Ty Graham wears No. 10 on his back as he lines up for the snap among his teammates, patiently waiting and looking for the next big defensive break.
The Kibbie Dome is in an uproar, all eyes are on the gridiron as the defense takes the field. The festivities in the stands don’t phase the 6-foot, 217- pound junior — Graham remains poised under the bright lights of college football Saturday.
Where others might unhinge, Graham finds a comfortable familiarity in a position he has seen all of his life — as many coaches’ sons do.
“Everywhere I’ve gone, if you heard the last name Graham, it was around football,” Graham said. “I’ve always had a football, in my crib basically.”
The last name Graham is a familiar one to those within the Big Sky football world. Ty’s dad, John Graham, made a name for himself throughout the Northwest region.
John spent seven years as the defensive coordinator for Eastern Washington University, winning a national championship and coaching the top defense in all of the FCS.
Just a week after Idaho’s Oct. 20 homecoming in the Kibbie Dome, Graham will experience another type of homecoming few athletes do. The former Cheney High School standout will travel with Idaho to Cheney to battle the Eagles.
“It’s been a really surreal feeling,” Graham said. “I grew up always wanting to play on the red turf and have the Eastern logo across my chest, but now it’s a little different.”
Several years removed from his high school career and old football stomping grounds, Graham said he is ready to showcase his collegiate game in front of the “home crowd” for the first time in his Idaho career, a subtle perk of the Big Sky shift.
“I want to show them what Idaho football is about and show them what we can do over here in Moscow,” Graham said.
Growing up, Graham said many people influenced him, but a former Eagle standout helped him improve his game more than others.
“It’s JC Sherritt over at Eastern,” Graham said. “He’s kind of the same like me. He’s from a small town and didn’t really get exposed out of high school.”
Sherritt graduated from Pullman High School — yet another Vandal football connection.
Sherritt went on to play four seasons for Eastern Washington, winning a national championship, Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, and the Buck Buchanon award for the FCS’ top defensive player of year all in the same season.
Graham said Sherritt taught him not only how to be a better football player, but a better person.
“He really taught me how to love the game and love the game first, while being an outstanding citizen at the same time,” Graham said.
Graham and Sherritt still keep in touch, Graham said, as Sherritt continues to push Graham’s game development.
“That dude is constantly in my ear about doing yoga, how much film I’ve watched and how did I watch that film,” Graham said. “I’m just trying to follow his path. He’s a grown man and I’m growing up right now and I still look up to him this day.”
When the decision came to playing collegiate football, Graham’s choice came down to two teams — Eastern Washington and Idaho.
“It was tough, I had a lot of sleepless nights,” Graham said. “I just wanted to get out of Cheney and make my own name and am blessed for Coach Petrino to give me the opportunity to do that.”
Growing up in the world of football, Graham knows the game. Idaho defensive coordinator Mike Breske said it’s this familiarity and intelligence that makes him stand out.
“Being a coach’s son, his football 101 skills are very high,” Breske said. “He’s a big contributor to our defense and we are happy to have him.”
Many athletes face adversity at some point in their career — Graham is no exception.
Coming into his first season with the Vandals, Graham said he couldn’t have asked for a better first season.
“I remember freshman year like it was yesterday,” Graham said. “I had a very blessed year where I was able to play, able to get a bowl ring with this team and that was something I’ll never forget.”
But the smooth sailing did not last long.
The hardships would start during midseason of his sophomore campaign, when Graham suffered a season-ending leg injury against UL- Monroe late October 2017.
“It was tough,” Graham said. “Definitely one of the hardest sports-related things to ever happen to me. You see it all the time, but you never think it is going to happen to you.”
It was a simple move Graham said he had done many times before, but this time it ended in a leg injury.
“It kind of happened in a blink of an eye, it wasn’t any contact, I just planted on it and it went out on me,” Graham said. “The whole time I’m thinking, ‘Why did my body do that to me?’”
Graham returned to the gridiron for the 2018 season fully healed and ready to go, his injury now a blip in the rear view mirror.
Despite the lost season, Graham said he believes it may have been the best to thing to happen to him.
“It was a blessing in disguise,” Graham said. “It formed me into a player that loves the game even more now. I definitely haven’t been able to take advantage of this sport anymore.”
While many players experience a chip on their shoulder after overcoming an injury, Graham said his motivation is more for his team rather than himself.
“I’m not even a year out of surgery yet, and it makes me extremely hungry, especially more than anything, for the seniors,” Graham said. “They’ve gone through both ends of the spectrum between winning and losing, and I just want them to go out with a bang.”
Throughout his career with Idaho, Graham said he looks forward to the future, but not at the cost of forgetting the path that brought him to Idaho.
“Who knows what the future holds, and that’s the biggest thing,” Graham said. “I’ve always wanted to have this game in my life, but as life goes on, it might not be there forever.”
Graham said enjoying the little things is what he now loves most — a sentiment he hopes to continue throughout the remainder of his Idaho career.
“It’s just taking it day-by-day and loving it every day,” Graham said. “Just slow it down and appreciate the times you’re sore … appreciate the criticism you get, and more than anything, appreciate the brotherhood you get in this locker room because you don’t ever get that kind of experience again.”
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cderemer_VN