May 5—As the Idaho Vandals exit spring practice and point for summer workouts in advance of the 2026 preseason camp, their biggest advances may be under their helmets.
On a spring roster of 94, there are only 15 newcomers.
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“We are not having to teach so many basic things,” University of Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said. The Vandals have two new coordinators in Ian Schoemaker on offense and Lee Stalker on defense, so the players are having to learn two new systems. But with a majority having at least a year in the program, they have a foundation that allows them to better absorb those systems.
Heading into last summer, Idaho’s starting quarterback Joshua Wood wasn’t even on campus. Now he has a year of experience as a team leader for when the Vandals take player-guided summer workouts.
Other players, like redshirt junior safety Zach Wusstig and redshirt junior cornerback Khalid Rawls , have also asserted themselves this spring, Ford said.
Idaho’s spring game showed a team deep at running back with an experienced offensive line where newcomers can shore up the loss of graduated Big Sky all-conference guard Nate Azzopardi. Tight ends are seeing the ball more than a year ago, young wide receivers have gotten playing time because of injuries to veterans, and the quarterback rotation behind Wood still looks like a work in progress.
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On defense, Ford lauds Idaho’s pass rush keyed by twin senior defensive end transfers Jamarion Augustus and Javen Augustus. New Hampshire graduate transfer defensive lineman Luke Teskey will also join the Vandals this summer.
Idaho expects to use multiple defensive looks, but primarily in the spring game it showed its base 3-5-3 alignment. Wusstig and redshirt senior linebacker Cruz Hepburn bring experience to the back of the defense. Both finished top five in tackles for the Vandals in 2025.
One of Ford’s big goals for spring was for Idaho to be able to play deliberately and quickly on offense, and he seemed satisfied the Vandals had made progress. Idaho has a deep running backs room. Newcomers Damonte Bias and Ferrari Miller will team with returning short -yardage specialist Hayden Kincheloe, redshirt junior Art Williams, who sat out spring while recovering from an injury. The Vandals also retained redshirt junior Carlos Matheney, who made the most of his opportunities in the spring game. Freshmen Taeshaun Reece and Kenny Golston might also challenge for playing time.
Tight ends Chance Bogan, Aiden Nixon , Mason Culmer and Gabe Hoffmann have all figured in the passing game this spring.
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Four offensive line starters from a year ago return including Charlie Vliem, Layton Vining, Leon Evans and Kiegan Henson. Redshirt junior and Moscow High School product Tyler Skinner made a case for himself to replace Azzopardi, and redshirt junior Howard Stedford, a Pace University transfer, was eye-catching on several positions along the offensive line. He also avoided a serious knee injury two-thirds of the way through spring workouts, when he had to leave the field on crutches.
He sat out the spring game, but that was a precaution.
Injuries to wide receivers gave young players like sophomore Noah McWilliams and redshirt sophomore Kage Repenn playing time, and junior Tony Harste caught a touchdown from Sawyer Teeney in the spring game and showed he has recovered from an injury that ended his season after five games last year. Marquawn McCraney and Noah West-Baranco will also figure into a receivers rotation that is still sorting itself out, Ford said.
Wood is solid at quarterback, although Ford noted he may still be looking for an addition from the transfer portal. Teeney, a redshirt freshman, took the majority of snaps behind Wood. Redshirt junior Jack Wagner and redshirt sophomore Holden Bea often had their hands full eluding the first-team defense, but they were able to move the second -team offense on more than a few occasions.
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No one has claimed the place -kicking job yet, although Cameron Pope put in a claim with a 52-yard field goal in the spring game, and Pope also looks like he has solidified himself as Idaho’s punter.
Coming off a 4-8 season last year that began to spin out of control in September with consecutive losses to San Jose State, Montana, Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington, Ford made the point it is imperative for the Vandals to start fast next season.
Idaho opens with road games at Cal Poly and Utah before returning to the Kibbie Dome for three straight against Lamar, Abilene Christian and Montana State.
Those home games will be vital to setting the narrative that 2025 is in the past and, based in part on a successful spring, that better days for the Vandals are ahead.
