Idaho State football announces signing of 3 local high schooler — 1 a two-time state champ

POCATELLO — The Bengals announced several signings Wednesday, including a trio of local high school athletes.

Thunder Ridge’s McKay Dougal will join Madison’s Rex Salas and Rigby’s Parker Graham at Idaho State University next year, according to the ISU football team’s social media pages.

Dougal, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end graduated from Thunder Ridge last year, which is when he signed his letter of intent to play at ISU. Following a two-year LDS mission, he will join a 2025 Bengal squad looking to improve defensively under new defensive coordinator Grant Duff.

RELATED | Idaho State’s new Defensive Coordinator brings 11 years experience with winning program

Salas, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman, helped the Bobcats offensive become one of the most effective in the state, scoring 40-plus points six times this season. Madison qualified for the 6A State Tournament but was eliminated by eventual runners-up, Eagle.

Graham, a 6-foot, 180-pound safety, helped the Trojans beat that Eagle squad in the championship game.

RELATED | Duenes, Morel run roughshod through Eagle as Rigby returns to football mountain top

As a sophomore, Graham was also part of Rigby’s 2022 championship run.

The Bengals, led by outgoing senior and Rigby alum Christian Fredrickson, finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record. They boasted one of the highest-scoring offenses in the Big Sky Conference, but countered that with a defense that allowed the conference’s most points.

Several key contributors to the team’s success this season, including Highland grad Jayden Bell, wide receiver Ian Duarte and First-Team All Conference kicker Gabe Panikowski are expected to return in 2025.

National signing day, when player commitments and football letters of intent become become official, is Feb. 5. More local athletes are expected to make commitments before then and EastIdahoSports.com will report on those commitments.