Dec. 19—The Idaho football team has been ransacked the last 10 days. It’s lost seven starters to the transfer portal and two members of its coaching staff.
Former Vandals’ defensive coordinator Rob Aurich landed a new gig coaching edge rushers at San Diego State. And on Monday, former running backs coach Thomas Ford left for Oregon State.
Ford and Aurich will both receive a hefty pay raise at their new location.
The seven departing players should also see a wage increase by getting paid through their Name Image and Likeness (NIL).
Since the Vandals 30-22 loss to Albany in the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Dec. 9, they’ve lost two starting corners (Marcus Harris, Ormanie Arnold), a starting safety (Murvin Kenion), their third-leading receiver in Terez Traynor, their starting quarterback Gevani McCoy, their leading rusher Anthony Woods and starting right guard Tigana Cisse.
“I expected that we’d have some movement for sure,” Idaho football coach Jason Eck said. “That’s the way it is. I don’t know if anybody was extremely shocked. Most of the players entered the portal early, and a few of them are trickling in now. We encouraged them that if they wanted to go in, they would go in earlier instead of later.”
Idaho’s two corners, Harris (California) and Arnold (Cincinnati) have already found new homes, and Arnold’s jump from the Big Sky to the Big 12 came as a shock.
The redshirt freshman finished with 33 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups.
“I think everything has a market rate,” Eck said. “He’s going to get $150,000 to go (to Cincinnati), and we recommended that for him. … I was surprised that was the rate for a guy who wasn’t all-conference and didn’t even get enough votes to be an honorable mention. I think he is a very good football player, and we’re just going to have…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ui-football-attempting-embrace-normal-131600042.html
Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
Publish date : 2023-12-19 13:16:00
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