Tom Cable's eyes light up when he thinks about August. He's big on back to school - as in when his football players reunite in the Kibbie Dome for fall 2000.
"Every day," said Cable, "I get a little more excited. I'm already almost to the point where I'm counting days. More importantly, I'm counting days until camp. To me, that's so key."
So, expect a charged up Cable and Company to have a full agenda for the Vandals when they hit the field for the first time on Aug. 14. That day, however, won't be the first time for most of the players to demonstrate their commitment to the new coaching staff. Most of the players were in Moscow over the summer to gain a head start in the classroom and on the football field. They work out on their own but word trickles back to the second floor of the Kibbie Dome and to Cable's ears.
The commitment to summer comes on the heels of what Cable considers a highly successful spring season when he and his staff were able to make solid progress in teaching new systems to a veteran group.
"These kids have handled the change pretty well," said Cable, who was hired on Dec. 14 as the Vandals' 30th head football coach. "The first two months were pretty rough for them as well as us. There was a lot of butting heads - new ideas, new thoughts, new guidelines. Once we got through winter conditioning it changed."
In a big way. Cable was particularly pleased with the progress of the two areas he regards as critical to the Vandals' well-being on the field this fall. He wanted to see how well the quarterbacks and secondary would adapt to and learn the new systems.
"Spring ball was very productive," he said. "The two areas I thought had to do the most learning - quarterbacks and secondary - at the end of spring ball said they can do what we're asking them to do right now. Maybe not the whole package but 75 percent of what we're doing; enough to win in that first month. That was pretty pleasing."
As the Vandals head into fall 2000, here is how Cable sees the team shaping up.
Offense
Quarterback
While junior John Welsh (Oak Forest, Ill.) is entrenched in the starting position, the battle for the No. 2 spot not only is intense, but it gives Cable a measure of comfort in knowing that he has three quarterbacks capable of playing.
"That position really has made some strides," Cable said. "What's exciting for me is when the quarterback can say, ?€˜I really have an idea of where to go with the ball. I don't have to stand there and hold onto it. There are places to go with it. I'm not going to take as many hits.'
"Those are things you want the quarterback to say without you asking."
Welsh comes in with impressive credentials. He only started the last five games of the 1998 season but he led Idaho to stirring victories at the end of the season - an overtime victory over Boise State and the Vandals' first bowl championship. He looked ready to pick up where he left off as 1999 began but a broken ankle sustained in the second quarter at Auburn sidelined him until early November.
"He's figured out with two years to go, he is the leader," Cable said.
"He can take this thing and go as far as he wants to go with it, which ultimately probably will dictate how far we go."
But who's No. 2? It could be either senior Ed Dean (Grand View, Idaho) or redshirt freshman Brian Lindgren (Walla Walla, Wash.).
"You could reach in the bag and grab either one of them," Cable said. "That's going to be a great battle in fall camp.
"The one thing I am excited about is if something happens to John, we have a quarterback who can go in there and move us."
Wide receiver
If Cable had a wish list for a receiving corps, all those wishes would be here.
"This is the deepest, most talented group on this football team," he said. "You've got play-makers; you've got size; you've got experience, and you've got good speed. If there's one area we're lacking, it is we don't have a guy with really great speed in terms of a true burner; someone who can scare the defense.
"But, they can all get behind you and they can beat you on a deep ball. They can go up and get it and make the play."
Six of the Vandals' top eight receivers from 1999 return. Senior Jeffrey Townsley (Miami, Fla.) is back after a 37-reception, 449-yard year. Also returning is senior Rossi Martin (San Jose, Calif.), who had 33 catches for 483 yards; junior Chris Lacy (San Jose, Calif.), who had 21 catches for 294 yards; and junior Ethan Jones (Battle Ground, Wash.), who had 19 catches for 278 yards. Also back are senior tight end Mike Roberg, and senior Willie Alderson, the Vandals' equivalent to a utility infielder (more about them later).
"If this group does what it is capable of doing," Cable said, "it will really, really be something special for us. They bring a lot to the table."
Tight end
Roberg (Spokane, Wash.) is back along with junior Geoff Franks (Gresham, Ore.). Cable likes what he sees, he just wishes he was seeing more of them.
"They are very good players," Cable said. "They're really good for this system. But, our problem is twofold with these guys - both have had a hard time staying healthy and they're the only two we've got right now.
"I like to do a lot of two tight end stuff so that's our real concern. If they're healthy, they can block and catch and run."
Running backs
For the first time since the early 1980s, Idaho football fans will see a two-back system. Again, Cable likes what he sees, he just isn't seeing enough of them.
At tailback are Alderson (Nampa, Idaho) and senior Anthony Tenner (Bremerton, Wash.). At the fullback is junior Laki Ah Hi (Lewiston, Idaho).
"This is a group I'm probably most concerned about," said Cable, basing his concern on the numbers game, not a lack of talent.
"Laki Ah Hi has really stepped up," Cable said. "Talent-wise, skill-wise, he's certainly very good in this system. He's strong, he's tough, he can catch it. He's quick and athletic."
