SPOKANE, Wash. — Today was Jason Eck's first trip to Big Sky Kickoff as head coach of the University of Idaho football program.
Eck takes control of a team that won just four games last season, but Eck believes the ingredients are in place to bring the program back to notoriety.
"I think Idaho is a sleeping giant and we have to wake them up and get them going," Eck said.
Idaho has not finished with a winning record in six seasons. The team was picked eighth in the preseason Big Sky coaches poll and ninth in the media poll, but players believe the Idaho turnaround will begin now.
"We need to get 1% better every day and whatever happened last year does not count towards this year, and we are coming in guns blazing this year," said senior linebacker Fa'Avae Fa'Avae.
Idaho has had just one winning season since 2010, but the players believe in the new coaching staff and are anxious to get the 2022 campaign underway.
"We have had some losing records in the past, but I think it is time to turn that around," said senior offensive lineman Logan Floyd.
Eck said he has spent much of his tenure as head coach establishing a culture of hard work and players who are excited to be at Idaho and excited to come to work everyday and get better.
"We have worked hard on building good relationships across our team from players to players, players to coaches and coaches to coaches, and I think that is going to pay off. When we face adversity we need to stick together and continue to get better," Eck said.
Idaho begins fall camp on August 3rd and opens the regular season September 3rd against Washington State in Pullman. That game will kick off at 6:30 pm.
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