One body bag game down, one to go! Idaho heads to Corvallis, Oregon for a face-off with the Oregon State Beavers.
Last Game: The Vandals went down to Bloomington, Indiana for their first ever game against the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana went up 35-0 on their way to a 56-14 victory.
Oregon State hosted Hawaii and led from start to finish, winning 45-27.
Last Meeting: Oregon State shut out Idaho 38-0 in 2006 and have won 16 of the last 17 matchups in the series, with Idaho’s last win coming in 1984.
Quarterbacks: For Idaho, it was the Mike Beaudry show as the senior took almost every snap behind center while posting a stat line of 23 for 36 (63.9%), 196 yards, and two TDs. CJ Jordan threw three passes and had one rush for five yards between two drives. Zach Borisch (#LetBorischThrow) ran twice with the read option and lost one yard. Idaho’s plan was to use the first three games as a quarterback competition – with two games down, has Beaudry taken the lead? Or, will CJ Jordan receive the bulk of the snaps against the Beavers as the contest winds down? Will we ever see Borisch throw? [editor’s note: If you ask the Tubs team, we all believe CJ will get the vast majority of the snaps this week.]
Oregon State has taken a long and windy road to current starter Chance Nolan. Incumbent starter Tristan Gebbia injured a hamstring against Oregon last season and has yet to fully recover. 2020 All-Pac-12 second team QB Sam Noyer transferred in from Colorado over the summer and started in the Beavers’ season-opening loss to Purdue, but went just 10 for 21 with 94 yards and an interception before being replaced in the third quarter by Nolan. Nolan, who started three games last season after Gebbia’s injury, received the start last week against Hawaii and went 21 for 29 with 302 yards and two TDs.
Idaho’s Key Players/Statistics: The Vandals managed just 261 yards of offense against the Hoosiers. Hayden Hatten was yet again the focal point of the Idaho offense, with ten receptions for 94 yards and two TDs. Terez Traynor had a pair of snags for 36 yards, while Cutrell Haywood made his first appearance of the season with two catches for 16 yards. Elisha Cummings led the running backs with seven carries, while Nick Romano led the team in rushing with 20 yards.
Idaho’s defense was led by Tre Walker’s 16 total tackles, followed closely by Fa’Avae Fa’Avae’s 11. Noah Elliss continued to break out, leading the defensive linemen with six tackles. Charles Akanno threw it back to 2019 with a sack and three tackles for loss, and Nate DeGraw also added a sack.
Special teams struggled against Indiana, with two blocked punts (one returned for a touchdown) and plenty of head shakes from Tubs at the Club’s special teams coordinator Alex Boatman. Outside of the blocks, Caleb Lightbourn (former Oregon State Beaver) averaged over 50 yards per punt with two punts pinned inside the 20.
Oregon State’s Key Players/Statistics: Yes, this section is for players and statistics, but this article can’t be written without mention of Beaver head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. Smith was the Idaho quarterbacks coach from 2004-2009 under Nick Holt, Dennis Erickson, and Robb Akey, before departing after the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl victory. Lindgren was the Vandal starting quarterback from 2001-2003 and co-owns Idaho’s record for touchdown passes in a game with six. [editor’s note: Lindgren is frequently mentioned on the Tubs at the Club wishlist for next Idaho head coach after Paul Petrino.]
The Beaver offense currently leads the Pac-12 with 460 yards per game, bolstered by the top passing attack in the conference. 2020 All-Pac-12 first teamer Nathan Eldridge and 2020 All-Pac-12 second teamer Joshua Gray block up front for Nolan, while eight different receivers/tight ends have registered multiple receptions so far, led by Trevon Bradford’s 11 catches for 154 yards, and Anthony Gould’s eight catches for 127 yards. B.J. Baylor heads the rushing game, with 27 carries for 197 yards and five TDs on the season.
