Portland State Football opens its 2026 practice schedule on Wednesday at Stott Community Field on the PSU campus. Practice begins at 9 a.m. as new Head Coach Chris Fisk runs his roster of 108 players through its paces in preparation for the upcoming season. The Vikings' first game will be exactly one month away, a Big Sky Conference home contest with UC Davis on Aug. 29 at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
Opening Week Practice Schedule
Wed., July 29        9:15-11:15 a.m.
Thurs., July 30       9:15-11:15 a.m.
Fri., July 31            Off Day
Sat, Aug. 1             9:15-11:15 a.m.
Sun., Aug. 2           9:15-11:15 a.m.
Mon., Aug. 3         3:30-5:30 p.m.
 

2026 VIKINGS FOOTBALL QUICK PREVIEW

It's a whole new ballgame for the Portland State Vikings in 2026 as new Head Coach Chris Fisk will lead the program into a new era of competition. Fisk comes to PSU after a successful seven-year tenure at NCAA II Central Washington where he compiled a 48-22 record, including 38-7 in conference play. He won three conference titles, led four teams to the playoffs and earned three Coach of the Year honors. Viking fans have their fingers crossed that his success will translate to a Big Sky Conference program starved for success in recent seasons.
     
With him, Fisk has brought an entirely new coaching staff and some 67 new players following a significant roster turnover from PSU's 1-11 team of last season.
     
Despite having only 29 returning letterwinners, PSU has good news on offense. Seven starters are back and the Vikings have solid experience at every position. Running back Delon Thompson, tight end Tanner Beaman, and wide receivers Terence Loville, Cru Newman and Jaylen Lynch are talented, experienced skill position players who have all been starters.
     
The Vikings also have three starters back on the offensive line with Pule Leatigaga, James Minot and Semisi Latu. Even Juan Pasillas-Stanton ended up as a starter in four games last season but was still able to maintain his redshirt status.
     
Quarterbacks John-Keawe Sagapolutele, Tyrese Smith and Gabe Downing all have experience as starters with Sagapolutele and Smith handling most of the snaps in 2025. Those three will battle it out to lead the team in 2026, along with a few newcomers.
     
The aforementioned players are a great place to start on offense. Add to them a few players that the new coaching staff is particularly high on: offensive lineman Mo Othman (San Jose State) and Trevor Newkirk (Cal Poly), wide receivers Devon Anderson (Mt. SAC) and Jason Robinson Jr. (North Carolina) and quarterbacks Jackson Presley (Glacier MT HS) and Hunter Herrera (Mt. SAC).
     
Defensively, the Vikings will have a lot more to replace with only one returning starter. But he is a good one. Linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler started every game last season and made 71 tackles. The additions of Jonathan Epperson Jr. (Washington) and Logan Lisherness (Central Washington) should help at linebacker, as will the return of Davin Beason from injury and redshirt freshman Kayin Booker.
     
The defensive backfield has 10 returners, but eight of them are redshirt freshmen or sophomores. The coaching staff is high on newcomers Isaac Redford (Eastern Washington) and Gio Kafentzis (Utah State). PSU has 21 defensive backs on the roster heading into fall camp.
     
The Vikings have little returning experience on the defensive line. However, sophomore Herbert Ware and junior Elijah Eason, returning from injury, should be at the top of the depth chart. The coaching staff has stacked that unit with newcomers and expect Eddie Vega (Akron), Brogan De'Asis (Central Washington), Kekama Cosma (Golden West CC) and Jaylun Nowickas (Butte College) to be impactful among others.
 

