Vandals sign

JC tight end James

Alex James has signed to play football at the University of Idaho as coach Paul Petrino and his staff look for ways to fill the void created by the graduations of tight ends Trent ‘Buck’ Cowan and former Coeur d’Alene High standout Deon Watson — staples in the Vandal offense the past two seasons.

James (6-6, 235) is a graduate of Southmoore High (Moore, Okla.) and played last season at Los Angeles Valley College. He caught five passes for 46 yards in LA Valley’s undefeated regular season.

Petrino said he looks to James not only as a pass catcher but also because of his blocking ability.

“He fills a need we had with Trent and Deon graduating,” he said.

Kupp repeats as FCS

Offensive Player of the Year

Already hard at work preparing for the NFL draft, Cooper Kupp continues to be rewarded for his work at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level.

The record-breaking Eastern Washington University senior wide receiver was selected by the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Director’s Association as a repeat selection for its FCS Offensive Player of the Year Award announced Thursday. Northern Iowa defensive end Karter Schult received the award on defense.

Kupp is currently training in Irvine, Calif., for an opportunity in the NFL and will not be present in Frisco, Texas, this week when he and Schult will be recognized at Saturday’s NCAA Division I Championship Game (9 a.m., ESPN2).

In addition, Kupp will skip the STATS FCS Awards Banquet tonight in Frisco when the winner of the Walter Payton Award is announced. The defending winner of the award which goes to the top offensive player in FCS, Kupp joins teammate Gage Gubrud and Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe as the top three vote-getters for the award.

Kupp was a consensus FCS All-American for the fourth straight season, but now sets his sights on the NFL Draft on April 27-29 in Philadelphia. The NFL Combine is Feb. 28-March 6 in Indianapolis, Ind., and he has also been invited to play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala. (11:30 a.m., NFLN). Kupp’s Eagle teammates Kendrick Bourne and Samson Ebukam are expected to play in the NFL Players Association Bowl on Jan. 21 in Carson, Calif. (1 p.m., FS1).

Kupp earned first team All-America honors on all seven teams announced.

Cougars name Toledo assistant

Sage inside receivers coach

PULLMAN — Washington State football coach Mike Leach on Thursday announced Derek Sage has been hired as the Cougars’ inside receivers coach. He replaces JaMarcus Shephard, who had been in the position for one year.

“Derek is a proven receivers coach who will blend in well with our program and hit the ground running,” Leach said. “He brings a great deal of energy, passion, understands our offensive philosophy and has a great reputation as a coach and recruiter.”

Sage arrives at WSU following three seasons as the receivers coach at Toledo. This past season Toledo finished with a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Camellia Bowl.

In his three seasons at Toledo, the Rockets combined for a 28-10 record, went to three bowl games, winning two, and improved from 234.2 passing yards per game in 2014 to 322.8 in 2016.

Sage arrived at Toledo following a four-year stint as the receivers coach at Wyoming, where he coached with current Cougar defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Prior to his stint at Wyoming, Sage was the wide receivers coach at New Hampshire from 2005-09, again working with Grinch as well as Chip Kelly. UNH earned bids to the FCS playoffs in each of Sage’s five seasons with the program, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 and making it to the first round in 2007.

Sage arrived at New Hampshire from the University of Nevada, where he helped coach the defensive backfield as a graduate assistant in 2003 and the wide receivers as a graduate assistant in 2004. At Nevada he worked alongside current Cougar coaches Jim Mastro and Ken Wilson.

A native of Sparks, Nev., Sage played tight end for Sacramento City College for two years (1998-99), helping win conference and bowl championships at the junior college level. He completed his college career at Cal State Northridge, where he won two letters at tight end in 2000 and 2001 before earning his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2002.