Defensively, Oregon State is led by All-Pac-12 linebacker Avery Roberts with 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Andrezj Hughes-Murray leads the Beavers with two sacks. Defensive backs Alex Austin, Jaydon Grant, and linebacker Riley Sharp all have an interception on the season.
Key to the Game: Come out firing, score on the first few possessions, and avoid the special teams gaffes.
Game Predictions: Producer Dallas: I don’t think anyone is expecting a win or even a close game, but I wouldn’t expect Oregon State to jump out to a 35-0 lead like Indiana did. If the Vandals can score a few times early, they might be able to hang for a bit. Ultimately though, the depth of a Pac-12 school will be too much to overcome, and Oregon State wins 48-17. Boatman: OSU by 3.5 scores Brian: OSU 45-24 Chris: OSU 45-20
The State of Idaho has been steadily growing as a High School Football recruiting ground for College Football. Idaho has produced some phenomenal FBS talents in recent times like Taysom Hill, Leighton Vander Esch, Shea McClellin, Taylor Kelly and Tanner Mangum. We also just had a guy like Jonah Elliss out of Moscow High be highly recruited and looks to possibly be the next NFL guy from the state of Idaho.
But for everyone of those guys, there are so many talented individuals coming from Idaho. I worked with Justin Jackson, the founder of Rare Academy ID, to identify some guys that have FCS potential. Even a few I was cautious to post about. According to Justin, there are some SERIOUS sleepers in this years class.
Big Sky schools are starting to notice the talent in the state as well. There are 72 players from the state currently on a Big Sky roster for the 21-22 season. Maybe the more important stat, the blue bloods of the conference have taken notice.
Big Sky Schools
# of Idaho Players
Cal Poly
0
Eastern Washington
2
Idaho
19
Idaho State
29
Montana
4
Montana State
6
Northern Arizona
0
Northern Colorado
0
Sacramento State
0
Southern Utah
0
UC Davis
1
Weber State
11
TOTAL
72
Weber State has won the Big Sky 4 years in a row now and in 2019 made the FCS semi-finals. They have 11 players from the State of Idaho. This includes 2x All-Conference and current Preseason All-Conference Junior George Taralas from Borah High in Boise.
Montana State also has dipped their toe in the Idaho waters when head coach Jeff Choate was at the helm. The St. Maries kid and former BSU assistant knew the gems in the gem state. Tucker Rovig of Mountain View led them under center to the semi-finals of the 2019 FCS Playoffs.
Another former Bronco, UC Davis head ball coach Dan Hawkins has been recruiting the Treasure Valley pretty heavy since taking the helm for the Aggies. He may not have won many of the recruiting battles, but he offers a healthy amount of Idaho kids.
FCS PROSPECTS
Over the course of a couple phone calls and a few of the RARE Academy Idaho camps we has compiled a list of guys in the state that are FCS Prospects.
RARE Academy Idaho is an all-year training academy for kids throughout the whole state. This is not only physical training, but they do alot to help with the mental side of being an athlete and making the move to the college environment. Like many of you, Justin and his team see the potential growing in this State and just want to help these kids get the offers they are capable of. Then have the tools to succeed physically and mentally once on campus.
If you have never checked them out, you should. Its more of a have to see it to believe it. What they do for recruits in this State is amazing and one of a kind. They are only going to continue to grow and help your sons, nephews, neighbors be recognized and preforming at their peak.
The have a staff of former FBS players including Idahos own Brady Strodtbeck who cleared holes for Vandal running backs during the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Some are borderline FBS guys, others could be PWO/D2 type guys. But this is the crop of dudes to keep your eye on and go see if their team is in your area this season.
Player
Position
School
Davis Thacker
WR
Meridian
Ethan Mikita
WR
Eagle
Kade Thompson
WR
Rocky Mountain
Trais Higgins
WR
Nampa
Ethan Castillo
WR
Capital
Garret Lavin
WR
Timberline
Jackson Mason
WR
Rocky Mountain
Gavin Capps
WR
Jerome
Fisher Clements
TE
Mt.View
Isaiah Sawyer
TE
Mt. View
Will Vail
TE
Melba
Gage Jones
S
Eagle
Adam Ball
RB
St. Regis
Cross Antonnacchi
RB
Meridian
Taylor Marcum
RB
Timberline
Brett Spencer
QB
Weiser
Tiger Adolpho
QB
Rigby
Carter Fortin
QB
Cole Valley
Malakai Martinez
QB
Meridian
Kaimen Peebles
QB
South Freemont
Owen Toledo
OL
Rocky Mountain
Gunnar Clark
OL
Mountain Home
Talin Togiai
OL
Rigby
Seth Knothe
LB
Bishop Kelly
Caden Kelley
LB
Rocky Mountain
AJ Edwards
LB
Rocky Mountain
Garrett McKenna
LB
Mountain View
Jackson Berger
LB
CDA
AJ Edwards
LB
Rocky Mountain
Landyn Young
DL
Rocky Mountain
Liam Reeves
DL
Timberline
Jaxson Washington
DL
CDA
Deion Tawzer
DL
Rigby
Charles Judy
DL
Skyview
Jackson Beck
DL
Mountain View
Aiden Whipple
DL
Mountain View
Zachary Clark
DB
Post Falls
Alameen Abimdola
DB
Mountain View
Casey Cope
ATH
Vallivue
Tao Johnson
ATH
Thunder Ridge
There is loads of talent on this list. But there are a couple guys I want to highlight. Particularly in terms of Idaho going after them. I’m going to spotlight a few in no particular order.
Adam Ball 6’0 200lbs RB #17 St. Regis
I know this could be looked at as cheating since St.Regis the town is technically in Montana. But it is a border town and Adam is attending the RARE Academy Idaho showcases. He is not just attending, he is preforming. When Justin talks about this kid, you hear it in his voice. He is something special. He is the reason something like RARE exists.
If there is one name to take away from this piece. It is Adam Ball. Justin speaks so highly of this guy I am planning on attending a St. Regis game in person this season. (Scroll down for a list of MUST catch games this fall). Ball has been a standout at every event and is still under the radar. Almost, so much so, I just wanted to leave him off the list and just text our coaches about offering this kid. I just couldn’t not mention him, he deserves the recognition and WILL BE the steal of this class.
Davis is the brother of Damen Thacker who just started 23 games for the Vandal hoops team. We know Paul Petrino is always talking about “family”. He loves recruiting sons, brothers, nephews of coaches, former players etc. Damen Thacker did transfer out and was apart of a different athletics program, but this is a move I would not be surprised to see our athletic department make.
If you follow prep football, this one is obvious. Taylor Marcum is one of the highly recruited guys in the state. In fact on July 18th he committed to Montana State. But, we have seen recently verbals change before NSD. He has an offer from the Vandals and Idaho is building a bit of a pedigree of giving in-state RBs playing time. Lets not forget the first play of the 2019 season against Penn State, Paul put in true freshman Nick Romano RB from Rocky Mountain and threw the ball to him. He is not afraid to say RBs from the state of Idaho are big time.
Yes, back to back Timberline guys. But, me myself, I am a Timberline guy. “The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”
Garrett is another legacy type guy. He comes from a Vandal family and just a guy I would love to see be given a shot. Even if our receiver room is getting crowded.
He does not currently have any offers.
Gage Jones6’1 185lbs DB Eagle
Likely the best defensive back in the State, Gage is poised to have one heck of a season. With a few seasons now of poor secondary play. Getting this local stud would go along way to sure up the backend.
The kid is just one of those grinders. He has got a gym in the garage at home and from looks of it has spent some time with his second cousin Washington States star RB Max Borghi. He also is a very good wrestler, which is a extra bonus in a lineman. He also won the RARE Showcases events top 6 lineman honors.
The Vikes have put out loads of division one talent in the past decade. It is a program you trust. Our defensive line isn’t getting any younger. We should be looking to add 2 to 3 guys on the line in this class.
He currently has 3 offers from a few NAIA and such schools, some sort of offer from the Bengals in Pocatello. But looks to be getting looks from and Montana. His father is a former walk-on and they are a big Griz Family. They have been exposed to the Vandals and we could get him, but if Montana offers (especially before us) it would be hard to win this recruiting battle.
Maybe a bit under the radar until recently. He is starting to show-up everywhere. He was one of if not the first QB Justin gave me. Then on August 8th he was announced the 6th best QB in The Northwest 9 the QB camp former guest of the podcast Taylor Barton runs.
Malaki Martinez (@malakai_3) is a c/o 2022 QB from Meridian HS (ID). Malaki is rated as the #44 Dual Threat QB in the country & he backed that up with a stellar off season. Expect to see his name at or near the top this weekend at the 2021 NW9 Main Event! #NW9#RepYourRegionpic.twitter.com/eeBZhH52az
This one is a me pick. I watched Hayden in 3A state semis and final last season. He was hard not to notice. I turned to my friend I was in attendance with and said “this is the type of kid Idaho needs to offer.” I later learn he comes from a deep vandal family.
Feedback I got throught the grapevine is his speed is a concern. Well, if you can’t tackle him it doesn’t really matter does it?!
Hayden Klincheloe in State Playoffs Photo By: Chris Hammond
Games To Catch FCS Talent
For some of you football nuts out there, you want to catch these guys before they may suit up for or against the silver and gold in the coming years. I compiled a list of games to catch to watch some of this FCS talent under friday night lights around this beautiful state.
Photos by: McKenzie Hudson at Rare Showcase Day 2
Week 1
Treasure Valley
Mountain View vs Meridian – Meridian,ID (Mountain View, HS)
9 possible FCS guys
Capital vs Nampa – Boise, ID (Donnar Larson Park)
1 Possible FCS guy
Eagle vs Bishop Kelly – Boise, ID (Bishop Kelly HS)
3 possible FCS guys
Magic Valley
Buhl vs Weiser – Buhl, ID
1 Possible FCS guy
Twin Falls vs Vallivue – Twin Falls, ID
1 Possible FCS guy
Week 2
Spokane-CDA Area
Lakeside vs St. Regis – Plummer, ID
1 Possible FCS STUD
Treasure Valley
Rocky Mountain vs Mountain View – Meridian, ID (Rocky Mountain HS)
13 Possible FCS guys
Nampa vs Skyview – Nampa, ID (Skyview HS)
3 Possible FCS guys
Idaho Falls
Rigby vs Post Falls – Rigby, ID
5 Possible FCS guys
Week 3
Spokane-CDA Area
Koontenai vs St.Regis – Harrison, ID
1 possible FCS STUD
Treasure Valley
Rocky Mountain vs Meridian – Meridian, ID (Rocky Mountai HS)
11 Possible FCS guys
Week4
Spokane-CDA Area
Clark Fork vs St. Regis – Clark Fork, ID
1 Possible FCS STUD
Post Falls vs Mount Si (WA) – Post Falls, ID
2 Possible FCS guys
Magic Valley
Thunder Ridge vs Rigby – Twin Falls (Thunder Ridge HS)
4 Possible FCS guys
Week 5
Treasure Valley
Skyview vs Rocky Mountain – Nampa, ID
10 Possible FCS guys
Melba vs Cole Valley – Melba, ID
2 Possible FCS guys
Week 6
Treasure Valley
Eagle vs Timberline – Eagle, ID
5 Possible FCS guys
Meridian v Skyview – Meridian, ID
5 Possible FCS Guys
Week 7
Treasure Valley
Timberline vs Rocky Mountain – Boise, ID (Donna Larson Park)
11 Possible FCS guys
Skyview vs Eagle – Nampa, ID (Skyview HS)
4 Possible FCS guys
Magic Valley
Canyon Ridge vs Mountain Home – Twin Falls (Canyon Ridge HS)
1 Possible FCS guy
Week 8
Treasure Valley
Homedale vs Weiser – Homedale, ID
2 Possible FCS guys
Vallivue vs Bishop Kelly – Caldwell, ID (Vallivue HS)
2 Possible FCS guys
Timberline vs Skyview – Boise, ID (Donna Larson Park)
5 Possible FCS guys
Spokane-CDA
Coeur d’Alene v Post Falls – Coeur d’Alene, ID
4 Possible FCS guys
Idaho Falls
Sugar-Salem vs South Fremont – Sugar City, ID
Week 9
Treasure Valley
Rocky Mountain vs Meridian – Meridian, ID (Rocky Mountain HS)
11 Possible FCS guys
*** As always I”m not an journalist so, take your gramatical error comments, & put them in a beg some-Where. Hope you enjoyed the content regarless if you maid it too dis disclaimer
We submitted three polls to the conference office. Here is how the three of us voted and why.
Chris
Brian
Dallas
1
Weber State
Montana
Weber State
2
EWU
Montana State
EWU
3
Montana
Weber State
Montana
4
UC Davis
EWU
Sac State
5
Montana State
Sac State
Montana State
6
NAU
UC Davis
UC Davis
7
Idaho State
Idaho
Idaho State
8
Idaho
Idaho State
NAU
9
SUU
UNC
Idaho
10
Sac State
SUU
SUU
11
Cal Poly
Portland State
Portland State
12
UNC
NAU
UNC
13
Portland State
Cal Poly
Cal Poly
For those of you that read our Preseason All-Conference Team post you can see our picks for All-Conference lead to our opinions on our polls.
Further Explanations
Chris:
Weber State at 1 – The Wildcats return possibly the best Secondary in the FCS. Three members of the secondary made our All-Tubs Team. Bronson Barron (technically a true freshman still) had barely been on campus and had to compete for starting job last season. That is not the case this fall, he will be receiving all the reps. Pair that with former Jerry Rice Award winner Josh Davis and an emerging stable of backs returning. The Achilles heel of this program, the offense, has to take a step forward. Even if the offense doesn’t improve, they have still won four straight Big Sky titles. Why would I bet against them?
Montana at 3 – Look even with some “?” still at QB. This team returns a lot of talent. How bad could it be when you get to throw to Maybe the best WR in the FCS, Sammy Akem. If the QB works out, they could easily win the conference. But right now with Weber returning Bronson & Eastern returning EB3, I gave them the SMALL nod over the Griz. Its going to be a close race this year.
Sacramento State at 10 – I understand I’m sticking my neck out with this one. I just think the 2019 season was a flash in the pan. I expect this team to be closer to their 42-28 home playoff loss to start the playoffs, more then the 49-22 win vs the Griz. The Hornets in my opinion benefited greatly from being a sleeper until about half way through the 2019 season, an out of nowhere QB (who has since transferred out) and no one having tape on first time head ball coach Troy Taylor. I expect them to struggle early and maybe make a charge late. Are they the 10th best team in conference probably not, probably a bit better. But weeks 1 thru 6 I expect them to play below where most people have them. Most throw out the easy schedule this year as a reason to have them high. I think the easy schedule will catch them sleep walking with rust early. Though lighting can strike the same spot twice…
Brian:
Weber State at 3 – Defending Big Sky champion Weber State (finally) looks vulnerable. The Wildcats won a single spring game by a margin greater than a touchdown–with all of those nail biters coming against teams that will be picked in the bottom half of this fall’s season–but Weber’s schedule, and Jay Hill’s tendency to just never lose games he shouldn’t, makes a 6-2 (in conference) floor all but locked in.
Idaho at 7 – This vote was a strict judgement of talent–which should put Idaho not in the top tier of the conference, but close enough to talk yourself into yet another but maybe this year discussion.
