Feb. 6—Exactly 49 days after he accepted the head coaching position with the Idaho football team, Thomas Ford Jr. announced a signing class of 33 players on the traditional National Signing Day on Wednesday, signaling he and his staff have been hot on the recruiting trails from Day 1.
Ford’s first class includes 10 of the 19 players UI signed in the early signing period in December when Jason Eck was still head coach and 20 players from the Pacific Northwest, including eight each from Idaho and Washington.
Twenty-three of the signees are high school athletes, seven are NCAA transfers and three are junior college transfers.
“I’m just really excited about the depth of (the class) and where we got the guys from,” Ford said. “One thing that’s really important to me is, in a given year, we really want to be about 60% Northwest guys. And when you look at this class, we’re right at 60% … and you see that number right in Idaho and Washington, being eight guys apiece from each state.”
Here’s a first look at the future of the Vandal football:
Kendrick’s Hewett sticks with UI, headlines eight homegrown Vandals
Of the 10 early signing period recruits to stick with their commitment, the most notable might be Kendrick football star Sawyer Hewett.
The speedy and versatile wide receiver will feel right at home in the Kibbie Dome, where he won four small-school state championships with the Tigers during a dominant prep football career.
“I think a guy like Sawyer — who’s such a productive player, even at a smaller school — you can’t let those guys get away,” Idaho offensive coordinator Matt Linehan said. “If he’s in your backyard, you got to take the best players that are in your backyard. And he was an exemplary player at that level.”
Idaho’s other recruits from the Gem State include running back Taeshaun Reese (Meridian High),…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/vandals-announce-33-signees-2nd-141100425.html
Author : Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
Publish date : 2025-02-06 14:11:00
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