From the Fall 2026 issue of Bison Illustrated.
Photo by Gavin Fernholz, Dynamic Studios.
Q: You’ve talked about changing your number from 12 to 2 because you want to respect what Easton Stick did in No. 12, while also creating your own identity. What do you want people to associate with Nathan Hayes’ offense?
Nathan Hayes: Just continuing the legacy. We made that move to the Mountain West, and we want to continue to prove that we’re the same old Bison—that we’re going to continue to win and continue to win championships.
No matter what the offense has to look like to be able to do that, we’re going to run the ball, we’re going to throw the ball. Whatever we need to do to continue to win and continue the Bison legacy, that’s what we’re going to do.
Q: Given the move to the next level, has that changed your preparation going into this season in any way, or are you going to be the same Nathan Hayes with an extra chip on your shoulder?
Hayes: I’m just going to be the same old Nathan Hayes, the same old Bison.
When we found out that we were going to the Mountain West, obviously there was a lot of excitement. But we just put our heads down and got to work, and that’s what we know. It’s been the same since I got here, and the same for all the championships we won before I got here.
We just work, no matter who our opponent is. We try to outwork our opponent, and we do that better than anyone.
So this offseason, instead of watching SDSU, USD, and UND, we had to gear up for some different opponents. But it’s the same old work, just with some new faces. That’s the Bison way.
Q: Speaking of opponents, is there any particular one you’re looking forward to playing the most?
Hayes: I just think it’s really tough for opponents to come into the Dome, and vice versa. There are a lot of really cool environments in this conference that we get to travel to.
Going on the road, we’re going to deal with different time changes, heat, elevation, and away crowds. It’s about going on the road and proving ourselves each and every week.
I don’t think there’s one specific opponent. We get to travel to some of the best teams in the conference, walk into their place and try to win those games. If we can do that, we can really show people who we are.
Q: I was talking with Head Coach Tim Polasek about all the different places you’ll be traveling and the strain that can put on recovery. How do you mentally and physically prepare for all of those different travel situations?
Hayes: We’ve had some different travel situations in the FCS, but we haven’t had to deal with as much of a time difference or the length of flights that we’re going to have to deal with.
So, I have a little bit of an idea, but every week we’re going to keep improving and tweaking the process. We’re going to learn as we go. Once we find out what works best, we’re just going to hammer that.
We’re kind of the guinea pigs for this whole process. We have a really good training staff and a really good strength staff, so they’re going to find out what’s best for us, give us ideas, and we’re going to go from there.
Q: NDSU opens against Jacksonville State in the program’s first game as an FBS member. What will you need to do during that first possession to settle yourself and the offense?
Hayes: Get that first completion, whatever it may be. Once you get that first completion, the game just kind of rolls on.
There’s always a lot of nerves going into the game.
Read the Fall 2026 magazine feature.
