Palouse promotion: WSU assistant Akey gets UI coaching job

After a 10-day search, the University of Idaho has found its new head football coach – 8 miles away.

Washington State University defensive coordinator Robb Akey has accepted an offer to become Idaho’s coach, multiple sources said Tuesday. Contract terms have been agreed upon pending approval from the State Board of Education. An official announcement is expected today at a 2 p.m. press conference.

Akey, 40, has been an assistant coach at WSU since 1998. He was promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2003 season. Akey’s duties also include coaching the defensive line.

He assisted at Northern Arizona from 1995-98 and Weber State, his alma mater, from 1988-94.

It will be Akey’s first head coaching assignment. He replaces Dennis Erickson, who left the Vandals for Arizona State.

The Vandals reportedly narrowed their list to two during the day – Akey and Portland State coach Tim Walsh – before deciding on Akey. Others known to have been involved in the search include ex-Michigan State assistant coach Blaine Bennett, ex-Idaho coach John L. Smith, Montana State coach Mike Kramer, Rutgers offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg, former Vandals linebacker Mike Cox and former UI assistant Art Valero.

Jim Harbaugh was on Idaho’s list and he was expected to interview in Moscow until he landed the Stanford job Monday. Smith was considered a leading candidate until he pulled his name from consideration early on.

Walsh was a late entry in the process, phoning Idaho athletic director Rob Spear on Friday after learning that Kramer had bowed out of the search. Walsh interviewed Monday in Moscow.

“I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t forceful enough that I’d take the job,” Walsh said. “It came about fast for me. To have the opportunity to talk to them after not (pursuing other jobs) for 15 years, I guess that’s a good thing.”

Walsh said he wasn’t offered the job.

“My disappointment is that I wanted it to be totally my decision, that’s the disappointment,” he said. “I’m not totally depressed because I have a good job and in a lot of ways I think we’re both (Portland State and Idaho) struggling to get where we want to get.”

Spear has declined to comment until the search was completed. Akey hasn’t returned phone messages throughout the search process.

Bennett said Spear called him in the afternoon to inform him “he was going in another direction.

“I told him that I felt I was the best man for the job,” Bennett said.

Akey and wife Molly have two children, Jack and Daniel.