Idaho State’s head coaching search has come to an end.

The Bengals’ new head man is former UC Davis offensive coordinator Cody Hawkins, ISU announced Friday, bringing an end to a coaching search that lasted less than two weeks.

Hawkins will be introduced at a press conference set for 3 p.m. Sunday in the Wood River Room at Idaho State’s Pond Student Union in Pocatello.

“Coach Hawkins exhibited in every way that he is the right person to lead Idaho State football into the future,” ISU Athletic Director Pauline Thiros said via news release. “He is Idaho-grown, well-connected across our recruiting footprint, is the architect of a prolific scoring offense, and has the right values at the right time. I know Coach will offer our student-athletes what they need most to perform at their best. He is innovative and a culture builder. I am pleased to welcome Cody, his wife, Tianna, and their children Finley and Bowen to Pocatello and Idaho State University.”

The news comes nine days after former ISU head coach Charlie Ragle, who was hired around this time last year, resigned from the position to take an assistant coaching job at Arizona State.

Under the watch of Hawkins, a Boise native who spent five seasons with the Aggies’ program and the last three as offensive coordinator, UC Davis made the FCS playoff quarterfinals in 2018 and the second round in 2021. This season, the Aggies went 6-5, rolling out an offense that scored 36 points per game — good for fifth in the Big Sky.

Since Hawkins took over the Aggies’ offense, they have produced offenses that ranked as follows in the conference: Second, sixth, fifth.

Before he joined UC Davis’ program, Hawkins was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Los Angeles Valley College, helping lead the team to its best record in school history (11-0), plus a conference and state championship. Under Hawkins’ tutelage, the club averaged 43.3 points per game and several players landed Division I offers.

Hawkins’ connection to Idaho, though, will likely resonate more around ISU’s campus.

In high school, Hawkins starred for Bishop Kelly, leading the Knights to back-to-back undefeated state championship seasons. He was named the 2005 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year. He soon fielded offers from Colorado, Boise State, BYU, Oregon and Louisiana-Lafayette. Hawkins’ father, Dan, was then the Broncos’ head coach, so Hawkins chose BSU. But when Dan became Colorado’s head coach, Cody followed him there.

“I could not be more excited to help Pauline and President (Kevin) Satterlee create an amazing student-athlete experience here at Idaho State,” Hawkins said via news release. “Growing up in this great state, I have watched the Bengals for as long as I can remember. I have been in Holt Arena when it was rocking, and I look forward to building a program the Idaho State community, alumni, and fans are proud of. Tianna and I want to sincerely express how much it means to us to be moving home and have the opportunity to help this program honor its history and heritage by creating great memories and results, on and off the field.”

Hawkins, the third ISU head coach since the start of the 2021 season, faces a tall task as the Bengals’ new leader. This fall, the Bengals recorded a second straight 1-10 campaign. They have not won back-to-back games since 2018, which is also when they posted their last winning season.

Since the end of last season, Ragle’s first and only at the program, at least 16 Bengals have entered the transfer portal. Those names include second-team all-conference wide receiver Xavier Guillory, who has racked up several FBS and Power 5 offers, receiver Benji Omayebu and quarterback Tyler Vander Waal, who missed almost all of the last two seasons with injuries.

ISU has struggled to build a consistent winner for a number of reasons, which include a relatively small athletics budget, facilities that lag behind those of other Big Sky Conference foes, isolation from bigger cities and more. What’s clear is this: Hawkins will need to find a way around those obstacles to make Idaho State’s program a winner for the first time in quite some time.

“Coach Hawkins will lead our program with integrity, skill, and genuine enthusiasm,” Satterlee said via news release. “His vision to build our football program through a championship culture will inspire our team. Cody will be a great partner, leader and member of our Bengal community.”