{LIVE} National Signing Day – News Conference

We’ll be going live from coach Robb Akey’s National Signing Day news conference at 12:15 on Wednesday, Feb. 1. We will also have a full recap and (better quality) video piece up as soon as we can.

Live video link – http://uiargonaut.com/stories/sections/sports/stories/2012/Jan/national_signing_day_live.html

Signing day primer – A look at Idaho’s commits and signing day storylines

Sean Kramer | Argonaut

The Idaho Vandal football program will welcome new members to its family Wednesday.

National signing day marks the first day prospective student-athletes for football are allowed to send signed, binding letters of intent to coaches to accept scholarships.

The days, weeks and months leading up to signing day can be the most fun for fans as speculation is non-stop as to where prospective athletes will go to school. By the end of the day, a clearer picture will be painted of the college football world, and the Vandals.

It’s important to remember a few points when speculating about the commitments the Vandals have received from players. For one, even if they are verbally committed it does not stop potential players from keeping their options open and considering other schools. Verbals are spoken understandings between coaches and players, and not binding at all. The world of recruiting is incredibly fluid and athletes change their minds all the time.

Second, most of what the public knows about commitments and scholarships that have supposedly been offered come from the athletes themselves and media accounts. Idaho coach Robb Akey and the Vandal football staff are prohibited from speaking about any athletes that haven’t sent in a LOI to a school. Until then, it is an NCAA violation.

Now, here are the kids that have tentatively agreed to become Vandals.

Ma’ne Maneae – safety – Lakes High School (Lakewood, Wash.)
Commit status: solid verbal

As Washington based prep sports writer Jerry Mercado put it to me, Maneae is Christmas come early for the Vandals. The three-star recruit, according to Scout.com, committed to Idaho after an official visit Jan. 13. Maneae lacks ideal safety size at 5-foot-11-inches but presents speed and could be used anywhere in the secondary. He will be a welcome addition to a defensive back field that lacked closing speed had difficulty containing the deep pass.

Chad Chalich, quarterback, Coeur D’Alene High School
Commit status: solid verbal

Chalich’s recruiting situation is eerily similar to former Boise State QB Kellen Moore. Chalich is fresh off leading his team to the 5A Idaho state championship while pulling Idaho state player of the year honors, and was largely dismissed as a scholarship-worthy athlete to most programs in the Northwest.
Boise State and Utah only offered him a place as a prefer walk-on and Idaho was the only reported team to offer him a scholarship. It will be interesting to see if Akey offers the opportunity for Chalich to compete with Dominique Blackman and Taylor Davis for the starting job or if he redshirts. Chalich told Josh Wright of the Spokesman-Review he would prefer to redshirt his first season as a Vandal. Chalich is one of three quarterbacks committed to Idaho’s recruiting class.

Johmel Charles, fullback, Dominguez High School – (Compton, Calif.)
Commit status: undecided

If Charles ends up in Moscow he could be exactly what Idaho’s running game has been missing. The third and short, goal-line situations were so bad for the Vandals in 2011, that by the end of the year linebacker Korey Toomer was getting carries in order to convert first downs. Charles brings a 240-pound frame to the table and is a punishing blocker. He played defensive end, offensive line and running back in high school and could even translate to linebacker at the college level. Charles has offers from Southern Methodist and Fresno State as well. He is said to be favoring Boise State, but does not have an offer from coach Chris Petersen and the Broncos.

Matt Willis, linebacker, Los Angeles Harbor Junior College
Commit status: solid verbal

With the departure of Tre’Shawn Robinson the Vandals could be counting on Willis to compete for a now-vacant inside linebacker spot. Willis has good sideline-to-sideline speed and is an aggressive run-stopper who fits the Vandals’ defensive scheme well. He was a JUCO all-American at Los Angeles Harbor.

Other names to keep an eye on:

Jayshawn Jordan, cornerback, O’dea High School (Seattle, Wash.)
Commit status: soft verbal

Jordan originally committed to Wyoming but according to Doug Pacey of the Tacoma News Tribune, has switched his commitment to Idaho. Rivals.com has him committed to both schools, curiously. We’ll know for sure on signing day.