PRESEASON NOTES

• NEW CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP: Chris Fisk was named the 15th Head Coach in Portland State Football history when his hiring was announced on Dec. 12, 2025. Fisk comes to Portland State following seven seasons as Head Coach at Central Washington University. While in Ellensburg, Fisk compiled a 48-22 record, including 38-7 in conference play. He won three conference titles (Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Lone Star Conference) and led four teams to the NCAA playoffs. Fisk was named GNAC Coach of the Year twice and selected as the NCAA II Region IV Coach of the Year in 2025 after leading the Wildcats to a 10-2 record, including 9-0 in Lone Star play… in all, Fisk spent 10 years at Central Washington. Prior to that he worked at Southern Oregon (2011-15) where he was Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. From 2002-10, Fisk coached at the University of Mary as Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. He is a 2001 graduate of Jamestown University.
• FIRST MATES:  Joining the Portland State Football staff are five coaches who worked for Fisk at Central Washington. They include: Grant Torgerson (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Alex Kastens (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line), Jared Gallatin (Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties), Patrick Belony (Defensive Line), and Brady Crane (Director of Player Personnel)… Matt Adkins (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) joins the Vikings after working at Arizona. He coached with Fisk at Southern Oregon… Kiante Goudeau (Cornerbacks) comes to PSU from Montana State. He worked for Fisk in similar role in 2023… Caleb Moore (Wide Receivers) worked previously at Arizona as an Offensive Assistant and in conjunction with Vikings OC Matt Adkins… Nick Kernaghan (Defensive Quality Control) comes to PSU after coaching linebackers for three seasons at Linfield… Dominick Mazotti (Tight Ends) worked last season as an Offensive Analyst at Mercyhurst. He played previously under Vikings Coach Alex Mastens at San Jose State… Chase Coalson (Defensive Quality Control) played under Fisk at Central Washington and finished his All-Conference career in 2025… CJ Jordan (Offensive Quality Control) spent the last two seasons on the Vikings team and is joined by Travis Fenton (Offensive Quality Control) on the offensive side.
• OLD AND NEW: Portland State Football has added the role of General Manager in 2026. Taking charge is Rashad Floyd, a former Viking All-American and PSU Athletics Hall of Famer. Floyd, a private businessman and founder of Emmy-Award Winning Heart and Hustle Productions, will spearhead efforts in NIL development, branding, strategic planning for the football program and creating a long-term vision.
• THE ROSTER: Portland State Football returns 41 players from the 2025 roster, including 29 letterwinners… seven starters return on offense and one starter returns on defense… 12 redshirts return, including five with game experience… the new coaching staff has signed 67 newcomers, 34 freshmen and 33 transfers.
• OFFENSE: On offense, the Vikings have experience. In fact, all three quarterbacks who saw significant action, the top running back, two of the top three receivers and top tight end return. In addition, three starters on the offensive line and one part-time starter are back… JR QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele (148-261-16-1,623-4TD), SO QB Tyrese Smith (40-69-4-551-2TD, 98-405-6 rushing) and JR QB Gabe Downing (15-26-2-140-0) are experienced signal callers… JR RB Delon Thompson (191-662-7 rushing, 22-217-1 receiving) led the Vikings in rushing and has over 1,300 career yards on the ground… SR WR Terence Loville (33-517-1) was given an NCAA waiver for an additional year of eligibility after leading the Vikings in receiving yards last year… SO WR/QB/KR Cru Newman (29-302-0, 12-70-1 rushing, 669 return yards) proved to be the Vikings top all-purpose player, earning Freshman All-American and Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honors… JR TE Tanner Beaman was a 2024 second team All-Big Sky Conference selection and preseason All-Big Sky choice in 2025. Unfortunately, a foot injury ended his season before it started. He will be back to full health in 2026… the offensive line features returning starters SR James Minot (12 starts), SO Pule Leatigaga (11 starts), SR Semisi Latu (8 starts) and RS FR Juan Pasillas-Stanton (4 starts).
• DEFENSE: On defense, the Vikings lost a number of players to graduation and the transfer portal, particularly on the line. Including redshirts, 20 players return on that side of the football… leading the way is veteran SR LB Jaxton Helmstetler (71 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, fumble recovery for touchdown), a starter in all 12 games… the Vikings return eight defensive backs… three of the eight returning defensive linemen were redshirts in 2025… two of the six returning linebackers were also redshirts.
• STARTING OVER: Portland State will strive to be healthier than it was in 2025. The Vikings have eight returning players on the roster for 2026 who never had a chance to compete in 2025 due to preseason injuries. Included in that group were returning lettermen TE Tanner Beaman, LB Davin Beason and DE Elijah Eason, all of whom were projected to start last season.
• STUDENT-ATHLETES: Honorees from the 2025 roster include: SO WR/QB/KR Cru Newman (Freshman All-American, HM All-Big Sky Conference); SR LB Jaxton Helmstetler (Academic All-District); JR QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Academic All-District)… Portland State had a program record 3.22 team GPA in the fall of 2025 and bettered that with a 3.36 GPA in the winter of 2026.

