Idaho (Big Sky) head coach Jason Eck has left for the same position with New Mexico (Mountain West). Eck spent three years with the Vandals, guiding them to three straight FCS Playoff appearances including back-to-back quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.
Eck was named Idaho’s head coach after the 2021 season to replace Paul Petrino. Petrino spent 9 seasons in charge of Idaho guiding them from the FBS to the FCS and went 15-25 overall and 11-19 in his final four years from 2018 through 2021. Eck’s first season saw the team improve from 4-7 to 7-5 and a 3rd place tie in the Big Sky. The Vandals were an at-large selection for the FCS Playoffs and lost the first-round game at Southeastern Lousiana (Southland).
The 2023 season started 5-1 including a dominant win 33-6 on the road against FBS Nevada (Mountain West). The Vandals dropped two Big Sky games by 2 points each, finished tied for second in the conference, and were awarded the 4th seed in the 2023 FCS Playoffs. After defeating Southern Illinois (MVFC) 20-17 in overtime, Idaho lost the quarterfinal matchup at home against Albany (CAA) 30-22. Eck and Idaho agreed to a two-year extension in the offseason that would have kept him with the school through the 2028 season.
The 2024 campaign started with a close 24-14 loss on the road against Oregon (Big Ten) and was followed by three straight wins against Wyoming out of the Mountain West, #17 Albany, and #19 Abilene Christian (UAC). The Vandals lost at #14 UC Davis, defeated #25 Northern Arizona, and then dropped a 38-7 game at #3 Montana State to start conference play. The team won the final 5 games to reach 9-3 overall and received the #8 seed in the 2024 FCS Playoffs. After a second-round win at home against Lehigh (Patriot), the Vandals were walloped 52-19 by fellow Big Sky member Montana State in the quarterfinals. Despite the sour ending, Eck guided the team through multiple injuries at the quarterback position to secure a top 8 seed.
Eck went 26-13 overall and 18-6 in the Big Sky in his three-year tenure with Idaho. The 10-4 record posted in 2024 was the third time the Vandals won 10 or more games. Eck also won against the FBS twice in his three seasons, which were the first victories against FBS opponents since the school returned to the FCS in 2018.
Photo Credit to the University of Idaho Athletics
