CHENEY, Wash. — The offseason is officially over, and the 2026 season begins this weekend. Eastern Washington football begins the new season in Week 0 against No. 24/25 Northern Arizona on Saturday, Aug. 29, for a 2 p.m. Pacific Time kickoff.
The game is streamed live on ESPN+ and can be listened to live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
2026 Season Outlook
After finishing tied for 6th in the 2025 Big Sky standings with a 4-4 conference record, Eastern showed its growth and is poised to continue its upward trajectory into the 2026 season. Eastern Washington enters the '26 season looking to return to the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2021. EWU has 12 games on the schedule, split evenly with six games at home and on the road. The Eagles have three non-conference games and nine Big Sky matchups.
The team opens with a conference game for the first time since the 2020-21 abbreviated season, traveling to play Northern Arizona. Eastern then plays three-straight non-conference opponents, beginning with the home opener against Northern Iowa on Sep. 5, a completion of the home-and-home series with the Panthers. EWU next travels to play a preseason top-10 South Dakota team in Vermillion. The non-conference schedule concludes with a road trip to play FBS foe Washington on Sep. 19 in Seattle. Big Sky play resumes against Cal Poly on Sep. 26 back at Roos Field. EWU then travels to play UC Davis on Oct. 3, with the game airing on ESPN2.
The Eagles enjoy a month-long home stand, starting Oct. 10 against Northern Colorado for Homecoming week. The defending FCS champs, Montana State, then come to Cheney on Oct. 17. Following a bye week, EWU faces Montana on Oct. 21. The team plays its final two road games next, traveling to face Idaho (Nov. 7) and Utah Tech (Nov. 14). EWU's season concludes against Portland State on Nov. 21, with the team celebrating Senior Day.
Eastern Washington returns 10 starters and 39 letterwinners overall from the '25 team. The team loses 12 starters and 15 letterwinners from a year ago.
Among the key returners are Big Sky first team All-Conference selection Jaylon Jenkins, who tied for 5th in the FCS with five interceptions. As a team, EWU had 15 interceptions last season, ranking 7th in the nation. Adding to the defensive depth, All-Big Sky honorable mention Isaiah Perez returns, following a record-breaking season. Perez tied for the FCS lead and broke the Eastern record with five blocked kicks. Both Jenkins and Perez look to continue the strong defensive improvement the Eagles saw last season.
After playing four quarterbacks a season ago, the Eagles have three backs, including Big Sky honorable mention Nate Bell. Bell started five games last season, while Jake Schakel made two starts.
Back to Flagstaff against the 'Jacks
Eastern travels to play Northern Arizona to open the season, marking the 38th matchup between the two programs. EWU holds the advantage in the series at 24-13 and is 11-8 in Flagstaff. NAU has won the last two matchups, with the most recent in the series finale of the 2024 season, a 30-18 victory for the Lumberjacks. Efton Chism III caught 13 passes for 119 yards in his final game as an Eagle, while breaking Cooper Kupp's FCS record with his 53rd consecutive game with a reception.
NAU is ranked 24th in AFCA's preseason coaches poll, while the 'Jacks rank 25th in Stats Perform's preseason Top 25
Starting in Conference
EWU begins its season with a Big Sky game for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. EWU opened against Idaho in Moscow, falling to the Vandals 28-21 on Feb. 27, 2021. In the game, Eric Barriere passed for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Tamarick Pierce led the Eagles with 63 yards on the ground and Talolo Limu-Jones had 93 receiving yards. Prior to the '20-'21 season, the Eagles last began the season with a Big Sky game in 1996, facing Weber State. The Wildcats earned a close 22-20 win in Ogden over Eastern.
One More Final Ride
2025 was supposed to be Malik Dotson's final season, but the Arlington, Wash. native's season ended in the first game due to injuries. Dotson returns to Eastern for his final season in 2026 and has 563 career rushing yards. He rushed for 505 of them in the 2024 season, scoring 4 touchdowns. Dotson had 12 receptions for 153 yards that season as well.
Preseason Hype for Two Defensive Eags
Leading into the 2026 season, safety Jaylon Jenkins and defensive tackle Isaiah Perez are getting national attention. The two earned preseason All-American recognition from Stats Perform, with Jenkins on second team and Perez on the third. Jenkins and Perez earned the same recognition from Phil Steele's FCS All-American teams. The two were both named to the Big Sky preseason All-Conference team as well. Jenkins added a third preseason All-American honor from FCS Football Central, while also being listed on the Buck Buchanan watchlist, honoring the top defensive player in the nation.
The preseason recognition stems from Big Sky All-Conference honors in 2025 for both Jenkins and Perez. Jenkins earned first team honors after intercepting 5 passes, ranking 5th in the FCS and 2nd in the conference. Adding to the interception haul, Jenkins tallied 8 pass breakups to give him 13 passes defended on the season, ranking 16th in the FCS. The redshirt-junior was fourth on the team with 52 total tackles, including 39 solo and 2 for a loss. Perez led EWU wit 4.0 sacks - ranking 15th in the Big Sky - while posting 51 tackles(5th on team), 19 solo. The redshirt senior made his name on special teams, blocking 4 kicks - 3 field goals and 1 extra point - to tie for the national lead. The stat also set the EWU single-season record and Perez's 5 career blocked-kick mark is 2nd in program history, one behind Dylan Ledbetter (2016-19). He is also tied for 2nd with Jackie Kellogg with 4 blocked field goals.
Experience Across the O-Line
After entering the 2025 season with only one offensive lineman with starting experience, the 2026 offensive line is one of the most experienced units on the roster. Mark Johnson and Gavin Allen return after both starting all 12 games last season, with Johnson at center and Allen at guard. Allen is two seasons removed from switching positions from tight end. Additionally, Cole McGovern made 9 starts at guard last year, while Cole Abarca made 5 starts at guard. Kyle Stahlecker had 2 starts at guard before injuries, and Dane Gatterman started the team's final 3 games at guard.
Defense on the Up Swing
Eastern's defense showed its growth last season and kept the team in multiple games. Along with forcing turnovers, the defense was effective on fourth down, allowing a 41.7% conversion rate, which led the Big Sky and ranked 21st in the FCS. In the redzone, the Eagles allowed teams to score on 78% of possessions, ranking 2nd in the Big Sky and 21st in the nation. Overall in 2025, EWU allowed 30.2 points per game.
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.
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