After a tough few years of Idaho Vandals football, Athletic Director Terry Gawlik wanted to go in a new direction. After a nationwide search, the Vandals had their man. On Dec. 18, 2021, the University of Idaho hired South Dakota State offensive line coach Jason Eck as the program’s 36th head coach, and the new leader of Vandal football.
With next to nobody expecting anything from the Vandals, Eck scraped together a great staff who worked to both get transfers and build up the players who were already there. The whole staff worked together to create buzz around Vandal football, and that buzz got a little louder heading into their game season Opener against PAC 12 and heated rival the Washington State Cougars.
Now the question remained who would be starting at quarterback. With four solid options, no one really knew who would be slinging the ball to start the year. Right before the game against WSU, Idaho football announced that redshirt freshman Gevani Mccoy would be the starting quarterback. The decision turned out to be one of the best the Vandal coaching staff made all season.
McCoy finished the year completing 203 of his 297 passing attempts for 2,735 yards and 27 touchdowns. He threw only seven interceptions, tied for the third least of any QB in the Big Sky. He also added 98 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. McCoy’s breakout season not only put Idaho football back on the map, but it also earned him the Jerry Rice FCS freshman of the year award.
McCoy only played in three games before his first career start. He entered Gesa Stadium with a very tough Pac-12 defense waiting for him. The Vandals took the Cougars to the last drive, but the height difference proved to be too much as McCoy threw a late interception in the endzone, and the Vandals lost 24-17 in the first game of the Eck era.
Despite the loss, people in Moscow were buzzing about the team’s performance going into their second non-conference game against Indiana. However, as it was stated often, moral victories don’t equal real victories. The Vandals lost game two 35-22, but there was hope heading into their final non-conference game. In Coach Eck’s first home game, the Vandals impressed with a 42-14 trouncing of Drake. After putting a number in the win column, the Vandals had all the confidence they needed going into conference play.
The Vandals started conference play with back-to-back wins against Northern Colorado and NAU, which set up the game of the year against the Montana Grizzlies. In game six, the Vandals did something that nobody but them thought was possible. They went into Montana and defeated the Grizzlies 30-23 to bring the Little Brown Stein home to Moscow.
The Vandals went 3-2 the rest of the way to finish with a 7-4 regular season record and a spot in the postseason. Despite playing until the final whistle, they fell to Southeastern Louisiana 45-42, finishing out Eck’s first season 7-5.
Idaho football enters Eck’s second year with very high expectations. The Vandals are expected to at least make the playoffs again, but they’re going to need some help to do so.
The Vandals added quite a few players in the offseason, especially freshmen, but there are a handful of transfers in the mix as well. With Leo Tamba graduating, Idaho needed a new big man to cause problems on the line. A 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive lineman, Jahkari Larmond, has shown during practices that he’ll be a force in the Big Sky this season.
Despite picking up some players from the portal, the Vandals were also on the other end of it. After star linebacker Fa’avae Fa’avae graduated, Idaho was looking for redshirt junior linebacker Paul Moala to make an impact.
However, Moala got an offer he cannot refuse and headed to Georgia Tech leaving the Vandals with both star linebackers gone. Now the Vandals looked to South Dakota and got graduate transfer linebacker Tre Thomas. They also brought in a familiar last name with true freshman Jaxton Eck to help bring depth to the linebacker room.
The Vandals also lost starting tight end Connor Whitney, and it’s been difficult to see who the starting TE for the 2023 season will be. Junior Jack Schuster and redshirt sophomore Jake Cox are the current front runners, but graduate student TJ Ivy is also in the mix. Ivy joins the Vandals after playing for Indiana and Coastal Carolina. He mostly served as a run blocker for the Chanticleers last season.
Idaho kicks off the season with a trip to Texas to face Lamar on Aug. 31. After taking on their only non-conference FCS opponent, the Vandals head to the desert to face Nevada. Their final non-conference game is against Cal, however, everyone in Moscow and Missoula has October 14 circled on their calendars.
Idaho is hosting the University of Montana for one of the most highly anticipated Vandal homecoming games in recent memory. The Battle for the Little Brown Stein will be on ESPN2 at 7:30.
Although there are concerns about Idaho’s offensive line, the main core from last season is still around. Mccoy, redshirt junior wide receiver Hayden Hatten, and his partner-in-crime, redshirt senior Jermaine Jackson, will all still play a huge part in Idaho’s success.
The Vandals defense have many more questions with some key players leaving. However, the impact of transfers and young guys will be huge. Leaders like junior defensive backs Marcus Harris and Murvin Kenion III will be huge in the success of the Vandal’s secondary, and the overall success of the defense.
Expectations can make or break teams. Will the fifth-place coaches, and second-place media, ranking push the Vandals to glory, or will their tough schedule burn them out?
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10