VANDAL NOTES: Several players exit portal to return to Idaho, Ford continues to fill his coaching staff

The Vandal football program has changed quite a bit with new coaches, new players and even a scheduling change in the weeks since new coach Thomas Ford Jr. returned to Moscow as Idaho’s next football coach after former coach Jason Eck took the helm at New Mexico.

Here is a look at the coaches and players new to Moscow, those who chose to return and where some former Vandals are playing next in this January Vandal football notebook.

Idaho retains RB Eli Cummings, other key pieces

After a player-led campaign, Ford’s hiring convinced a number of players to withdraw from the NCAA transfer portal or not enter at all. Several players had entered the portal after Eck’s departure in early December.

Ford was a part of Eck’s staff as running backs coach and special teams coordinator from 2022-23. He coached running backs at Oregon State in 2024.

Ford said he met with the majority of the roster on Zoom shortly after his hiring in December. The meeting included many of the players who were in the transfer portal.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been more happy in my life than that first five minutes of that Zoom,” Ford said. “Just seeing so many familiar faces, seeing so many guys that are just fired up about being Vandals — that was pretty special to me.”

In the weeks since that meeting, Idaho running back Eli Cummings has headlined a group of Vandals who had entered the portal but have since withdrawn.

Cummings posted the following to X on Dec. 31: “I have decided to withdraw from the transfer portal & Run It Back one more time wit my guy @CoachTFord!”

Cummings has spent four years in Moscow and welcomed the arrival of Eck and Ford with 965 combined yards in 2022 and 2024. He redshirted in 2023.

Offensive lineman Nate Azzopardi withdrew from the portal as well, he announced on Dec. 23.

“Officially withdrawn from the portal. VANDAL 4L @VandalFootball @CoachTFord,” he posted to X with a video of himself with “Year 6” written in golden text.

The Vandals also retained two critical components of their defense as lineman Zach Krotzer and linebacker Isiah King returned to Moscow.

In a year in which multiple players struggled with injuries during the season, Krotzer played in each of Idaho’s 14 games, collecting 40 tackles, one sack and an interception.

Through 13 games, King recorded 48 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.

Idaho also added 6-foot-5 edge Kai Richardson from Oregon State and 6-5 tight end Oliver Fisher from Boise State.

Richardson attended Puyallup High School, the same school as Idaho’s 2024 leading receiver Jordan Dwyer.

Vandals send players to Power Four, FBS schools

About a dozen Vandals parlayed their FCS success into FBS roster spots.

Wide receivers Dwyer and Mark Hamper excelled as a dynamic duo in 2024 after the Vandals’ top two receivers from the year prior, Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson made the jump to the CFL and NFL, respectively.

Dwyer and Hamper transferred to TCU and Wisconsin, respectively.

Linebacker Zach Johnson began attending classes at Stanford on Monday and tight End Mason Mini is also Bay Area-bound after flipping from Michigan State to California on Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Dallas Afalava, who received an offer from former Washington State coaches Jake Dickert and Pete Kaligis at WSU, followed his former Palouse neighbors to their new gig at Wake Forest.

Idaho lost starting cornerback Andrew Marshall to Nebraska, offensive tackle Ayden Knapik to Illinois and edge Malakai Williams to Boise State.

Eck took a fair share of Vandals with him to New Mexico, including his son, linebacker Jaxton Eck, quarterback Jack Layne, cornerback Abraham Williams and offensive lineman Kaden Robnett.

Vandals build coaching staff

Ford’s first hire was former Idaho receivers coach and the Vandals’ 2016 Potato Bowl MVP quarterback Matt Linehan as his offensive coordinator.

He also hired Curt Dennison, who was most recently Missouri State’s linebackers coach, as defensive coordinator.

Dennison was Louisville’s DC from 2019-21.

Also as previously reported, Ford hired Loren Endsley as his run game coordinator and offensive line coach, edge coach Avery Roberts and cornerbacks coach Treson Decaud.

Endsley arrives in Moscow after working at nearly every level of college football and leading a high school program.

He grew up in Coeur d’Alene and was most recently at Minnesota Duluth, where he served as run game coordinator and offensive line coach for three years.

Roberts follows Ford to the Palouse from Corvallis, Ore., where the pair coached together at Oregon State.

Roberts earned All-American honors in 2021 and played edge for the Beavers from 2017-22.

Decaud also coached with Ford at Oregon State. A Beaver football alumnus, Decaud was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He spent two years in the NFL and five seasons combined between the XFL, Canadian Football League and United States Football League.

Ford has continued to add to the staff, bringing Neil Fendall aboard to lead special teams and safeties, Jamel Cooper (strength and conditioning) and Sheldon Cross (tight ends).

Fendall comes to the Palouse from Ford’s alma mater Linfield (Ore.), where he coached safeties and coordinated special teams for two seasons in his second stint at the school.

During his first stint on the Linfield staff from 2006-12, he coached with Ford from 2007-08.

A former safety at Portland State, Fendall was a high school head coach from 2015-21.

Cooper brings more pro experience to Moscow as the Los Angeles Rams’ associate strength and conditioning coach for the past four years. He was a part of the Rams’ 2022 Super Bowl-winning staff.

Before working for the Rams, Cooper worked in the strength and conditioning departments for three college football programs from 2015-21, including Middle Tennesee, Wake Forest and Louisville, where he crossed paths with Idaho’s new DC, Dennison in 2019.

Cross, a Pacific Northwest native, played quarterback at Stadium High School in Tacoma and at Iowa Wesleyan. He returned to Iowa Wesleyan as an assistant coach in 2005.

He served as an offensive coordinator at Illinois State in 2012 and spent three years as Idaho State’s OC (2013-15). In 2014, Cross led the Bengals to a school-record 64 touchdowns and orchestrated an offense that broke the single-season ISU rushing record with 2,567 yards.

Cross led the Kennedy Catholic High School football program near Seattle from 2016-22. He won four straight NPSL 4A league championships and recorded 55 wins in seven seasons.

Cross coached quarterback Sam Huard at Kennedy Catholic, where Huard set the Washington high school all-time career passing record of 13,214 yards.

Cross got back into college football by taking over the Cal Poly offense in 2023 and led the Stetson (Fla.) offense in 2024.

His offenses set numerous school records and/or ranked near or at the top of their leagues in categories such as passing yards and touchdowns.

New 2025 home opener

The Vandal roster will continue to take shape over the next several months and fans will get to see the team at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome sooner than previously expected.

Idaho and St. Thomas (Minn.) agreed to move their Sept. 6 meeting from St. Paul, Minn., to Moscow and cancel their 2027 game.

The Vandals will have six home games against Division I opponents for first time since 2017.

Idaho was undefeated at home in 2024 at 6-0 for the first time since 1995.

“Our fans have shown us that they are ready to support this Vandal team as it continues to climb to the top of the Big Sky and the FCS,” deputy athletic director Tim Mooney said. “We are excited to be able to reward our fans with another home game and give our student-athletes the best opportunity to win a Big Sky title and return to the FCS playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.