VIKING BACKGROUND TRIVIA

• FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN: SO WR/QB/KR Cru Newman was named a Freshman All-American by Stats Perform and FCS Football Central. Newman led the Vikings with 1,041 all-purpose yards in 2025. Previously RB Delon Thompson (2024) and LB Michael Montgomery (2023) were Freshman All-Americans for the Vikings… in addition, Newman did it all against Weber State last October 18. He returned five kicks for 91 yards, completed one pass attempt for five yards, rushed twice for 12 yards and caught three passes for 50 yards. He had 153 all-purpose yards and he also made a tackle.
• BUY LOCAL: Portland State has 50 players on the roster from the states of Oregon and Washington.
• OH, BROTHER: JR QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele's brother Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the starting quarterback for the Cal Bears.
• FAMILY AFFAIR: SR OL Braylon Cornell has had a cousin, Jake Porter, play on the Viking Football team (2018-22), another cousin played on the Viking volleyball team, Ellie Snook (2019-22), and two uncles played at PSU, Jamie Snook (basketball, 1996-99) and Jason Porter (baseball, 1991-94).
• FAMILY AFFAIR, PART TWO: FR S Marcus Post is the son of Katie (Rose) Post and Josh Post (both Portland State, 1992-95). Katie played on the women's basketball team (and competed in the NCAA II National Championship game in 1995) and Josh pitched on the baseball team.
• AND BABY MAKES... FIVE: Portland State's assistant coaching staff is relatively young and, to carry that a step further, they are also prolific. Vikings coaches and their wives have added five new baby Vikings in the past year (two during spring football practice!).
• ISLAND LIFE: SR S Tre Kramer Taylor is a native of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. He is the only Marshall Islander competing in Division I football. Taylor played high school football in Hawai'i.
• STUDENT-ATHLETES: Portland State has two players on the roster who were named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team in 2025: SR LB Jaxton Helmstetler and JR QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele.
• VIKINGS' PRESENCE IN THE NFL: Entering the 2026 season, there have been 33 former Portland State players who have appeared in regular season NFL games. The first: Tom Oberg, DB, Denver Broncos, 1968. Longest career: Neil Lomax, QB, 1981-88; Clint Didier, TE, 1982-89; and Adam Hayward, LB, 2007-14, all played in eight NFL seasons. Hayward played in the most total games (118). Highest draft pick: Neil Lomax, QB, 1981, 2nd round, 33rd pick, St. Louis Cardinals. Total draft picks: 10. Most Touchdowns: Julius Thomas, TE, 2011-17, 36 (receiving). Darick Holmes, RB, 1995-99, 9 (rushing); Neil Lomax, QB, 1981-88, 136 (passing). Head Coach: June Jones (Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers, 1994-98). Super Bowl Champions: Clint Didier, TE (2, 1982, 1987, Washington); DeShawn Shead, CB (2013, Seattle); Ted Popson, TE (1994, San Francisco).
• SUPER PLAYERS: Portland State had a pair of former players meet in the Super Bowl for the first time in history in February 2014. TE Julius Thomas ('10, Denver) and DB DeShawn Shead ('11, Seattle) both played in Super Bowl XLVIII. Shead returned to the Super Bowl in 2015 with the Seahawks. He joins Clint Didier and Ted Popson as former Vikings with Super Bowl rings. Thomas was named a Pro Bowl tight end in 2013 and 2014. In the 2014 off-season, he signed the richest tight end contract in the NFL to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas retired in the 2018 off-season after a seven-year career that included 71 games, 226 receptions, 2,406 yards and 36 touchdowns. Shead, who played six years in the NFL, is now an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins.
• CC6: Another Viking football legend was quarterback Chris Crawford. Crawford, a native of Portland and Sunset High School, played for the Vikings from 1985-88. He led the team to two NCAA II National Championship games in 1987 and 1988 as the Vikings went 22-5-2 in those seasons. Crawford, who wore the number 6 on the field, was later inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame. Crawford went on to a prominent career at Nike where he was a Senior Director in charge of cleated shoes. Sadly, Crawford passed away due to complications from leukemia at the age of 51 in 2019. He is still honored by Nike though, as "CC6" is stamped on the bottom of every pair of football cleats it produces.

