They are family
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho’s first football practice ended late Friday afternoon with the Vandals shouting: “Happy birthday, Jack!”
It’s fitting the young son of rookie coach Robb Akey got a shout out from the players, considering family is the first building block in trying to get the Vandals back to respectability.
“One of the things that is important in building a better team (is helping the rookies) and the (veterans) have taken that to heart,” Akey said. “They’re working to help their little brothers learn. We need those young guys to have a chance to play and they understand that. They’re doing a nice job in the drills and team work, teaching the young guys.”
That’s why at times it appeared there were more coaches than players with the way the veterans helped out the rookies.
“Akey did a good job of bringing us together as a family,” senior defensive end Ben Alexander said. “They’re our little brothers and we’re helping them when they need help.”
After losing 17 players he inherited and bringing in his first recruiting class, Akey has 73 scholarship players, 12 under the limit. There are also 26 walk-ons who will get a fair chance to help improve on last year’s 4-8 season, the Vandals’ seventh straight losing season.
“We need them in a lot of fashions,” Akey said. “We’re going to give them an opportunity. They’re obviously not going to get as many reps, some of the rookies are not going to get as many reps as returning veterans.”
The Vandals were on the field for almost 2 1/2 hours, a time of constant motion.
“I thought it was a good first day,” Akey said. “We have a lot to learn and teach but for a first day it was pretty clean. I thought the effort was good; we can still finish things a lot better. For the first day I thought it was great. I like the fact everybody is still healthy.”
There is plenty of ground to cover.
“We have some rookies that need to learn an offense, defense and special teams; we have some veterans we’re going to find out what the strength and conditioning this summer have done for them; and we have to get them all molded together,” Akey said.
“Over the next 29 days find out who’s going to be the core players we can count on on offense, defense and special teams. We have to blend a new group of players and turn this into a family and team and find out who can help us win football games.”
One person being counted on is redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Enderle, who is not assuming senior Brian Nooy or junior Chris Joseph is conceding him the starting job.
“I know both those guys and they both can compete,” Enderle said. “We’re all working for a starting spot and whoever comes out on top … There’s pressure but no more than their usually is.”
If there was a downside to the first practice it was the fact the players were not in pads.
“We’re chomping at the bit and we get out here and we’re going to call this football practice,” Akey said. “We might as well put flags on them.”
It’s helmets only for today’s practice and then two days of partial pads before the first full-pad practice on Tuesday.
Quick kicks
Akey said about five veterans were waiting on summer school grades or classes to finish but does not expect any problems. … Also, a couple of recruits are waiting to get cleared by the NCAA Clearing House, which isn’t unusual. One may be a problem. … Akey confirmed junior college wide receiver Corey Rhoane, who hurt his shoulder in spring practice, decided not to return. … Wes Williams, another wide receiver who missed last season after an injury and staph infection, will return but probably not until school starts.