MOSCOW, Idaho - University of Idaho football coach Tom Cable has a complete staff again with the hiring of George Booker as the Vandals' defensive line coach.

"What I'm excited about is I'm adding some experience to my staff," said Cable of Booker, who has been a defensive line coach at various levels for the past eight years. "The experience he brings to the staff will be a real benefit for all of us."

Booker comes to Idaho after two seasons as the defensive line coach at San Diego State University. For the three seasons prior to that, he was the defensive line coach at Montana State University. During his summers with MSU, Booker was a defensive line intern with the Minnesota Vikings.

After graduating from Western Washington University in 1993 with a degree in physical education and recreation, Booker was an assistant defensive line coach at Montana State until 1996. He was hired in 1996 as the defensive line coach at Cal Poly, the position he held until rejoining the Montana State staff in 1997.

Booker, a 1985 graduate of Saint Monica Catholic High School at Santa Monica, was a four-year letterman at Western Washington and was an all-Columbia Football Association selection in 1992.

Cable said Booker was a perfect fit with the realigned UI defensive staff, which includes coordinator Ed Lamb, linebackers coach Rich Fisher, and Gary Coston, the Vandals' special teams coordinator who also will have defensive responsibilities.

"They're all on the same page," Cable said. "They all believe the same things. They have the same idea about philosophy.

"He's a very demanding guy. He's tough. He will bring that to these players."