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Jul. 30—MOSCOW, Idaho — It’s easy to see how potent Idaho’s football team was in 2023.
The Vandals reached the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Three players on the roster are in National Football League preseason camps.
But Idaho coach Jason Eck is not mourning the departure of All-Big Sky Conference wide receivers Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson, who signed as free agents with the NFL’s Seahawks and Saints, respectively, or long snapper Hogan Hatten, now with the Lions.
The loss through the transfer portal of starting quarterback Gevani McCoy to Oregon State; 1,000-yard rusher Anthony Woods to Utah; wide receiver Terez Traynor to Tulane; linebacker Xe’ree Alexander to Central Florida; and starting cornerbacks Marcus Harris and Ormanie Arnold to California and Cincinnati, respectively, can also be overcome, Eck said.
The Vandals are still loaded, Eck points out. Preseason camp that begins Wednesday won’t be a frantic search to replace those stalwarts as much as it will an audition for talented understudies to step up and take starring roles.
Here are three things to watch as Idaho prepares for its nonconference season opener at Oregon on Aug. 31.
1. “The first 10 days, we want to be able to settle any position battles,” Eck said.
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Dwyer, who caught 20 passes last year for 328 yards and four touchdowns, and redshirt freshman Mark Hamper, who had a breakout spring, are Idaho’s top two receivers. Eck said the Vandals need to find a third receiver and settle on a rotation. Looking to stand out are redshirt freshman Emmerson Cortez-Menjiver and transfer Orion Peters, from Washington State.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Layne is set to succeed McCoy at quarterback. Redshirt freshmen Jack Wagner and Nick Josifek, and freshmen Holden Bea and Rocco Koch will compete to back him…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/idaho-football-regroups-2024-season-021500419.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-07-31 02:15:00
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