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Idaho Football

Former Idaho coach Paul Petrino lands new job; Vandals staff takes shape

Former Idaho head coach Paul Petrino has accepted a position as offensive analyst at South Alabama, according to reports. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Staff report

From staff reports

The University of Idaho’s former football coach found a new job. Meanwhile, the Vandals’ new staff is coming together.

Paul Petrino has been hired by South Alabama to serve as an offensive analyst, according to multiple reports. Petrino coached against the Jaguars during the Vandals’ days as Sun Belt Conference members from 2014-17.

UI parted ways with Petrino on Nov. 18 after he compiled a 34-66 record over nine years as head coach. About a month later, the Vandals hired a new boss in Jason Eck – the former offensive coordinator at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State.

The program has announced five assistant hires since. Three others have been reported, but have not been confirmed by UI.

Former standout Vandals quarterback Matt Linehan will return to Moscow to tutor UI’s wide receivers, per a report Tuesday from Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

Linehan spent the past year as a graduate assistant at Missouri after a short stay in the same role at San Diego State. He started for the Vandals from 2014-17, amassing 10,752 passing yards – just 73 yards shy of breaking Doug Nussmeier’s career UI passing record.

David Lose will mentor UI’s defensive tackles after four years as a quality control analyst at Oregon State, per Feldman, who also reported last week that former Temple safeties coach Tyler Yelk has agreed to become the Vandals’ safeties coach/defensive passing-game coordinator.

The Vandals have announced the following hires: Luke Schleusner, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks; Rob Aurich, defensive coordinator/linebackers; Thomas Ford, special-teams coordinator/running backs; Tyler Sutton, recruiting coordinator/tight ends; and Joe Tripodi, offensive line.

Schleusner had coached at South Dakota State since 2014, teaching tight ends for six years before moving to WRs. Aurich served as the University of South Dakota’s special-teams coordinator/LBs coach over the past four years. Ford was an analyst at Washington last year. Sutton coordinated the offense at San Diego for the past two seasons. Tripodi worked as an O-line coach for six years at Northern Illinois, then another three at Temple.