With National Letter of Intent Day just five days away, coach Paul Petrino is putting the finishing touches on his first recruiting class — one that could see as many as 30 players sign on to become Vandals.
The new coaching staff hasn’t been shy in handing out offers, as it shouldn’t be. Coaching changes often come with attrition of players from the previous regime not fitting into the plans of the new regime, as was the case with Jeremiah Walters and Elan Richard already.
Thanks to seven junior college players signing early and enrolling early, the Vandals will also be able to sign over the 25-player limit due to assigning some scholarships to the previous year.
Idaho will host its last official recruiting visit weekend before signing day, so it’s unlikely Idaho is done receiving commitments.
Recent commits
Joshua McCain – quarterback – DeAnza College
Joshua McCain is the third quarterback to join the class, joining Matt Linehan and Anthony Neyer. Bringing the number of scholarship quarterbacks to six it’s likely that McCain will have ample opportunity to compete for the starting job when fall camp opens up in August.
McCain brings the dual-threat quarterback style and he put up gaudy passing numbers in for DeAnza as a sophomore, but also had inconsistencies with his completion percentage.
Mason Stone – safety – Montlake Terrace, Wash.
Petrino made it clear he wanted to recruit well in the Pacific Northwest, mainly the greater Seattle area. He went a long way toward doing that with a commitment from Montlake Terrace, Wash., safety Mason Stone. Stone wasn’t highly recruited, but had a walk-on offer waiting for him at Washington if he wanted it. Stone, named a Seattle Times white chip, committed on his official visit to Moscow.
Austin Rehkow – kicker – Spokane, Wash.
Remember the kid who kicked a 67-yard field goal to send his team to overtime and, eventually, victory? That kid is now a Vandal. A family member made it official over Twitter that Rehkow
be sending his long-range talents to Moscow.
Whether or not that kick will be parlayed into a successful college career remains to be seen, he still had some issues with consistent accuracy. But it’s a solid commitment nonetheless for Idaho.
With kicker Trey Farquhar and punter Bobby Cowan both graduating, Idaho will need competition among the specialist positions. Rehkow will compete with returning redshirt kicker Jace Johnson.
Still waiting:
Sammie Long, WR, Lakewood, Wash.
The three-star former University of Washington commit took visits to Eastern Washington and Colorado State, along with Idaho. He’s likely to make a decision on signing day and it’s not out of the question he sticks with Washington.
Mike Tate, WR, Federal Way, Wash.
The two-star receiver took visits to Idaho and Eastern Washington. He’s a lean toward Eastern Washington.
Jamil Austin, RB, Riverside CC (California)
The dynamic running back took a visit to Idaho the weekend of Jan. 25. His commitment status is still up in the air.
Verbal pledges
Steven Matlock – offensive line – Boise (likely grayshirt)
The Capital High star picked up his first FBS offer and committed right away, reported the Idaho Statesman. He will likely enroll next winter semester and join the team for spring football in 2014.
Armond Hawkins – cornerback – Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Petrino continues to attack needs in the secondary hard, getting two star cornerback Armond Hawkins to commit. Of the over 20 high school kids in the class, he is one of the least likely to redshirt.
Joseph Gibson – offensive line – Kansas City, Mo.
New recruiting coordinator Jason Shumaker has spent considerable time in Florida and Missouri, and it’s paid off. Idaho got its third commit from the Kansas City area when Gibson committed. The powerful interior lineman is probably a redshirt player and projects as a center or a guard.
Jevante Reed – athlete – Chula Vista, Calif.
Idaho picked up a versatile athlete who could play running back, receiver, scat back, defensive back, linebacker or wherever the needs may be.
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]