The Idaho Vandals football team is ready to spring into the new season

Mar. 23—The Idaho football team has consistently gathered positive momentum since third-year coach Jason Eck took over the program in 2022.

In his first year with the Vandals, he helped them return to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 1995.

Eck also got career years out of quarterback Gevani McCoy, who earned the Jerry Rice Award, and receivers Jermaine Jackson and Hayden Hatten, who both eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving.

The Vandals continued their positive trajectory in Year 2 under Eck and finished 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Sky, good enough for second place in the conference.

This propelled Idaho to the postseason for the second year in a row — the first time since ’94 and ’95.

The Vandals’ 2023 season ended with a 30-22 loss to Albany in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. It was Idaho’s fifth all-time trip to the quarters.

The Vandals now turn their sights to the 2024 campaign with spring practices beginning Tuesday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.

The practices extend through April 25 and wrap up with the annual spring game April 26.

What was lost on the field

Eck has put Idaho in the conversation as one of the best FCS clubs in the country in just two years. But with that success comes competition with the transfer portal and the almighty dollar — a fight above the Vandals’ weight class.

Idaho lost seven starters to the portal 10 days following the conclusion of its season. The Vandals lost a total of nine players via transfer, including starting quarterback McCoy (Oregon State), starting running back Anthony Woods (Utah), starting linebacker Xe’ree Alexander (Central Florida) and starting defensive back Marcus Harris (California).

Idaho also lost a significant chunk of production through graduation, namely receiver duo Jackson and Hatten.

The pair of pass catchers accounted for…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/idaho-vandals-football-team-ready-121600594.html

Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho

Publish date : 2024-03-23 12:16:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.