Idaho begins fall camp with eyes on return trip to FCS playoffs
MOSCOW, Idaho – Two impressive completions – on a third-and-18 and on a 40-yard connection on a deep post – should give University of Idaho fans some early confidence that the successors to former quarterback Gevani McCoy, now at Oregon State, and Hayden Hatten, now with the Seattle Seahawks, are ready to take star turns for the Vandals this season.
New Idaho starting quarterback Jack Layne and receiver Jordan Dwyer looked that capable in Idaho’s season-opening practice Wednesday.
But a deeper dive into the Vandals should inspire even more conviction as sophomore safety Hayden John won the daily practice award. With senior starting safety Kyrin Beachen sitting out the opener with a hamstring injury that coach Jason Eck predicts will not linger, John stepped into the No. 1 defensive backfield and produced a pass breakup and an interception on back-to-back plays.
“This is really what our program is about,” Eck said in presenting the Vandals’ battle axe to John as the players gathered around the coach at the conclusion of a 2½-hour opening session.
Afterward, Eck said he was largely pleased with what he saw on both sides of the ball, as numerous Vandals rose to the moment to take advantage of opportunities.
Predicting the course of a season off one unpadded practice under the July summer sun is hardly a productive errand. But the Vandals looked like an experienced bunch getting down to business in the unit drills, pass skeleton and the 11-on-11 session that concluded practice.
The worst thing Eck could upbraid his team on was some chirping following several big plays that would have resulted in 15-yard penalties in a game.
“We’ve got to clean that up,” Eck said. “It is not national championship behavior.”
Redshirt linebacker Zach Johnson, from Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City High School, also drew Eck’s notice with an interception against first-team tight end Jake Cox.
“He was able to rush the passer, and he made an interception 20 yards downfield,” Eck said in describing the breadth of Johnson’s morning.
Earlier, Cox had produced a pair of grabs, including a diving sideline reception.
On special teams, redshirt sophomore place-kicker Cameron Pope and punter LJ Harm, a junior from Mead High School, staked early claims to replace graduated kicker/punter Ricardo Chavez.
“It was a good first day,” Eck said, adding, “… we have to attack every day and keep getting better.”
After practice, Layne referred to McCoy and Hatten as mentors who gave him a model “to do the right things on campus and in the classroom” as well as on the field.
Layne said he is shouldering the mantle as a team leader, adding that he and Dwyer are developing the chemistry McCoy and Hatten had over the past two seasons, when Idaho made the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, including the quarterfinals last year.
When McCoy was injured, Layne got a pair of starts in victories over Idaho State the past two seasons, so he has some experience throwing to Hatten. “(Hatten) was more of a possession receiver,” he said. “Jordan is a great route runner. He can really take the top off a defense. He is more crafty.”
Dwyer will go with that.
At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, the redshirt sophomore from Puyallup, Washington, said, “I am not as thick as Hayden (207 pounds). I have always been a crafty guy.”
Dwyer got off to a great start for the Vandals two years ago when he caught touchdowns in Idaho’s first two games against Washington State and Indiana before injuries slowed him.
But he is healthy and ready to live out a dream.
“This is what I have wanted since I came to college, to be a receiver at the Division I level,” Dwyer said.
“You have got to think you are the guy,” Dwyer added. “The best guy on the field.”
Based on the first workout before the 2024 season, a lot of Vandals have that mindset.