Idaho football brings in 39 players on National Signing Day

MOSCOW, Idaho – In a few years from now, some of the 39 football players the University of Idaho signed Wednesday will probably be stalwarts for the Vandals. Others will have faded away.

But nobody comes to Idaho this year with a better story than Malakai Railton-Stewart.

He is a 19-year-old freshman defensive lineman, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, from Brisbane, Australia.

“There are so many niche businesses in the world,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said.

One of them involves connecting international football players with U.S. college teams.

Railton-Stewart went this route. After dominating his club league for three years, he flew to the U.S. on his own last summer and attended a dozen football camps.

“He flew around, got a hotel room and went to camps,” Eck said. “I was really impressed with his maturity. Some of the guys on our team would have been lost.”

Railton-Stewart earned scholarship offers from Idaho and Kent State and chose the Vandals, Eck said.

With 39 scholarship and walk-on players in the fold during the early signing, Idaho made a concerted effort to get more stout on the offensive and defensive lines.

“We recruited more than four defensive linemen and more than five offensive linemen.” Eck said. “We have got to get those positions going. Otherwise, we recruited the ball club. We really wanted to recruit a starting lineup, as we look at it.”

Idaho also recruited to its existing offensive and defensive schemes, Eck said.

“Looking at this class, we were not trying to go out of the box and create new roles,” he said.

The Vandals signed 11 players from Idaho, nine from Washington – although none from Spokane – and two from Oregon. Recruiting the Northwest is going to be an emphasis going forward, Eck said.

Among players who could help the Vandals as early as next season, according to Eck, are Cam Stephens, a redshirt junior defensive back from Victor Valley (California) College who spent two years at Nevada before going to junior college; linebacker Tre Thomas, a graduate transfer from the University of South Dakota; and Andrew Marshall, a freshman cornerback from Eastvale, California, who is unusually quick at 6-1.

“I don’t know if we can ever sign a better corner than him at our level,” Eck said of Marshall.

Eck was also happy with how Idaho attracted in-state talent. He called Zach Johnson, a 210-pound linebacker from Lake City High in Coeur d’Alene, “probably the best football player in the state of Idaho last year.” Eck said.

“He’s 6-3,” Eck said. “He runs about a 4.5-(second 40-yard dash).”

Trevor Miller, a 6-2, 225-pound freshman defensive lineman from Post Falls, may be the sleeper in the class.

“He is long, athletic, and he has polished moves,” Eck said.

The Vandals also went off the beaten path for Matyus McLain, a 6-4, 220-pound defensive lineman from Priest River, Idaho, who impressed at the Vandals’ summer camp.

“My message to all the small-school guys is, ‘If you can play, come to our camp,’ ” Eck said.

Others who impressed enough at Idaho’s camp to earn scholarship offers were Carlos Metheney, a 205-pound freshman running back from Tumwater High School in Olympia, and Lincoln Gee, a 5-11, 185-pound freshman defensive back from Cole Valley Christian School in Boise. Gee missed his senior season but did well enough at Idaho’s summer camp to earn a scholarship offer.

Idaho also stayed close to home to attract James White, a 6-4, 220-pound freshman tight end from Lewiston. His ability to do a backflip attracted the notice of coaches, Eck said. White’s father, Jamie, is a former tight end at Washington State

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The Vandals also signed Julian Lee, a 6-5, 250-pound freshman defensive lineman from North Thurston High in Lacey, Washington. Lee had drawn early recruiting interest from UCLA and Arizona, Eck said.

The Vandals also signed Eck’s son, Jaxton, a 6-foot, 215-pound freshman from Brookings High School in South Dakota. He is a physical football player who will provide linebacker depth, his father said.

After announcing his second signing class as Idaho’s coach, Eck cautioned that recruiting is never a cut-and-dried affair. In Eck’s first recruiting class last season, the Vandals signed freshman running back Anthony Woods, who rushed for 872 yards, and freshman walk-on Ayden Knapik, who worked his way up the depth chart to become the Vandals’ starting right tackle on offense.

“We had high expectations” for Woods, Eck said. “We didn’t have any expectations” for Knapik.

“It’s an inexact science,” Eck said.