POCATELLO — Idaho State University and head football coach Cody Hawkins are planning to add an extra year to his current contract and give Hawkins a modest salary bump of $8,000 per year, according to a request made to the State Board of Education.

The new contract will extend to Jan. 1, 2030, and will raise Hawkins’ base salary to $230,000. It will also increase the pool of supplemental earnings by $10,000, to up to $108,000.

“Together with (ISU President Robert) Wagner, I am incredibly pleased to ink this extension with coach Hawkins,” said ISU Athletic Director Pauline Thiros. “He is the right coach at the right time, deserved by the players and the fans, and well-equipped to restore Idaho State’s proud football legacy. Our increased commitment to coach, and to the overall salary pool, along with significant investments in the ICCU Dome, nutrition, scholarships, the strength center — and soon-to-be announced a new outdoor field — are all evidence of our intention to build this program.”

Hawkins is in his third season as ISU head coach, having succeeded Charlie Ragle, who served only one season in the post and finished with a 1-10 record before departing for an assistant’s job at Arizona State. Hawkins led the Bengals to a 3-8 mark his first season, then improved to 5-7 last year.

He signed a five-year contract extension in December of 2023, after his initial season. This extension will add a year to that contract, with it expiring in 2030.

“What a difference the right man has made,” Thiros said of Hawkins. “We are grateful for the dedication coach and his family have for the Bengal community, and we intend to reward the strength of their belief in our student athletes. They believe in Idaho State and what we are building and we believe deeply in coach and his excellent staff.”

“I love being a Bengal and I’m excited about the future,” Hawkins added. “The administration has made this an enjoyable place to work with a promising future. The commitment to our players and staff has made this job better than it ever has been and I’m excited and proud to play whatever role is asked of me in our quest to bring Bengal football back where it belongs.”

In its request for State Board approval of the contract extension, which will be voted on Wednesday at the State Board meeting in Moscow, the ISU administration gave Hawkins credit for successfully implementing the APR Recovery Plan, which resulted in improving the football team’s Academic Progress Rate from 933 to 972 in one year. The plan also increased the team’s multi-year APR from 933, which was bordering on the NCAA taking punitive action against the program, to 944.

ISU also noted that Hawkins’ Bengals posted the best record of any Idaho State football team since 2018 and attracted the first sell-out crowd since that same season.

The new contract includes potential supplemental income for Hawkins of $10,000 for winning a Big Sky Conference championship or co-championship, $7,500 for making the NCAA football playoffs, up to $15,000 for improving the team’s multi-year APR score, up to $10,000 for improving home football attendance, $7,500 for being named conference coach of the year, up to $10,000 for increasing the number of total wins by the team, and up to $15,000 for advancing in the NCAA football playoffs.

The buyout should Hawkins leave for another position before his contract expires is $100,000.