MOSCOW, Idaho - Idaho Vandal football opened spring practice Wednesday morning in the first of 15 practices, culminating in the Vandal Football spring game at 6 p.m., Friday, April 26 at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. 

Idaho returns five starters on offense, including the bulk of the offensive line and eight starters on defense. The 2023 Vandals went 9-4 on the year, including a 6-2 Big Sky record, and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. 

The Vandals look to fill the role of departing All-Americans Hayden Hatten, Jermaine Jackson, Gevani McCoy, Anthony Woods, Marcus Harris and Ricardo Chavez, but three full recruiting cycles under head coach Jason Eck and his staff have given Idaho something they haven't had, depth. 

Jack Layne and Jack Wagner both played minutes at quarterback, four running backs and eight players who caught passes for the Vandals in the past return this season. 

The Vandal offensive line lost one starter in Abe Christensen, but return the remaining four starters and starting tight end Jake Cox, all with another year of experience under their belts. 

The front seven of the Vandal defense returns 10 of 14 players on the two-deep, including all four starters on the defensive line. Tommy McCormick and Kyrin Beachem return at safety to anchor a talented, but young secondary. 

The Vandals added 14 players at semester that will participate in spring drills. Three transfer defensive backs, Corry Thomas Jr. (UNI), Abraham Williams (Weber State) and K.J. Trujillo (North Alabama), will help bolster the secondary. Cruz Hepburn (Lewis-Clark State) will play linebacker, and Dylan Fischer (Alcorn State) and Xander Echols (UAB) will compete for time at longsnapper. Orion Peters (Washington State) is the lone offensive transfer.

Owen Forsman (Kicker/Rathdrum, Idaho), Diezel Wilkinson (Safety/Spokane, Wash.), Titus Ringor (Defensive Line/Wahiawa, Hawai'i) and Nathan Knapik (Offensive Line/Kennewick, Wash.), are early enrollees while Crew Clark (Receiver/Sugar City, Idaho), Calvin Macy (Linebacker/Lake Oswego, Ore.), Ty Hirllinger (Safety/Sugar City, Idaho), and Trenton Fisher (DB/Homedale, Idaho) also joined the program at semester as freshmen.

Four new coaches joined the staff this year, including new defensive coordinator Dan Jackson who will also coach linebackers, running backs coach Deaonte Cooper, nickel/outside linebacker coach Hunter Hughes and defensive line coach Loni Fangupo. 

The Vandals continue spring practice Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.