Which is lunacy.
We all know the Idaho blueprint from the previous three years: stay competitive at home, but faceplant on the road. Hang with, or knock off a playoff-level team, then stumble in comical fashion against the Northern Colorados, or Northern Arizonas occupying league’s bottom tier. Never mind that Idaho has its toughest league schedule since rejoining the Big Sky.
So yes: in my written-in-blood preseason poll, Idaho sits at number seven. And yes: the moment my poll was officially sent, I could not believe their slot was higher than ten.
Northern Colorado at 9 – Consider Northern Colorado a composite character of Idaho, Idaho State, Southern Utah, and Northern Arizona: it’s an absolute crap shoot rating any of those teams above each other. Before the Bears land higher than ninth, we’ll need to see the fruits of Coach McCaffrey produce. The talent influx following McCaffrey alone will make Northern Colorado at least good enough to spoil someone else’s playoff hopes, but with the promising spring efforts from other projected lower-tier teams, there’s too crowded a field of candidates to repeat the out-of-nowhere rises of UC Davis and Sacramento State to rate Northern Colorado much higher.
Dallas:
Eastern Washington at 2 – Eric Barriere is one of the best players in the entire FCS, and when you have a quarterback like him running the show, you’re going to have at least a puncher’s chance in every game. Yes, their questionable defense allowed 35 straight points in the first round of the spring playoffs to a weakened North Dakota State. Yes, the receivers drop more passes than they should. Yes, they have an extremely tough conference schedule this year. But, their three toughest games (Montana, Montana State, Weber State) are all in Cheney this year and I’d expect they win two of the three to keep themselves just behind Weber in the conference standings. Even in their last true down year (2015, when Vernon Adams transferred to play his final year at Oregon), they tied for fourth in conference, going 5-3 with two losses to ranked teams.
UC Davis at 6 – UC Davis has a deep cast of receivers, a solid defense (as Vandal fans likely remember), and one of the best running backs in the conference. QB Hunter Rodrigues had 21 FCS passes to his name coming into 2021 and may have benefited more from the spring season than any other athlete. So why do I have them sixth? Weber State, Eastern Washington, and the Montana schools certainly look better on paper and should all slot in as top five finishers, even if they trade losses around. I don’t see the Aggies beating Weber State (and yes, I know they had a double digit lead on the Wildcats last season) or Eastern Washington. Even if they beat Sacramento State in the Causeway Classic to finish the year, I don’t think a game in hand on the Hornets helps, courtesy of the absolute gift of a schedule Sacramento State got this year. Nothing against UC Davis, but a top five finish doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Idaho at 9 – Every year it seems I talk myself into Idaho finally becoming a bully in the Big Sky. Take one look at the schedule and you’ll realize why I’m not doing that this year. The Vandals could be favored in three of their four home conference games, but even if they won out at home with an upset of Montana, they will not be favored in a single road game this season. I don’t think they win a single game outside of Moscow this year, even without Paul Petrino’s track record of failure away from the Kibbie Dome. There’s plenty of talent on this team, just like there was in the spring, but I don’t see any reason to believe that it magically clicks this season. 4-4 in conference is the ceiling for this team if things go well, and 2-6 is certainly on the table. We’re looking at another long year.
Founder Sean Kramer is selling Tubs at the Club to Chris Hammond and the Tubs at the Club team, will stay involved as minority partner.
You know the story by now, I love telling it over and over again and you’re sick of hearing it. You can deal with it, because I’ll tell it again.
I started Tubs at the Club with a laptop and a tub of Rainier, spending weekday after weekday sitting at the Corner Club going over every detail of what this thing would look like. I was leaving journalism and moving back to Seattle, leaving my life at a standstill. There were things I wanted to say, yet without a platform to do it. I still had an itch to keep talking about the University of Idaho football team, Idaho athletic department, and the university that changed my life and made me who I am today.
