Vernon Smith is in his fourth season on the Idaho football staff. Smith was hired in February 2018, to work with the Vandal cornerbacks.
Led by veteran and All-Big Sky Honorable Mention selection Jalen Hoover, the Vandal cornerbacks made strides in the 2021 spring season. Smith utilized a number of different options at the position, with several Vandals earning valuable experience.
The 2019 season saw great improvements in the Vandal secondary. Lloyd Hightower earned All-Big Sky honors after an impressive senior campaign, while junior Tyrese Dedmon took major steps toward becoming the leader of the secondary.
In 2018, Smith's group was led by Lloyd Hightower and Dorian Clark. Hightower intercepted a pass and broke up 13 more, while recording 44 tackles, including one for loss. Clark, the lone senior in the 2018 secondary, broke up six passes and registered 39 tackles.
Smith joined the Vandals after spending the 2017 season as the defensive secondary coach at Northern Arizona. He helped the Lumberjacks to a spot in the FCS Playoffs, the sixth appearance in program history.
Prior to NAU, Smith spent two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at Portland State. His first year he helped coach both starting cornerbacks to All-Big Sky honors. The following season, cornerback Xavier Coleman earned as All-America honors. During Smith’s first season, the Vikings made an appearance in the second round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs.
Smith spent 2014 as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at College of Redwoods. Before that he spent two seasons at Arizona Western and two seasons at Palomar College as a defensive secondary coach. His coaching experience began at Central Washington where he was a graduate assistant from 2008-10.
Originally from San Diego, Calif., Smith played college football at Montana from 2000-04, where he was a three-time All-Big Sky Conference honoree. He also earned second team All-America in 2002, and was a member of the Grizzlies’ FCS National Championship team in 2001. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Montana, and a master’s degree in health and physical education from Central Washington.
