Vandal Football makes strides in the right direction as spring practices, Spring Game conclude

The annual Spring Game is a staple in every college football program, and there is always significant buzz surrounding the game when a team takes the field for the first time since the fall season. The 2025 Idaho Spring Game was no exception, and the new personnel were an additional component that made this game highly anticipated.  

First off, what made this year’s edition so intriguing was the unique scoring system. Typically, a Spring Game divides a roster into two teams. Those teams scrimmage each other and battle for starting spots. This year, in an effort to prevent injury, the Vandal Spring Game was simply the offense against the defense.  

The scoring format for the offense was the same as conventional football scoring, but there were numerous ways for the defense to earn points. Turnovers were worth seven points, missed field goals were worth six points, three-and-outs were worth three points, forced punts were worth one point and four points were awarded if they held the offense to a field goal.  

In 2024, the Vandals finished with their third double-digit win season in program history, were a perfect 6-0 at home and won a home playoff game for the second consecutive season. As expected, following such a successful campaign, a sizable portion of that team’s key contributors entered their names in the transfer portal. However, the most notable departure following Idaho’s quarterfinal loss to Montana State was head coach Jason Eck.  

Eck and several Vandals made the switch from black and gold to cherry and grey, joining the New Mexico Lobos for the upcoming season. The head coaching vacancy in Moscow was filled by former Vandal running backs coach Thomas Ford Jr. In his time in Moscow during 2022 and 2023, Ford recruited several current Idaho players, and he was the perfect fit to become the 37th head coach in school history.  

Multiple players removed their names from the transfer portal when Ford’s signing was announced, and the team has been working relentlessly this offseason to ensure they are prepared for the season opener in Pullman on August 30. Since Idaho had various spots to fill due to key departures, this year’s Spring Game was more crucial than it typically is.  

The quarterback room was one of the biggest storylines entering the first Spring Game of the Coach Ford era. In 2024, Idaho ranked among the top five Big Sky teams in terms of passing yards and passing touchdowns.  

Jack Wagner and Nick Josifek both played last year and as expected, they each got to command multiple drives. Josifek looked much more comfortable than last season, and his pocket presence and decision-making were impressive. Wagner was 6-2 as the starter in 2024 during Jack Layne’s recovery from a broken collarbone. He shows glimpses of sky-high potential but needs to have more poised decision-making if he wants to remain in the starting role.  

Rocco Koch also played last year and in the Spring Game, but he will likely be once again used primarily in specific packages to utilize his scrambling ability. Redshirt freshman Holden Bea entered in the second half and displayed veteran-like composure. He had one of the best passes of the day and consistently got rid of the ball quickly.  

While it appeared for most of the spring season that Wagner would have the best chance of starting against Washington State, a last-minute transfer announcement shook everything up in the Vandal quarterback room. 

Fresno State’s Joshua Wood announced his commitment to Idaho for the upcoming season. He sat the bench for most of 2024 but started in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Northern Illinois. In that game, Wood completed 16 of his 23 pass attempts for 180 yards and a touchdown. The dual-threat gunslinger also rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.  

Wood was in attendance at the Spring Game, but did not suit up for the offense. In the coming months, he will be competing with Wagner and Josifek and will have a good chance to earn the starting role. 

Another position group that was in a state of uncertainty entering the Spring Game was the receiving room. Ford mentioned the depth of receivers on this team will be an area of strength, but replacing Jordan Dwyer and Mark Hamper is easier said than done. Dwyer and Hamper were responsible for nearly 70% of the team’s receiving yards and were consistently one of the best receiver duos in the FCS. 

However, the Vandals were in a comparable situation last year after losing Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson, and the transfer of power to Dwyer and Hamper was as smooth as possible. Tony Harste and Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar are the only returning receivers who had at least 100 receiving yards in 2024. In the Spring Game, Harste caught several passes and displayed his athleticism, establishing himself as a top target on the roster.  

The depth and versatility of the Vandal running backs was one of the offense’s biggest strengths last season. Eli Cummings, Nate Thomas and Art Williams all returned for this year and they each got a handful of carries at the Spring Game. Ford said the play calls in this game were “pretty vanilla,” but all three running backs left something to look forward to in the 2025 offense.  

Defensively, the biggest takeaway from this game was the excellent performance of the defensive line, particularly the edge rushers. Last season, Idaho was second in the Big Sky with 32 sacks. Ford praised the edge rushers as one of the more refined areas of this roster, and they did not disappoint. Donovan Parham and Kai Richardson imposed their wills on the offensive line early and often.  

Sierra College transfer Kamari Baker was the player of the game, breaking up several passes and making numerous impact plays at the safety position. The offense won the game 27-23, although the officials ended the game early with over one minute remaining on the clock. After the late August showdown at Martin Stadium, the Vandals will host St. Thomas for the home opener on Sept. 6.