The Idaho Vandals stepped into a new era when the preseason rankings revealed what the league thought of their prospects. With the departure of several key members from last year’s playoff team, including head coach Jason Eck, the Vandals have many fresh faces wearing black and gold.
The uncertainty surrounding the team has them finishing fifth in the Big Sky coaches’ poll while the media poll was slightly more generous, placing the Vandals fourth in the conference.
Idaho, coming off back-to-back FCS playoff quarterfinal appearances, returns five starters on offense, two starters on defense and 56 others from last season’s team. First-year head coach Thomas Ford was very active on both the high school and transfer portal recruiting trails, landing some big splashes to help the Vandals reload.
One of those splashes is quarterback Joshua Wood from Fresno State. The 6’2″ gunslinger will bring much-needed competition to a room that lost starting quarterback Jack Layne, while returning redshirt sophomores Jack Wagner and Nick Josifek both proved productive a year ago.
Along the offensive line, a group that has needed depth for the last couple of years, Idaho went out and acquired new talent to fill out the O-line room. Offensive linemen Kaden Haeckel (ASU), Garrison Hickle (Indiana) and Nathan Prichard (WSU) come in looking to add depth to the room.
Another position of need was tight end, where the Vandals landed TE Gabe Hoffmann from Eastern Michigan. He will provide whichever quarterback trots under center with a reliable safety blanket.
The other side of the ball has shown the most promise while also presenting the most unknowns. The Vandals lost their top three tacklers in Tommy McCormick, Jaxton Eck and Zach Johnson, along with Swiss Army Knife defensive back and punt returner Andrew Marshall.
But that doesn’t mean the Vandals are left hanging. Coach Ford and new defensive coordinator Cort Dennison have gone out and acquired talent all over the field to replace last year’s departures.
Impact defensive end Donovan Parham graduate transfer from Mississippi Valley State; graduate defensive tackle transfer Maurice Hemis from Washington; returning redshirt senior linebacker Isaiah King in a heavily revamped linebacker room; and sophomore safety Hayden John lead the way for an inexperienced but very talented Vandal defense.
Ford, along with OL Nate Azzopardi and DL Sam Brown, will head to Spokane this weekend for Big Sky Media Day. The Vandals have historically exceeded expectations and, under Ford, they have the talent and coaching to win the conference and could be a contender for a national championship as early as this year.
The Vandals’ season begins with a date across the border for the Battle of the Palouse, where they will face Washington State on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].
Tom Eilertson
Enjoyed your insight. As a former defensive end from the mid seventies, looking forward to being on campus for the Utah Tech game in September. Like what I'm reading so far. Tom Eilertson 1974-1977