Decimated by offseason losses, Idaho secondary hasn’t missed a beat with DBs Andrew Marshall, K.J. Trujillo

MOSCOW, Idaho – They certainly left a legacy.

Two lockdown cornerbacks helped Idaho reach the FCS quarterfinals a year ago. But Marcus Harris, who made the All-Big Sky Conference team, and Ormanie Arnold, who intercepted a pair of passes and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown, transferred after the season to Cal and Cincinnati, respectively.

The Vandals, over the course of this season, have started four cornerbacks to succeed them, including highly touted Weber State transfer Abraham Williams, who suffered a broken arm against UC Davis and who is expected to seek a medical redshirt and return next year.

As they reach the stretch run of this year and look ahead to another FCS playoff berth, the Vandals (7-3, 4-2 Big Sky Conference, No. 8 Stats Perform poll, No. 10 FCS coaches’ poll) have settled on Andrew Marshall and K.J. Trujillo at cornerback.

Marshall is a sophomore who saw playing time in every game in 2023, mostly in nickel and dime packages. Trujillo is a well-traveled graduate transfer. After playing at Colorado, Wake Forest and Northern Alabama, he is making Idaho the last stop in his college career.

They are both from California, a tie that gives them a common frame of references despite their varied journeys to Idaho’s defensive backfield. As teammates and roommates, they are giving the Vandals the kind of presence Harris and Arnold provided.

“(Marshall) is probably our best cornerback,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “I thought some bigger programs missed on him.”

Marshall has football in his family. His father played at UNLV and a couple of uncles reached the NFL.

“(Trujillo) is mature,” Eck said. “He is softer-spoken, but he takes care of business. He is getting a master’s, (with a goal of becoming a sports agent after football is done) and that is important to him. He is a guy we really trust to do his job.”

In his travels, Trujillo said he has seen nearly every defense. At Idaho, he finds the schemes familiar.

“The big thing is learning the terminology,” he said.

Marshall is shouldering a new role for the Vandals. As a freshman, Harris and Arnold took him under their wings. Now he has to step up and be a leader himself.

“It’s a little different,” he said. “I am coming into a bigger role. Now I am helping the younger guys.”

In a conference full of athletic quarterbacks, the Vandals predominantly play zone defense or a combo defense with zone to the wide side of the field and man-to-man on the short side to keep running quarterbacks from getting loose against defenders who might otherwise be focused on covering receivers in man-to-man coverage, Eck said.

Marshall and Trujillo are comfortable with the strategy.

“Zone puts us in position to make plays,” Marshall said.

Marshall has 36 tackles, including a tackle for loss. He has three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Trujillo has 18 tackles. He is credited for a one-half TFL and a pass breakup.

In addition to their shared work in Idaho’s secondary, the two share an apartment. Marshall took him in, Trujillo said, after he faced a rent increase.

They are mostly compatible. Had Marshall been a slob, Trujillo said, that would have been a deal breaker.

Marshall’s only complaint is that Trujillo hogs the hot water.

“He likes to take those long showers,” Marshall said.

In addition to having their California upbringings in common, they also share similar views of their team. When he visited Idaho on a recruiting trip, Marshall said, “They showed me a lot of love. The decision was pretty easy for me.”

Trujillo was also struck by the genuine relationships in the recruiting process.

“Of the four schools I have been to, this is the closest-knit group I have been a part of,” he said. “This team can hold each other accountable without seeing each other as a threat.”

Trujillo will be a one-and-done with the Vandals. The younger Marshall has come into his own as a mainstay in the defensive backfield and could remain so for another two years.

But their diverse backgrounds dovetail at a time when Idaho needed that to occur.

Nos. 2 (Harris) and 8 (Arnold) set a standard last season for a team with big dreams.

This year, the numbers are 3 (Trujillo) and 7 (Marshall). Idaho is again highly ranked, with big playoff goals. Marshall and Trujillo are living up to the former cornerbacks.