Vandal Football Preview - Offensive Line

BREAKDOWN

Youth is the theme on the offensive line for the Vandals, but there is still plenty of experience in the room. Eight of the 10 players on the current Idaho offensive line two-deep are freshmen or sophomores and there isn’t a single senior in the group. 

Despite the youth, five players who earned at least one start are back for the Vandals and three full-time starters (Eli Sanchez, Abe Christiansen and Ayden Knapik.) The year also provided the opportunity for young players like Knapik, Tiganna Cisse and Charlie Vliem to learn and develop. In 2022 Cisse and Knapik were forced to play early, but the depth in 2023 should give Idaho the opportunity to redshirt true freshmen to mature both physically and within the offense. 

The focus for the  line is learning the details of the offense and how to adapt to the defenses that they will face. They also look to improve the run game and in protecting the reigning National FCS Freshman of the Year in Gevani McCoy. 

“We preach to them all the time, be masters of the offense and master what they're doing, what the defense is doing and be able to play at a consistent high level,” offensive line coach Cody Booth said. “We've got to be able to run the football. It starts upfront with us. We are very prideful in that. We’ve really got a great couple of running backs in the backfield and we just need to provide the holes for them and play at a high, consistent level.”

KEY RETURNERS

Of the three Vandal returning starters, two, Knapik and Sanchez, appear to have locked up their starting spots. Knapik has put on 20 pounds since the start of last season and has switched from right tackle to left tackle. He has become the anchor of the unit so far this year. 

“Knapik is back after becoming a Freshman All-American,” Booth said. “He now has a lot of game experience, but more than that, he is student of the game, tough, physical and very consistent. He has become one of the leaders in the room.”

Sanchez has also improved his understanding of the offense this season and moved from the left tackle spot to center. 

“I love Eli’s consistency right now at the Center position,” Booth said. “He is taking a big leadership role at the center position and playing well.”

Christiansen is in a battle for the starting spot at right guard with Cisse, the duo have been trading reps with the ones so far in camp and both appear to be key players in the Vandal rotation. 

For the left guard spot, Idaho will lean on Nate Azzopardi. He started game-one last year and played throughout the season but has stepped into his own this year. He was named a captain by his teammates earlier in camp. 

“I'm very proud of Nate. His teammates elected him as team captain,” Booth said. “That just shows what they think about him being a very tough guy inside, very consistent, tough and physical.”

Redshirt freshmen Charlie Vliem and Jack Foster are battling for the right tackle spot. Vliem put on 25 pounds since the start of last year and Foster added 20. Vliem, a former walk-on was given a scholarship during fall camp by head coach Jason Eck and has worked hard to earn that spot. 

“Charlie Vliem just got put on scholarship and I am really proud of his development,” Booth said. “There is a toughness behind him. Jack Foster is pushing Charlie a little bit. He redshirted last year and played scout team. He played a couple of games, you know, scrap time, but you can see the work this year. I am proud of those guys, how they are pushing each other right now and developing.”

INCOMING FRESHMEN

The freshman group includes seven guys, including 2021 commit Tyler Skinner from Moscow who just returned from a two-year church mission. The performance of the freshmen group has been solid, led by Kiegan Henson and Layton Vining, who both find themselves in the mix for a spot on the two-deep. 

“We’ve got a really exciting freshman class right now with Keigan Henson and Layton Vining working with the twos,” Booth said. “We are really excited about Alex Green doing some really good things and Zach Penner has a bright, bright future. Kaden Robnett down on the other end of the line right now getting a few reps with the twos and threes. Felix Kiama is a little nicked up right now, but he'll be a guy who will continue to develop.”