SPOKANE, Wash. — A new-look Big Sky Conference held its media day Monday at the league's annual kickoff event at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino.
Beyond the usual spotlight that surrounded Montana and Montana State, coaches pointed to experienced quarterbacks and improved parity as a key talking point across the conference.
"There's no league in America that has the depth that we have," said fourth-year Idaho State coach Cody Hawkins. "Love our league, respect our league and I'm honored to be a part of it, and I think our players feel that as well."
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM MEDIA DAY:
Structurally, the Big Sky looks different. Sacramento State is no more, having departed for the FBS and the Mid-American Conference. But Southern Utah and Utah Tech — previously of the Western Athletic Conference — have joined the league, giving it 13 football-playing members. SUU was previously a full member of the Big Sky from 2012 to 2022.
Much of Monday's attention was placed on Montana and Montana State, the top-ranked teams in the league's preseason polls. Both the media and the coaches picked the defending national champion Bobcats No. 1 and slotted the Grizzlies, with new head coach Bobby Kennedy now at the helm, No. 2.
Still, with the type of quarterback play that is expected this season — and everyone understands the value of consistent QB performance — several teams have designs on contending despite the notion that the road to the league title will again go through Bozeman and Missoula.
CATCHING UP WITH THE GRIZ ON MEDIA DAY:
"I think it's exceptional," said Northern Arizona coach Brian Wright, whose own quarterback, Ty Pennington, is one of the top returning signal-callers for 2026. "In this game, you have to have that guy that can make decisions and lead your team to the end zone to give you a chance. And if you don't have that, you really don't have a chance in this conference or really any other conference.
"It's critical having that guy, and certainly the guy we have is very special."
Photos: Media day at the 2026 Big Sky Kickoff
Aside from Pennington, Montana State's Justin Lamson is back after leading the Cats to a national title last January in Nashville, Tenn. At Montana, Keali'i Ah Yat is among the best in the league coming off a 4,070-yard, 33-touchdown effort a year ago.
Elsewhere, Idaho State's Jordan Cooke and Idaho's Joshua Wood are dynamic. Eastern Washington's Nate Bell and Jake Schakel have displayed high-end talent, and Weber State's Devin Brown is an intriguing FBS dropdown following stops at Ohio State and Cal.
CATCHING UP WITH THE CATS ON MEDIA DAY:
And UC Davis, after losing Big Sky freshman of the year Caden Pinnick to Washington State, has notably brought in Jackson Kollock, a touted young passer previously at the University of Minnesota, to compete for reps among its QB group.
"I think we're as good at training the quarterback position as anywhere in the country," said UC Davis coach Tim Plough. "You just have to believe that the way we train that position is going to lead to a good player. We were bummed to see Caden go, but happy for him and his next step.
"But we've got guys in the room that we're really excited about. Got a lot of depth. Have some incoming guys that have added some competition there, so whoever comes out of that room is going to be a good player."
Entering the 2026 season, it's clear the Big Sky is again a quarterback-centric conference.
It may not be enough to shake up the hierarchy at the top, at least not in the eyes of the preseason voters. But the depth at the position should give the conference plenty of intrigue entering the fall.