 

THE SCHEDULE

A transforming cast of schools, the earliest start ever to conference play and a new nine-game schedule among 13 teams are the highlights to the Big Sky Conference in 2026.
     
Utah Tech and Southern Utah join the league in 2026 while Sacramento State leaves the Big Sky (SUU was a previous member, 2012-2021). PSU will play the new Big Sky members at home among their four home games and five road games in the unbalanced league schedule.
     
League teams will open conference play on Aug. 29. Portland State will host UC Davis on that date in a Big Sky game. PSU will then play three non-conference games, traveling to San Diego State (Sept. 5), hosting North Dakota (Sept. 12), then playing at Oregon (Sept. 19).
     
Big Sky Conference play will return on Sept. 26 with a trip to Weber State. Following a bye week, PSU will host Utah Tech in a first-ever football matchup between the schools.
     
The Vikings are on the road against traditional Big Sky members Northern Arizona and Idaho State on Oct. 17 and 24, respectively.
PSU hosts Idaho on Hallowe'en at Hillsboro Stadium. Then comes a trip to Montana on Nov. 7, another home game against Southern Utah on Nov. 14, followed by the Dam Cup finale at Eastern Washington on Nov. 21.
     
The Vikings will not face Montana State, Northern Colorado, Cal Poly or Weber State among Big Sky schools.
     
The 12-game schedule features five home games and seven road games taking place in eight different states. San Diego State and Oregon are PSU's two FBS opponents, which has become a standard. The North Dakota game is part of a home-and-home agreement that began in 2025 at UND.
 

SCHEDULE NOTES

• 2026 will be the 80th season of Portland State Football and the 31st as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• Among PSU's 2026 opponents, Montana finished the 2025 season ranked third, UC Davis was ranked eighth and North Dakota was ranked 14th. Oregon was ranked third at the FBS level.
• Six of Portland State's home opponents over the past two seasons were nationally-ranked, with five in the Top 10. UC Davis figures to be ranked in the Top 10 for the 2026 home opener.
• Seven of Portland State's opponents had winning records in 2025, one was .500, and four had sub-.500 records. The combined records are 87-65… PSU's strength of schedule was rated as number one in the nation in 2024, number six in 2025.
• The Vikings will face one first-time opponent in 2026: Utah Tech.
• After not opening at home for eight straight years, the Vikings opened at home last year and will do so again this year against UC Davis on Aug. 29.
• Of the non-conference opponents, PSU has faced San Diego State once (0-1), North Dakota nine times (2-7) and Oregon six times (0-6).
• PSU's two FBS-level opponents are San Diego State and Oregon. PSU is 4-50 all-time when playing "up" against FBS programs. Wins have come over Hawai'i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)… this marks the 12th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 16 times, including three in 2006.
• Portland State will play a Dam Cup rivalry trophy game at Eastern Washington for the second year in a row. The Eagles won the trophy in 2025. PSU had won the previous two meetings (2022, 2023). The teams did not meet in 2024.
• I'MMMM 50!: Portland State will have its 50th all-time meeting with Montana this season, the most of any opponent in program history. The Vikings play Idaho State for the 49th time.
• The Vikings will play opponents from California (2), North Dakota, Oregon, Utah (3), Arizona, Idaho (2), Montana and Washington.