Three things we learned from Idaho football fall camp
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Aug. 24—MOSCOW, Idaho — A month's worth of preseason practices, blocking and tackling only teammates while building a burdensome bridge of workouts and meetings between summer and football season, has concluded. Now Idaho will see what all its labor has fashioned.
The Vandals head to California to open the 2026 season against Cal Poly on Friday. From second-year coach Thomas Ford Jr. to the newest freshmen who saw a college classroom for the first time Monday, Idaho's coaches and players on practice fields, in the locker room and in meeting rooms have been painting a mental picture illustrating how the Vandals will cover over a disappointing 4-8 2025 record with veterans and their hard-won experience and new stars yet to be introduced to fans while playing a style of football taught by new offensive and defensive coordinators.
As vision and reality are set to collide, here are three things learned from preseason camp.
1. The Vandals have been good students. A theme emerging from their 15 NCAA-sanctioned workouts is continuity. Practices were not stuttering hours of starts and stops as coaches were constantly forced to interrupt play to get players lined up correctly and to berate those who messed up on shifting, pursuit angles and technique. Installing all the new schemes was "very successful," according to Ford. The Vandals avoided practices "where nobody did well." Overall, it reflects "a mastery of situational football," he said.
"We have really been digging into our schemes on defense, preparing ourselves for the unknown," says defensive coordinator Lee Stalker. Communication on the field has been an emphasis since the first day of practice, Ford says.
2. Idaho expects to get after opponents when they have the ball. The defensive line has been a standout unit throughout camp. In the interior line, Ford points to players like seniors Hikifo'Ou Maile (6-3, 330) and Frederick Lujan III (6-1, 280). "They have made huge strides," he says. On the edge, newcomers like senior transfers and twins Javen Augustus (6-4, 240) from Coastal Carolina and Jamarion Augustus (6-3, 240) from Northern Iowa and Luke Teskey (6-2, 250) from New Hampshire have given a deep, experienced offensive line consistent challenges in 11-on-11 practice periods.
3. Ford means physicality. A comprehensive AI analysis of Ford's language throughout camp would probably disclose "physicality" as his most-used word. "Be physical. That starts from the top down, from the head coach to the offensive coordinator to the defensive coordinator" to the players, says offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker. On his side of the ball, it translates into forcing opponents "to defend the A gaps."
Damonte Bias, a junior college transfer running back (5-11, 185) is a streak once he gets to the corner. But in every practice the vast majority of Idaho's run game reps have started up the middle. And why not? Idaho can pound ground-gaining monsters like senior Hayden Kincheloe (5-10, 235), junior Ferrari Miller (5-10, 225) and freshman Kenny Golston (6-0, 216) at defenders all day.
"That is my vision," Shoemaker says of his overall strategy on offense "Not be tied to a six-man pro drop-back if we can help it."
Speaking of the passing game, returning starter and senior Joshua Wood has been the clear number one quarterback throughout preseason. Behind him, though, sophomore Sawyer Teeney and senior transfer Israel Carter, from Norfolk State, have been waging a lively competition to be his backup.
"They will be the first two guys off the bench," says Shoemaker. However, "the first guy off the bench is yet to be seen.
"It will be an in-the-moment decision."
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos