Young Idaho offensive line starting to take shape
MOSCOW — With the first scrimmage moved to Sunday morning, the Idaho football took the field on Thursday with a little extra fire.
About a week into full pads the offensive line is really starting to take shape.
“We’re making progress,” said assistant head coach Kris Cinkovich. “The new guys have gotten a ton of reps the last couple of days, particularly between Irving Schuster and Cameron Weller and even Sean Tulette. We had everybody at full strength today so I’m hoping we can settle down and start making some improvements. We had some really good bright spots, but our level of consistency has to get better.”
“We’re looking really good,” said Noah Johnson. “We’re just trying to go out and get better every day. We have three new people who are still learning the playbook a little bit but we’re getting better every day.”
The line has gone through a lot of changes in the offseason, but veterans Jordan Rose and Johnson have helped to ease the transition.
“He’s (Johnson) a really good competitor, and that’s when he really does his best leading, in those situations,” Cinkovich said. “He’s also a guy who does everything right, to the minute detail. He’s a good student and football really is important to him. The kids love him, he’s a humble kid. I’ve seen him now, when we’re scrapping and emotions are high, he’s gotten pretty fired up and kind of grabbed guys and pulled them forward, and that’s a good thing. He’s a really good football player.”
Johnson is part of a unit with a lot of young players fighting for starting spots, a group that includes former Sandpoint standout Carlos Collado, a 6-4, 255 pound freshman tackle. Johnson is passing along some of the knowledge he learned last year.
“Last year as a freshman I wasn’t much of a leader, but now I’m trying to grow and be a leader because I’m the second most experienced on the offensive line now. So with Max, Darius and all the new guys, I try to help them and help coach them. When coach isn’t looking I try to be another coach for them that way they’re always getting better.”
The Vandals will enjoy a day off on Friday before a light practice on Saturday and the first scrimmage on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.