Redshirt freshman Cade Coffey is the new man at Idaho, handling both kicking and punting for Vandal football. Although he is a freshman on the field, Coffey has been with the team for two years and he possesses the utilities that are ideal for kickers — he’s calm, collected and experienced.
Born in 1996 in Moscow’s Gritman Medical Center, Coffey said he has always been an Idaho fan. His father, Travis, was a defensive back for the Vandals from 1993-1996.
But Coffey was not raised in Idaho his whole life. When he was four, the manufacturing company his father worked for sent the family to live in Watford, a town about 15 miles outside of London.
It was there Coffey learned to love the original football — soccer. As a Fulham FC and later a Manchester United fan, he said he looked up to greats like David Beckham throughout his young life. The sheer proximity and competition of English Premier League teams inspired his early sports career as a goalie on the pitch, as well as his ability to simply kick the ball further than almost every other kid.
Coffey’s father, Travis Coffey, said he recalls his son’s early years as a soccer player.
“I remember him being extremely talented and aggressive on the pitch as a young kid,” Travis Coffey said. “When we moved back to Idaho, it was hilarious because Cade had quite the English accent. He was like a little Brit.”
When Coffey was 10, the family’s stint in England came to an end. They decided to settle down on two and a half acres in Rathdrum, Idaho, a small town of 8,000 about 95 miles north of Moscow where Coffey continued his schooling at Lakeland School District.
Like many smaller schools in Idaho, kicking was not very prevalent – points after touchdowns (PAT) and field goals consistently clanked off the crossbar. By the time he was in eighth grade, Coffey’s parents and junior tackle coaches knew his leg was something special.
“I won the PAT job and started to crush the kickoffs in eighth grade,” Coffey said. “My dad started taking me to camps and the high school coaches convinced me to play both soccer and football, because I was originally just going to play one. That’s where it all took off.”
Coffey made his mark on both teams, as the starting goalie for the soccer team and the handler of all things kicking for the football team. He said although he did not practice with the football team often, given the majority of his time was spent with the soccer team, he was able to earn all-state nods in both his junior and senior seasons. A good 57-yard field goal in a state playoff game was the cherry on top of his high school football career.
Coffey said he still loves soccer and football equally, but his fondness for football is a bit different, given that his father is his role model. He said the atmosphere on the football field and in the locker room with his teammates is what makes the sport stand out.
“We’re like a giant brotherhood,” Coffey said. “Everyone’s always encouraging me and pushing each other to get better. I watch (Manchester United) basically every chance I get because I love it. But in the end, I’m a football player and you have to love what you do.”
The trust his teammates have instilled in him has translated to the field. Sophomore offensive lineman Noah Johnson shares an apartment with Coffey and said his confidence has improved, which in turn, has boosted the confidence of the entire team.
“He trusts himself,” Johnson said. “Plus he’s always looking to improve. He’s always out here working on his own, looking to improve his drop on punts. He’s just a really hard worker.”
Despite the big position he is in, following the footsteps of three straight Idaho All-Americans, Coffey said his mind is clear and his only focus is helping his team. The special teams unit usually is working on its own, and Coffey understands being in his own head. He said he knows the entire team is counting on him to kick successfully, so he clears his head and obliges.
“I just want to help our team win games,” he said. “I’m excited to be here and have a job to do. I don’t know if I really like all the attention, I’m a pretty mellow, even-keeled, low-key person.”
Outside of football, Coffey said he has always been interested in a business career
“I’ve always wanted to do something in the business field, relating to finance,” he said.“If the opportunity to continue football presents itself, I’d obviously go for it. But I really want my degree to fall back on.”
Coffey said he plans on achieving his degree before his NCAA eligibility is up. He said he has been taking as many credits as possible in hopes to continue playing as an Idaho graduate.
Last Thursday was the first playing time Coffey has seen as a Vandal, and the questions fans had about who was replacing former All-American Austin Rehkow were quickly answered. Coffey knockED two punts inside Sacramento State’s five yard line and chipped in every PAT.
The gray shirt and red shirt process he went through during his first two years of school appear to have translated on the field. Coffey had two seasons to train under Rehkow, a luxury most do not have.
Rehkow gave praise for Coffey prior to the first game, saying that the young kicker is in good hands.
“He’s well ahead of where I was as a freshman,” Rehkow said. “It’s kind of going to be the same narrative. Give him two weeks and you’ll say, ‘Oh wow Cade Coffey can play.’”
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95