I had many proposed names for my blog: The Deep Friesz, Under the Dome, The Hello Walk, and other fairly bad generic names. Then I asked Corner Club owner Marc Trivelpiece if it was okay to use the namesake of his bar for this thing, which he very happily gave the freedom to do so. It’s hard to put into words how much that meant to me.
Today, Tubs at the Club has grown into something with a following I never could have imagined. Even five years ago it was wild to go to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and hear people talking about Tubs at the Club. I just wanted to keep talking, and apparently people still wanted to listen to what I had to say.
Shorty around the time after the bowl triumph I was the Red Door Pub in Fremont, Seattle sipping a beer and talking to the person next to me. Turns out he knew my roommate and was a Vandal as well. He recognized me from some of the alumni viewing parties in Seattle. His eyes lit up real big when I told him I was the Tubs at the Club guy. Today, you know this guy as your lovable host of the Tubs at the Club Podcast: Chris Hammond.
Meeting Chris that day changed the course of this website and brand for the better. The ideas flowing through his head were overwhelming for me, and it was a no-brainer decision for me to hand him the keys of this thing moving forward as my life began to transition me further and further away from the Idaho-sphere.
The podcast was all his idea. Bringing in all the team members you guys love? He had the biggest hand in that. And now, as Tubs at the Club moves into the future, it will be Chris Hammond bringing you those changes and all the great things we have in store.
Tubs at the Club is a name and a brand that has meaning to many Vandals. For that reason, I’m really pleased Chris Hammond, Marten Hiemstra, Brian Marceau and Alex Boatman will now be the main cast of characters taking Tubs at the Club into the future, and I couldn’t be more happy or proud to see these Vandals do it.
For those of you who’ve been with me since 2016, I want to say thank you. I created Tubs at the Club solely as a cathartic outlet for myself to transition out of journalism. Now it’s become an outlet for all Vandals to tell their stories and make their voices heard.
I will still be around, hopefully doing as much writing as I can from Taiwan with my busy schedule. It’s harder than ever for me to stay up to date on all things Idaho Vandals from across the Pacific Ocean, which is why I’ve just felt guilty holding on to Tubs at the Club as my mind has drifted further away.
Though, as all Vandals know, one thing never drifts far away from Moscow, the university, or the Corner Club … and that is my heart. Every day of my life I wake up an Idaho Vandal, and that will be the case until the day I die. Thank you to everybody who has supported me and my journey.
Christian Elliss is the son of Luther Elliss. Luther Elliss was an 2x Pro Bowler at the DT position over his 10 year NFL Career, with Denver and Detroit. Luther is currently the defensive line coach for the Idaho Vandals.
Left: Luther Elliss Right: Kaden Elliss
Christian is the younger brother of Kaden Elliss. Kaden Elliss was the 7th round pick of New Orleans Saints in 2019 draft. Kaden had his rookie season cut short suffering a knee injury early in the season against Seattle Seahawks. Kaden was able to bounce back, playing in 15 games in 2020 for the saints.
His adopted brother (cousin) Noah Elliss was a top recruit in 2017 as well out of the state of Colorado. Noah ended up committing to Mississippi State. With offers to basically every power five program. He is now a standout on Luther Elliss’s defensive line at Idaho.
Christian Elliss has been a elite sparkplug on a top rush FCS defense over the past few seasons. He also was able to preform at a high level as a true freshman in the Sun Belt Conference. He is an unquestioned leader on the team. Christian has also been remarkably healthy. Missing only one game in four years. That one game was his last one and it was to prepare for the draft (2 weeks from game date). He has made some mistakes,has been able to show growth and maturity as his career moved on. Christian posseses a unique combo of speed and ferocity. He is a game wrecker, one of those guys whose impact rarely is reflected on the stat sheet. He passes the eye test and it will take a smart GM and scout to recognize that and give him a chance. So congrats on your team having that combo.
