Refreshed EWU football team sets out for spring camp: ‘They are hungry’
After splitting their allotment of 15 offseason practices around the university’s spring break the last few seasons, the Eastern Washington football team will eschew that interruption this year, when on Tuesday the Eagles will begin a consolidated set of spring sessions.
The practices will conclude with the Red-White Game at 5 p.m. on May 1 at Roos Field in Cheney.
To Aaron Best, who is entering his 10th season as EWU’s head coach, this arrangement better reflects the university’s calendar and that of Division I college football more generally.
“We decided this would be the way to go, seeing that there is (just) one (transfer) portal window,” Best said Thursday. “It gives us a chance to get all the guys who are going to be new (here) for all 15 (practices).”
That list of new names is a considerable one – there are 10 new players on the current spring roster – given how Eastern has embraced what the portal can offer: a fresh start.
Best said he’s excited not just about the new faces on the team but also about who the Eagles are bringing back on offense, defense and special teams.
On offense, the Eagles retained quarterbacks Nate Bell, Jake Schakel and Kaden Rolfsness, each of whom started at least one game last season. Best suggested he would like to settle on a starter by the end of spring camp.
The Eagles also have a full stable of running backs and a handful of offensive linemen who played significant snaps – many of them as starters – in 2025. What Best said he wants to see from the offense is more consistency.
“We found it a little bit later in the year, but we were so inconsistent early on, guys were pressing,” Best said. “Continuity is going to help us. A lot of experience will help us.”
Defensively, All-Big Sky safety Jaylon Jenkins returns, along with a bevy of experienced players in the secondary and along the defensive line.
“I am excited about the defense as a whole,” Best said. “We’ve got a big stride to gain in front of us … they are hungry.”
Perhaps the most question marks are on special teams, where the Eagles will return starting kicker Soren McKee but will be seeking new starters at punter, snapper and kickoff specialist. Best said he expects the Eagles will bring in another punter to compete with sophomore Luke Faccone, currently the only one on the roster (though McKee, Best said, can punt if needed).
The Eagles have also announced two new coaches on their defensive staff: Torey Hunter (secondary/nickels) and Ryan Lewis (cornerbacks). Hunter, a Washington State graduate, has 11 years of college coaching experience, including three years at Eastern from 2011 to 2013.
Lewis has just two – at the Colorado School of Mines – but he played three years in the NFL and four years at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Torey is high-energy and has great connections on the West side from a recruiting standpoint,” Best said. “… He brings synergy. He brings everybody together (and) he’s got a huge personality.”
Lewis, Best said, brings some balance to Hunter.
“He’s just a different blend of a young, personal, energetic guy,” Best said.
The Eagles will conduct their practices on Roos Field, but soon after work will begin on resurfacing the track that surrounds it. That work is expected to be done around the time Eastern’s football team begins preseason practices in August.