MOSCOW, Idaho – 9:30 in the morning for the first day of fall camp wasn’t early enough for veteran tight end Jake Cox.
“When I walked in the locker room this morning, I was telling my teammates: ‘I woke up at one, I woke up at three, I woke up at five… it’s just like a kid on Christmas, that feeling of excitement, nervousness, all those feelings,” said Cox.
The excitement showed on the practice field in Moscow Wednesday afternoon. The sun was shining, the music was blaring, and it was high-fives and smiles all around.
Sixth-year Donovan Parham is a first-year Vandal who says the energy is unmatched with any other team he’s been a part of.
“We came out high energy… when you got high energy like that, you automatically are like… energy is contagious, said Parham. “So, when somebody does it, everybody else is going to do it, and then we’re all playing at a high level.”
In addition to energy, it’s the senior leadership spread through the roster that first-year Idaho head coach Thomas Ford said will set this team apart.
“The leadership of this group is probably one of the strongest points of this roster,” Ford said. “We have a lot of guys that have played a lot, a lot of guys that know what it takes to make a playoff run.”
For now, Fresno State transfer quarterback Joshua Wood is running with the ones and will most likely start for the Vandals this season. Coach Ford also added he likes the depth at the quarterback position, especially considering how many quarterback injuries plagued Idaho last season.
The Vandals and the WSU Cougars face off in Pullman for their season-openers on August 30th.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
