Asked for a brief comment on each of the local players on the University of Idaho football roster, first-year Vandal head coach Thomas Ford quickly responded, “Hopefully Matyus McLain’s one of them.” 

McLain, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt sophomore defensive end from Priest River High ('23), saw action in 11 games last year as part of a deep defensive line and totaled seven tackles. 

“Matyus is an absolute stud,” Ford said Monday, at the Big Sky football media day at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights, Wash., just outside Spokane. “Watching him play this spring, we’ve got some very talented transfer kids that came in — Donovan Parham (graduate student from Mississippi Valley State), Maurice Heims (graduate student from the University of Washington) — but Matyus was one of the most impressive guys, even in that room. I think he’s going to have a huge impact; I think he played around 100 snaps, and I have no doubt in my mind he’s going to double, maybe even triple that number this year.”

Also on the D-line is Trevor Miller, a redshirt sophomore from Post Falls High, and the 5A Inland Empire League MVP in 2021. He saw action in one game last year. 

“Another guy that I think could provide quality reserve reps for us,” Ford, who was the running backs coach at Oregon State last season, said. “He had a good spring as well. Physical kid; he’s got some length. I think he’s real passionate; he’s a hard worker. So I definitely see Trevor having a role for us as well.” 

Then there’s Wayne Queen, a redshirt sophomore linebacker from Lake City High.

“He probably represents the biggest turnaround from my time as an assistant to my time now as a head coach,” Ford, who was the Vandals' running backs coach and special teams coordinator in 2022 and ’23, said. “As an assistant, I just didn’t think he worked very hard. I thought he was a very talented kid, but, didn’t work very hard in the classroom, didn’t work very hard in the weight room, kind of did what he was asked to do, and nothing more.

“And that completely changed (after Ford returned as head coach); he’s one of the biggest freaks on our team. Won the dunk contest this year in our hoops (competition) in the spring, and really is going to have a huge role on special teams this season, and I think you’re going to see him in some packages on defense as well.” 

So what changed? 

“I had a pretty simple conversation with him early — hey, you’ve got all the talent, but potential just means you haven’t done it yet,” Ford recalled. “You’re in a position now, it’s your third year, are you going to do it, or not? And I think he really took that to heart, and has gotten after it this offseason.”   

Alex Green is a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman from Lake City. 

“Alex played some snaps last fall,” Ford said. “He’s another guy, has some position flexibility, can play outside, I think he’s going to be best suited on the inside, but definitely another guy that’s in the mix to play this season.” 

And finally, Owen Forsman, the left-footed redshirt freshman kicker from Lakeland High, who kicked off 16 times in four games last season. 

“We’re really hoping he can be the full-time kickoff guy,” Ford said. “Right now he’s still behind Cameron Pope as our place-kicker. 

“I would be pretty shocked it he wasn’t (our kickoff guy),” Ford added. 

Idaho opens the season Aug. 30 at Washington State.

IF AT FIRST ... 

During Ford’s previous stint at Idaho, Joshua Wood was the Vandals’ top quarterback recruit as a senior at Graham-Kapowsin High in Graham, Wash.

Wood ultimately signed with Fresno State. He did not play in 2022, and redshirted in ‘23. Last year, he saw quite a bit of action in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise vs. Northern Illinois, completing 16 of 23 passes for 180 yards, and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. 

For the season, he was 18 of 28 for 195 yards and a touchdown and an interception, and ran for 118 yards and six touchdowns on 37 carries. 

When he opted for the transfer portal, Ford, now back with Idaho, remembered. 

Even though the returners included redshirt sophomores Jack Wagner and Nick Josifek, who each started at times last season when No. 1 QB Jack Layne (who followed former Vandal coach Jason Eck to New Mexico) was injured. 

“I felt the quarterback room was still an inexperienced room, even though the guys played a lot of snaps a year ago,” Ford said. “And coach (Matt) Linehan (the offensive coordinator) just wanted to get someone who had a little bit of experience, and someone that we know is super talented. Joshua was our top quarterback (recruit) in 2022; we really wanted Joshua Wood. ... So when that opportunity came back up, and looking at spring ball and what our needs were, bringing in Joshua Wood made a lot of sense.” 

Wagner saw action in 11 games last season, Josifek six. Wagner started several games, Josifek one. 

Wood, a dual-threat QB, was brought in shortly after spring practice ended. 

“I’d be pretty shocked if Joshua wasn’t going to be our No. 1 guy,” Ford said. “He’s had a great summer; he’s done a phenomenal job of learning our offense ... He’s got a ton of experience in the summer with our player-led practices. 

“He really can do it all. He has a really strong arm, talented enough to make all the throws, but dynamic as a runner.” 

RETAINING SOME IN THE PORTAL 

Once Eck left for New Mexico the day after the Vandals were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs, some two dozen Idaho players entered the transfer portal. 

Several, like Layne, followed Eck to New Mexico. But some changed their mind and opted to return to Moscow, after Ford was hired. 

“I think it was like seven or eight guys that were in the portal that came back,” Ford said. “It was huge getting those guys back. Guys like (offensive lineman) Nate Azzopardi, (running back) Eli Cummings, (wide receiver) Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar, (linebacker) Isiah King, those guys are impact players. Getting those guys back is really two-fold, right? No. 1, it just helps your team because of the talent that they have. It also speaks volumes to their want to stay in Moscow, right? The belief they have in the actual program, and the love they have for the Vandal family.” 

LOCAL WATCH ON COACHING STAFF 

Ford met Loren Endsley in 2018, when Endsley was an assistant at Dakota Wesleyan, and Ford was an assistant at Simon Fraser. 

Both recruited western Washington. 

"And it seemed like every kid we were on, he was going to be on too,” Ford recalled. “And when I became an assistant here at Idaho, Loren would come out when he was at Ohio at the time, talk shop with us, talk run game with us, learn what we were doing. So we have a great relationship.” 

Shortly after Ford was named head coach in December, Endsley, who played at Lake City High and graduated in 2009, was named offensive line coach and run game coordinator. 

“I’m very excited about him,” Ford said. “He’s a phenomenal coach from a schematic standpoint, but I think he’s an even better coach in terms of his work ethic. The guy loves being a Vandal, and I know is going to make the most of his opportunity with the Vandals.” 

    Matyus McLain