MOSCOW, Idaho — The Idaho Vandals opened up fall camp Wednesday after being picked to finish third in the Big Sky and likely return to the FCS playoffs this season.
"The expectations are higher than two years ago, being picked third shows we are getting more respect, but we are still not number one, so we still have a lot of work to do," Idaho head coach Jason Eck said.
With Gevani McCoy's departure for Oregon State in the offseason, the keys to the Vandal offense now belong to redshirt sophomore Jack Layne who is looking forward to leading this team.
"Quarterbacks are natural leaders whether you want to be or not, so I have been focusing on that in two ways: being more vocal and leading by example by doing the right things," Layne said.
Layne will be leading an offense without a single senior this season, but Coach Eck believes his offense has enough experience to inspire confidence.
"I thought the offensive line had a good day today and I think we have plenty of guys who are ready to go on offense and think Jack Layne will be a great leader there as well," Eck said.
The Vandal defense figures to be the strength of the team this season and despite three brand new cornerbacks in the secondary, they are all transfers with strong college football experience and are expected to make contributions right away.
"They are really good. I do not pay attention much to the secondary as a defensive line player, but from what I have seen on the back side, they are giving me enough time to get to the quarterback and that is all that matters," Idaho senior EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby said.
"I think we are going to have a little bit more depth in the secondary. Last year we only played three corners in close games, hopefully we can play four this year," Eck said.
Idaho begins the season on the road at Autzen Stadium in Eugene against College Football Playoff favorite Oregon on August 31st. Kickoff is set for 4:30 pm.
