Built for the Moment: Duarte finds his lane in ISU’s air attack

POCATELLO (Idaho State Sports Information) — Before Ian Duarte was catching passes inside the ICCU Dome as a redshirt sophomore wide receiver for Idaho State, his journey began nearly 7,000 miles away in the Philippines.

“I’m not from Idaho, actually,” Duarte said with a laugh. “I was born in the Philippines, and when I was 2 years old my family moved to Southern California. That’s where I spent most of my life growing up.”

For many student-athletes, the path to college football follows a fairly linear arc. For Duarte, it involved uprooting mid-high school, adapting to a new culture, and embracing the pressure of elite-level competition, all while representing his family’s heritage with pride.

Duarte began his high school career at Chaminade Preparatory in West Hills, California, where he was already playing varsity football as a freshman, lining up against some of the most talented players in the country.

“You’re playing teams with three to five-star guys every week,” Duarte said. “Guys like Justin Flowe, DJ Harvey. The speed of the game there, it’s basically like playing at the college level.”

Then came COVID. California’s pandemic restrictions made it difficult for young athletes to continue their development, and Duarte’s family made a bold decision, relocate to Idaho.

“My dad wanted to move somewhere where me and my brother could just live freely and have a normal high school experience,” Duarte said. “So we packed up and moved to Eagle, Idaho.”

What he found in the Gem State was a different football culture, one that surprised him.

“The student sections here are crazy,” he said. “No shade to California, but the school spirit in Idaho was next level. It felt like football was part of the community.”

From learning the game to mastering it

Duarte started playing football at eight years old and credits much of his early development to long-time youth coaches who became lifelong mentors.

“Coach Jeremy Perkins and Coach Brandon Chandler, those two guys had a huge impact on my growth,” Duarte said.

Even after years in the game, his time at Idaho State has introduced him to an entirely new level of detail and nuance, especially in his role as an inside receiver.

“I thought I knew a lot coming in, but there’s been so much more to learn,” he said. “Things like route deception, creating separation, timing with the quarterback, it’s the small things that matter most at this level.”

That attention to detail is a big reason the Bengals became one of the nation’s most prolific passing teams in 2024, averaging nearly 300 yards per game through the air.

Duarte played a consistent role in that success, hauling in 47 receptions for 504 yards and 3 touchdowns over 11 games. He finished the season averaging 10.7 yards per catch and contributed nearly 15 percent of the team’s total receptions.

“It’s not just chucking the ball deep,” Duarte said. “Our inside receivers have read routes, we’re adjusting based on coverages, and everything is built on precision. Coach Hawkins has really emphasized that during practice.”