Things to watch: Will Idaho QB Joshua Wood run away with starting job?

MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho heads into preseason camp with three seasons of momentum, the legacy of Jason Eck’s short era as Vandals’ coach.

In that time, Idaho was 26-13 overall, 18-6 in the Big Sky with fourth, second and third finishes respectively in the conference. The Vandals made three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances and reached the quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024. Idaho also posted wins over Football Bowl Subdivision members Nevada and Wyoming, of the Mountain West Conference, and it gave Washington State and Oregon stern tests.

But Eck has moved on to the University of New Mexico, and in the Big Sky preseason coaches and media polls the Vandals are expected to slide under new coach Thomas Ford Jr.

Coaches have Idaho finishing fifth, and the media has the Vandals fourth.

The big question to be answered in camp is whether the predictors are correct or if past performance forecast continued success.

Here are three things to watch that will bear the answer.

Is Joshua Wood the answer at quarterback?

Ford has all but awarded the starting job to Wood, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Fresno State, saying it would be a surprise if he’s not the top QB. Wood threw for a touchdown and ran for another score for Fresno in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and after Ford went through spring ball with redshirt sophomores Nick Josifek and Jack Wagner battling it out to start, the Vandals’ coach apparently thought the position could benefit from an upgrade.

Ford says Wood hit the ground running in Moscow this summer and has both mastered Idaho’s offense and emerged as a team leader in summer workouts. Camp will be his opportunity to show he is the answer. He has a pair of experienced running backs in seniors Elisha Cummings and Nate Thomas to rely on as well as spring ball breakout redshirt sophomore receiver Emmerson Cortez-Menjiver, who showed he was a reliable target on downfield throws, and redshirt senior Michael Graves, who has recovered from a back injury that sidelined him last year.

Will the defense that dominated spring ball continue to overmatch offense?

Idaho has three players named to the Big Sky preseason team, and two of them are on defense – redshirt senior defensive tackle Zach Krotzer and redshirt senior linebacker Isiah King. Krotzer, 6-2, 270, was hard to move last season and accounted for 40 tackles, including 10 solo hits. King inherits a Vandals tradition of excellence at linebacker. In 13 games he made 18 solo tackles and assisted on 30 last year.

The defensive front is also bolstered by redshirt senior defensive end/tackle Sam Brown and graduate transfer from Mississippi Valley State Donovan Parham. Redshirt junior linebacker Dylan Layne also took a big step forward in spring ball. But Idaho will have to rebuild a secondary especially decimated by the loss of senior safeties Kyrin Beachem and Tommy McCormick.

Will the Vandals use camp to forge winning habits?

Idaho has 56 returning players, second-most in the Big Sky, Ford points out. But that means there are about as many new Vandals this year, and some of them will be counted on to contribute immediately.

In the age of the transfer portal, team building is a perpetual job.

With senior leaders like six-year senior offensive lineman and team captain Nate Azzopardi, who was also named to the Big Sky preseason team, defensive linemen Brown and Krotzer and senior tight end Jake Cox, who is coming back from an injury for his final year, Idaho has a corps of veteran leadership. In the days to come, when new and old Vandals are tired of banging on each other in practice and being held to daily competitive standards against their teammates by coaches, it will be up to the veterans who have enjoyed Idaho’s success the past three seasons to keep everyone focused on how preseason camp will set them up for another winning season.