Spring football is usually a special time when an optimistic new group of athletes comes out to learn the ropes while the old guard settles into leadership roles.
Senior linebacker Tony Lashley takes his turn in a drill Monday during practice in the Kibbie Dome.
Idaho’s o ense returns only a few seniors, but the situation is much more stable on the other side of the ball. e defense returns some of the team’s best players to groom a new generation while providing stability for the present.
Senior linebackers Ed Hall, Tony Lashley and Kaden Elliss are set to anchor the Vandals at the linebacker position for another year.
Hall nished with 78 tackles and three passes de ected in his second year starting and third year playing every game. He also led the team in interceptions with three and received an honor- able mention on the All-Sun Belt Team.
On top of a remarkably productive year on the gridiron, Hall is also entering the home stretch of a mechanical engineering degree, balancing practice with machine component design classes.
Lashley recorded 123 tackles and 14 tackles for loss en route to a First Team All-Sun Belt rec- ognition. He had 53 more tackles than the next closest contributor on the defense.
“It feels good right now, we’re playing really fast and perfecting everything we can,” Lashley said. “As leaders, that’s really our goal is to get
everyone up to speed and I’m thrilled to have another shot at this with some more experience in a leadership role.”
Elliss led the defense as a pass-rushing line- backer, leading the team with 16 tackles for loss and nishing second on the team with six sacks in his junior season. He is also checking in for the o ense as a tight end occasionally, nishing with two touchdowns on only seven receptions. e of- fensive and defensive coaches are currently split- ting his time between the two sides to ensure he can properly contribute to both phases.
While Hall, Lashley and Elliss provide steady veteran guidance, the rest of the linebacker corps is following in their lead. Even new linebacker coach John Graham is taking notes.
Graham may be a newcomer to Idaho, but he has decades of experience coaching defense, with stops at Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona along the way. His son, Ty, is also a line- backer for Idaho heading into his junior year.
Much of Idaho’s defensive front will have some acclimating to do.
e defense as a whole is projected to have ve new starters, but the coaches are con dent that the current mix of experience at linebacker and fresh blood up front will be successful in the long run.
Spring practice will continue up to the Silver and Gold Spring Game April 27 in the Kibbie Dome.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected]