The portal giveth, and the portal taketh away ... and sometimes, the portal giveth back.

In 2023, Idaho State slot receiver Chedon James led the nation with 102 catches, turning those into 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns. He tested the transfer market afterward, but didn't get the kind of high-level Division I interest he sought, so he made the decision to return to ISU for spring football.

But after spring ball ended, the second transfer portal period opened, and James heard from Fresno State – not exactly a powerhouse program, but at least an FBS team that competes against distinguished opponents such as Michigan and UCLA. He took the plunge, and left Idaho State with a hole in their receiver rotation.

But things didn't go exactly as planned for James in Fresno. He caught one ball in the opener versus Michigan, suffered an injury, missed most of the rest of the season and wound up with two catches in five games.

He entered the transfer portal again after the season, and wound up at Incarnate Word, an FCS program like Idaho State, located in San Antonio. He had a decent season for the Cardinals, catching 42 passes in 10 games for 494 yards and four touchdowns, but nothing like the epic campaign he had with the Throwin' Idahoans in 2023.

So he hit the portal once again and, with ISU losing slot receivers Damien Morgan (53 catches, three TDs) and Ian Duarte (46 catches, three TDs) to transfer, there was a home available right back where he started his collegiate career.

Idaho State head coach Cody Hawkins is not expecting another 102-catch season from James. In fact, he's not putting any statistical expectations on the 5-foot-10-inch, 170-pound native of Carson, Calif.

"My only expectations for Chedon are that he is a great teammate and works his tail off in the classroom and on the field," said Hawkins. "We are all trying to adapt to the modern changes in college football, and coaches and players alike are learning (and failing) as we go. Our program has improved and changed over the past few years. Every season presents new opportunities and challenges."

Hawkins said James' relationships with coaches and players, and past performance are the reasons he was accepted back into the ISU program.

"But his habits, attitude and effort will determine his contributions in 2026," said Hawkins. "I have high hopes for sure, but it is up to him."

This year's version of the transfer portal, which has been consolidated into one two-week period, closed on Friday. Schools can continue to sign players who entered the portal before the Friday deadline, but players can't re-enter the portal unless their coaching situation changes.

James is one of seven new receivers Hawkins has brought in over the past couple of months. They include:

• Amare Ary, 5-10, 180-pound slot receiver, who caught 54 passes for 995 yards and eight touchdowns for West Virginia State, a Division II school, last season.
• Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, from Nevada, a 5-9, 176-pound redshirt freshman who played his senior high school season at Timpview in Utah after two all-state seasons at Konawaena High School in Hawaii. He played in five games for the Wolfpack, but didn't catch any passes. He'll play in the slot.
• Anthony Flores, 6-2, 175 pounds, who caught 53 passes for 611 yards and nine touchdowns at Division II Western New Mexico. Flores is originally from Casa Grande, Ariz. He was recruited to play an outside receiver position.
• Jimmy Trilla, 5-11, 160 pounds, who caught 20 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns at Iowa Western, which won the National Junior College Championship this past season. Trilla, originally from Chicago, is expected to line up in the slot.
• Owen Tomich, 6-1, 185-pound outside receiver from Long Beach City College, where he was mentored by new ISU wide receivers coach Josh Thompson. Tomich had 57 catches for 922 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's expected to play an outside position.
• And Yamil Oaxaca, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound transfer from Sul Ross State, a Division II school in Alpine, Texas. Recruited as an outside receiver, the native of El Paso caught 27 passes for 532 yards and three touchdowns last season.

"Inside, we have a JUCO national champion, an all-conference D-2 player, and an FCS All-American ... we have four good guys to put in there," Hawkins said. "Outside, we have some proven production, these guys have all caught a bunch of footballs. I feel really good about our young guys, but throwing some experience in that room, that's a really good pot of talent."

Other offensive recruits include: running back Jai Wood from Northern Michigan, a Division II school; and linemen Zoom Esplin from Weber State, Misiolo Maluia from West Georgi and Ryan Carby from Saddleback Junior College.

Wood, 5-7, 180 pounds, ran for 604 yards and seven touchdowns for the Division II Wildcats.

"We have some connections with the staff there, and they tell us this guy is an elite teammate who runs hard, but also catches the ball," said Hawkins.

Hawkins sees Wood joining Jackson Riddle and Robert Freeman, both of whom were lost to injury last season, and 1,000-yard rusher Dason Brooks in the backfield, allowing ISU to run some two-back formations.

Esplin, who is listed at 6-8, 280 pounds, "is already the largest human on our team," said Hawkins. He was originally recruited by BYU as a defensive lineman, then transferred to Weber State, where he moved to tackle.

Maluia, 6-1, 277 pounds, and Carby, 6-2, 270 pounds, are both experienced centers. ISU is hoping that Alex Ramirez, their returning starter at center, will get an extra year of eligibility through ongoing national litigation, but if not, they'll have two experienced centers ready to compete for the position.

On defense, ISU is bringing in one name familiar to local fans – cornerback Kai Callen, son of former Bengal Atari Callen, and an all-state defensive back at Highland High School. Callen transferred to a high school in Georgia for his senior season, then signed with FBS James Madison, where he redshirted last season.

ISU also signed defensive backs Trey Parks Vinson from Weber State, Khaliq Johnson from El Camino Junior College, Jaxin Patterson from Truman State and Titan Saxton from Utah State.

On the defensive front, Hawkins is high on Nate Abbott, a rush end from the College of San Mateo, and Sani Tuala, a transfer from BYU. Abbott, 6-2, 230 pounds, had 6.5 sacks for his junior college squad. Tuala, 6-5, 270 pounds, was a three-star recruit out of high school when he signed with the Cougars. He's played in two games over two seasons at BYU.

The Bengals are still working on linebackers, Hawkins said, and he's hopeful they'll add a player or two at that position soon.

On special teams, ISU has to consistently replace all-conference kickers and punters, and they have signed one of each so far this offseason. Billy Hewitt, an Englishman, comes to ISU from Laney Junior College in California, where he was 8-of-11 on field goal attempts, and a perfect 21-of-21 on extra points.

Jordan Rucker from Foothill Community College has been recruited to fill the punter position. He averaged 38 yards a kick while placing 24 punts inside the 20-yard line this past season.

"We also have some good walk-ons that I can't talk about until they enroll," said Hawkins. "The kickers, they see the stats, they know how well our special teams play. Playing at elevation in a dome is also enticing for the kids. I believe in how (special teams coordinator Scott Theissen) recruits them, and in how my dad (Dan Hawkins) trains them."

In addition to all the transfers, Hawkins is excited about high school recruit Kepa Niumeitolu, a quarterback from Lone Peak High School in Utah, who graduated in December and will be joining ISU for spring football.

"Kepa had a bunch of G-5 offers," said Hawkins. "That guy's a stud in every way."

Hawkins and his staff have spent the last few weeks completely engaged in recruiting – texting, calling, hosting visits, writing contracts and dealing not only with recruits, but also their parents and their agents. He isn't thrilled with the way the transfer portal and revenue sharing have changed college football, but he feels like his staff did a good job of navigating their way through another season of craziness.

"I feel bad about the way college football has gone, so I don't want to act like I'm over the moon," he said. "But I'm happy about what we've done and what we've been able to do so far."