Gesser named Wyoming QB coach
After a Jason Gesser-led offense rung 37 points on Wyoming in a Kibbie Dome loss about five months ago, the former Idaho running backs coach, offensive coordinator and interim head coach landed a job with the Pokes, as Wyoming’s quarterbacks coach.
Gesser, who didn’t retain his job when new Vandal coach Paul Petrino took over the program, was announced by Wyoming coach Dave Christensen as the team’s QB coach Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the Cowboys’ NLI signees were announced.
A former quarterback at Washington State, Gesser will coach the position he also played at the NFL level.
Wyoming associate coach Pete Kaligis has maintained his relationship with Gesser since Gesser coached at Eastside Catholic High School in Seattle, where Kaligis often recruited.
“It’s going to help my career tremendously,” Gesser said in Wednesday’s press conference. “I basically got 10 years of experience mushed down into two years. … Was it easy? No. Was it fun at all times? No.”
Petrino to make Idaho tour
First-year football coach Paul Petrino signed his first class of Idaho Vandal recruits on Wednesday and will be making three more stops on his NLI celebration tour.
The tour began on Wednesday at the University Inn Best Western in Moscow, made its way to Lewiston and the Clarkston Quality Inn, before stopping in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.
The tour will continue today in Boise at the Riverside Hotel Friday at 5:00 p.m., Saturday at CSI’s Rick Allen Room in Twin Falls at noon and the Snow Eagle Grill in Idaho Falls at 5:30 p.m.
Today’s celebration costs $20, the Twin Falls celebration costs $10 and the Idaho Falls celebration is $20.
WAC honors Kiser
Idaho distance runner Hannah Kiser was named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for Jan. 28-Feb. 3.
The junior from Wenatchee, Wash., won the women’s mile on Friday at the Vandal Indoor by 21 seconds with her time of 4:45.01. Kiser’s time currently leads the WAC by more than seven seconds and ranks 37th in the NCAA so far this season. She is the only WAC athlete to run faster than 4:50 in the mile this season and she’s done it in both of her races over that distance.
Idaho senior thrower Kristine Leonard was nominated for Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week but the honor went to Texas State’s Jalisa Hall.