Editor's note: Leading up to the start of Idaho State's fall camp Aug. 1, we're previewing the Bengals' top five impact players, top five players poised to break out and top five under-the-radar talents in 2018. The players are listed in no particular order.

IMPACT

Rasheed Williams, redshirt junior defensive lineman

6-1, 275 pounds

2017 stats: 29 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack

Overview: Idaho State needs Williams to return to his freshman-year form in 2018.

As a freshman in 2015, Williams had a team-high 4.5 sacks and was second on the squad with 8.5 tackles for loss. He missed the 2016 season with a foot injury and didn't regain his dominance last year, finishing with 23 fewer tackles, 3.5 fewer sacks and three fewer tackles for loss.

Williams takes on the role of ISU's top pass rusher. Fellow D-end Chance Salutregui medically retired from football this spring, erasing career totals of 83 tackles, six sacks and 13 tackles for loss from the Bengals' defensive front. It'll be up to Williams to absorb Salutregui's void as ISU attempts to improve upon its 14 sacks from last season.

“I'm excited about up front, Rasheed,” ISU defensive coordinator Roger Cooper said at an ISU football media event June 18 at the Orthopedic Center next to Holt Arena. “He's coming off a slower season, had some injuries. I'm excited about him.”

Williams led what appeared to be an improved pass rush this spring. An outside linebacker generally rushes the quarterback off the edge in Cooper's base 3-4 defense, alleviating some pressure off the defensive linemen to break into the backfield.

The Bengals' defense forced four interceptions in both spring scrimmages, partially thanks to pressure applied to ISU's quarterbacks.

“I feel like we progressed a lot as a D-line,” Williams said after the Kragthorpe Classic spring game. “We've been working on beating blocks and stuff like that. Past fall, we struggled getting stuck on blocks. So this spring, we were just getting after it, putting a lot of pressure on. … And the back end was just rolling with us.”

BREAKOUT

Tanner Conner, redshirt sophomore wide receiver

6-3, 210 pounds

2017 stats: 8 receptions, 93 yards

Overview: Conner got his first crack at game action last season and has steadily moved up ISU's wide receiver depth chart.

Conner, whose father played linebacker at the University of Oregon and briefly in the NFL, balances football with his commitment to the Bengals' track team. The 6-foot-3 target won the Big Sky Conference outdoor championship in the 110-meter hurdles in May, and also won various regular-season meets in the 55-meter hurdles, 60-meter hurdles and long jump this past spring.

In ISU's season-opening win against Western Oregon last August, Conner caught four passes for 73 yards.

Because of Conner's improvements, he earned some first-team reps during spring ball and may be one of ISU's starting receivers during the season – after starting last year's fall camp near the bottom of ISU's depth chart.

“You give down-the-line guys a shot, and when they get a shot they have to make a play or two,” ISU head coach Rob Phenicie said April 9 after spring practice. “And that's what he did. … He slowly worked his way into being a starter and being the fourth or fifth receiver.

“If we were to play a game, everybody was healthy right now, he would be starting opposite of Mitch (Gueller).”

UNDER THE RADAR

Jared Recchia, junior defensive lineman

5-10, 225 pounds

2017 stats: Unavailable

Overview: Recchia's build isn't typical for a defensive lineman, but that hasn't held him back to this point.

Recchia comes to ISU from Los Angeles Pierce College and was in Pocatello during the Bengals' spring camp, but did not participate.

Recchia's most recent available stats are from his freshman season at Pierce in 2016, when he was listed as a linebacker/offensive lineman. In eight games, Recchia tallied 33 tackles, two sacks and a team-best 10 tackles for loss. His best stat line was against Mt. San Jacinto, when he piled up 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

According to his Hudl account, Recchia can bench press 185 pounds 39 times and can squat 500 pounds.

Idaho State's pass rush accumulated its lowest sacks and tackles-for-loss totals since 2012 last season -- adding to a long list of defensive shortcomings. Any number of bodies may be tried out in various positions to help right the ship. Recchia's ability to burst behind the line of scrimmage could help.

“We have probably five walk-on guys from the state, some from out of state, some unorthodox pass rushers, little 5-foot-10 pass rushers and some bigger nose tackles and just some different shaped guys," Bengals defensive coordinator Roger Cooper said March 27. "And we can put them in different packages, so it'll be kind of fun to see what they can do."