What we learned from Idaho spring football camp | Analysis
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. "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. 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.
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