Homecoming is just around the corner, meaning football season is in full swing. It’s so far, so good for the Vandals: our team has won three out of the five games to date, showing promise for this year’s season.
The man leading our team to greatness? No other than Jason Eck, Idaho’s head coach with coaching experience spanning the last 25 years. Beginning his time at UI in 2004 as offensive line coach, Eck jumped around to schools including Winona State, Western Illinois, and South Dakota State before returning home to the Vandals in 2022.
Ever since the fateful reintroduction of Eck three years ago, a shift has occurred in the way students and fans interact with Vandal football. Diligently taking to social media, he encourages students to show up to games rain or shine.
“You can be the difference. You can be the X factor in this game,” he proclaims in an Instagram video from last season, motivating students to attend a home playoff game against UAlbany. His poised, calm, yet commanding enthusiasm is contagious. You don’t have to care much about sports or football to share the pride he has for his team.
This video isn’t the only one of its kind – when scrolling through his account, @coach_eck on Instagram, you’ll find plenty of examples of him going above and beyond to rally enthusiasm in students. You’ll often hear him say inspiring things such as addressing viewers as the “Vandal family”,,,” reminding fans to show up early to games, and telling folks to be loud when the opposing team has the ball, and quiet when the Vandals are in possession.
It’s this unique understanding of how to connect with college aged students that makes all the difference for Eck. By sharing his personality and devotion to the sport, he allows students to engage with him in a way that evokes a sense of loyalty and pride. The more you keep up with his engaging content, the more you start to truly believe the part one individual can play in determining a win or loss.
The proof of Eck’s influence on the team goes beyond mere social media spirit. During only his second season, he brought the Vandals to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Nearly 30 years had passed since a leader took the football team as far as Eck did – and he did it as a first-time head coach.
Upon learning about Eck’s upbringing, it feels obvious his knack for his profession. In a video posted by the Idaho Vandals football Instagram, Eck shares how his father was a college basketball coach for much of his childhood, providing inspiration for his eventual career. He details how watching the love his father had for coaching influenced him to find his own passion for the job.
“I feel like I really don’t work because I love what I’m doing,” Eck shared. “I love being around these players… these guys are at such an influential age that I think a coach can really have an impact on their life.”
Beyond the team players, UI students far and wide have been impacted by Eck. Eliana Walsh, a second year Law student who also completed her bachelor’s here at UI, shared how her relationship to the sport changed following the revamp in coaching.
“As an underclassman, I had no idea who the head coach was,” Walsh stated. “I didn’t care about the team at all. Now, Coach Eck’s team has made me love football. He’s fostered a new appreciation for the sport in me.”
Walsh cited a lack of unity and charisma regarding her disinterest in Vandal football in the years prior to Eck. “People want someone to relate to. They want someone who believes in the thing they’re cheering for, and he believes in the Vandals.”
Eck does an excellent job of igniting pride and excitement through his social media posts and videos, but his community involvement goes far beyond just that. Since the start of this season, he and the other football coaches have hosted a radio show, dubbed the Vandal Coaches Show.
Each week, Eck and his fellow coaches discuss the previous game, their plans for the following game, and all things Vandal football. They also welcome a different UI Greek house each week to join them, furthering the team’s collaboration with other facets of the university.
On this effort to involve the school community, Walsh said “Including people in the community that you serve is such a powerful way to connect with your viewers. The thing about football, it’s so much about the fans. What makes Eck different is he understands that and puts the work into recognizing that.”
Exquisitely aware of what it takes to bring a team to greatness, what makes his technique work is his focus not only on the technicalities of the game, but also on the emotion: beyond merely improving our team, he’s providing students with a level of excitement that hasn’t been felt in years.
As Eck continues on his journey as head coach and the 2024 football season powers on, we can all take inspiration from him and allow the passion he so clearly feels for this sport to capture our spirits. And, as Eck would put it, we can show up for our Vandal family by being present in the stands when the next home game rolls around.