Look, though, Cable says, to some young players filling the depth portion of the roster.
Alderson and Tenner are veterans - Alderson at receiver and running back; Tenner as a starter or backup in the backfield since his true freshman season.
"Tenner has been there," Cable said. "He's just kind of a steady-eddy; does his thing.
"The guy who's the ace in the hole for us is Willie Alderson because he can do a lot. We can use him in the backfield or he can go out and play receiver. He catches the ball extremely well. I think he's a big-time weapon."
Line
None of the backs or receivers can go anywhere without the offensive line providing the protection or paving the way.
Cable likes the lineup before him. With veteran center Jeremy Wallace (senior; Post Falls, Idaho) back along with tackle-turned-guard Rick DeMulling (senior; Cheney, Wash.), senior tackle Patrick Venzke (Essen, Germany), senior tackle Brett Morton (Bellevue, Wash.) and newcomer Jake Scott (freshman; Lewiston, Idaho), Cable likes the talent and size. His worry - depth.
"We have to stay pretty healthy up there," Cable said.
As for moving DeMulling from tackle to guard, the reasoning is simple.
"That's a philosophy issue," Cable said. "I like them big and powerful. The more mass I can get with the inside three, the better."
The opportunity for that move, Cable said, wouldn't have been possible if Scott hadn't emerged during spring ball as a force of the future. Initially a walkon, Scott likely will be a full scholarship starter in September.
Defense
Secondary
Skill, experience, speed, toughness. What more could you want in the secondary? Depth, but Cable will take what he has for now.
"We have a chance to be very good back there," Cable said.
Senior Dennis Gibbs (Lompoc, Calif.) returns to start for the third season and is joined at cornerback by senior Cleavon Bradshaw (Miami, Fla.), who has made rapid strides in the secondary after playing there for the first time in 1999.
The safeties are young but talented. Junior Brad Rice (Lewiston, Idaho) returns at the free safety where Cable says his knowledge of the position and ability to recognize what's coming at the defense make him a natural play-caller in the secondary. With him is sophomore Jordan Kramer (Parma, Idaho), who was injured in fall camp last year while locked in a battle with Rice for the starting free safety position. He returned as a backup midway through the season and this fall takes over at Vandal for Bryson Gardner, a four-year starter who graduated last spring.
"They're real physical back there," Cable said of Rice and Kramer. "They can get to a lot of balls a lot of other safeties can't."
Linebackers
What do Idaho's linebackers have in common? Size, shape, speed. Just about everything. And that is something Cable likes.
"It's almost amazing," Cable said. "If you line them up, they all look the same."
That would be a 5-11 to 6-0 frame carrying about 220 pounds. From senior Chris Nofoaiga (Tacoma, Wash.) - the Big West Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, to senior Rick Giampietri (Spokane, Wash.) to senior Jason Daniel (Liberty Lake, Wash.), the physique is basically the same.
"They can flat fly," Cable said. "That is probably the number one thing they bring to the defense. They can all run."
There is more, though, that they offer. To wit:
"They have experience. They know how to play the game. They love to play football," Cable said. "Our job is to let them make plays. That's what our defensive package is about."
Line
This is the defensive position that worries Cable. 1999 all-conference first-teamer Mao Tosi went to the NFL in the fifth round. A potential replacement, Dennis Taeatafa, will miss 2000 because of a family illness. That leaves junior tackle Wil Beck (Veradale, Wash.) and junior end Ryan Knowles (Sandpoint, Idaho) as the only experienced players up front.
"That has been a concern for me since day one," Cable admitted. "There are a few guys who are going to be tested. The key for us will be to bring the two best freshmen - we recruited six - and get them involved."
There are players with bits of experience who Cable will seek as well. Senior J.J. Johnston (Kirkland, Wash.) has limited experience as do junior Drew Owen (Moscow, Idaho) and junior Jamaal Cole (Santa Monica, Calif.).
Special teams
Kicker
Two words - Ben Davis (senior, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho). That's enough to bring a smile to Cable's face when he thinks of potential. Davis booted a junior college record 62-yard field goal at Ricks College in 1997. Consistency is the key.
"Ben's a superstar," Cable said. "He has as good a leg as anybody in America."
Not only does Cable like the potential Davis has with field goals, he likes the variety he provides on kickoffs.
"When he kicks off, he can hang the ball up or he can kick it deep," Cable said. "You have to decide and that's a fun decision to have."
Punter
This is still a question mark until true freshman Brian Downes shows up on campus. From Kelly Walsh High School at Casper, Wyo., Downes averaged 35.6 yards per punt as a senior. Cable is hoping he brings with him a maturity that can lead to a quick transition to the college game. If not, senior Jesse Taylor (Vaughn, Wash.) had the best spring camp.
Return teams
Cable wanted more speed in the return teams and it's likely some of the new names will show up on special teams right away. Robert Nembhard comes to Idaho from Pasadena (Calif.) High School where he is one of the nation's fastest high school players.
Duval Seamster, a transfer from Mt. SAC Junior College, is expected to add to the mix as is freshman Jimmy Labita from Peoria, Ariz.