Cranston Jones, cornerback, West Mesquite High School (Mesquite, Tex.)
Commit status: solid verbal

There is a reason Idaho is attacking the secondary in this recruiting class. The Vandals convinced Jones to resist offers from Houston and Air Force in order to come to Moscow. ESPN ranks him No. 32 best corner prospect in the country. If Idaho is able to ink these potential Vandals, fans can expect them to make an immediate impact in fall 2012 and Akey better hope they do.

Vandals looking strong in the summertime heat

Midsummer in Moscow – and already, hoops watchers have a chance to see the Vandals back in action.

Most of the 2009-10 Idaho Vandals men’s basketball squad have arrived on campus for summer workouts, and in the heat of the afternoon, Mem Gym echoes with the sound of leather on hardwood and the shouts of determined young ballplayers. Official practices are some ways off, but open gym is just that, and the Vandals are making good use of the time. From a perch in the balcony, the tension is already palpable.

It’s early in the game, but first appearances are promising.

One question that had nagged Vandal-watchers was the role of senior point guard Steffan Johnson. With senior Mac Hopson showing star qualities in that role last year, where would Johnson fit in as he emerged from his transfer-redshirt season? Would a chemistry-damaging rivalry undermine the strong unity of 2008-09′s tight-knit team? Would there be a battle for playing time or split starts?

But seeing the two on court together, it’s clear that Coach Don Verlin had a plan for Johnson all along, and that the redshirt year has been well-used. Hopson and Johnson are working as a well-oiled and dynamic guard team, setting each other up and dishing off like they’ve been playing together for years. Johnson is a fearless competitor, juking and driving hard to the hoop, while showing the ability to knock down long jumpers seemingly at will. Mac’s 3-point game looks even better than before, too.

Jeff Ledbetter, a junior transfer guard from Irvine Valley College, looks to slot in alongside Luciano de Souza as a second 3-point specialist. De Souza and Luiz Toledo are both absent, playing in the World University Games.

True freshman Joe Kammerer, a 6-9 forward/center out of Eugene, Ore., could see solid playing time off the bench this year, as he brings much-needed depth to the post position. In man-to-man play, he matched up fairly well with Marvin Jefferson — though he was clearly out-muscled by the veteran big man. He would seem, at first glance, to be a redshirt candidate, but Joe told Vandal Nation that he’ll be playing this fall, and the newcomer is working overtime on strength conditioning. We’ll have a complete interview with Joe later in the month.

The presence of Marcus Lawrence, a mercurial junior guard who earlier left UNLV under something of a cloud, dispelled any rumors that he’d left the program — though we’ve been unable to confirm his scholarship status.

Returning starters Brandon Wiley and Kashif Watson have also been playing hard, and perhaps even harder now that the competition on their own team is getting tougher. It’ll be interesting to watch their progression this summer, with the Vandals’ starting five still probably in flux.

In a smart move that gives both squads more experience, several WSU Cougar players participated in the scrimmaging as well.

Kyle Barone, Shawn Henderson and Travis Blackstock were also out on court. I’m not sure if Landon Tatum and Corey Stern were there, but we’ll follow up on the loose ends as the summer workouts progress.

National LOI Day is here!

As anyone with a pulse and even a passing interest in college sports knows, today is the National Letter of Intent Day for football – the first day that recruits can sign with a university. Sports information directors around the nation are pulling overtime, suites are filled with celebrating boosters and cable sports networks are breathlessly reporting every move.

The University of Idaho athletics department is holding a party in Moscow at the University Inn across the street from campus, starting at 5 p.m. Coach Robb Akey, AD Rob Spear and other staff will be talking about the new class of gridiron Vandals.

As the pesky annoyance known as “class” prevents me from attending the gathering, GoVandals.net will be your best bet for up-to-the-minute coverage. We’ll have analysis at Vandal Nation later on.