heins, Northern Arizona (Cross Country/Track and Field Head Coach)
Amber Henry, Weber State (Cross Country/Track and Field Student-Athlete)
Pam Parks, Eastern Washington (Volleyball Coach/Administrator)
Michael Ray Richardson, Montana (Men's Basketball Student-Athlete)
Jackie Ross Mattox, Idaho (Track and Field Student-Athlete)
Willie Sojourner, Weber State (Men's Basketball Student-Athlete)
2026 EWU football season tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for six home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
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 tickets 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
