Ex-QB McCain catching on with Vandals

Josh McCain was on Idaho football coach Paul Petrino's radar two years ago, when Petrino was offensive coordinator at Arkansas, and Kris Cinkovich, who is currently Idaho's assistant head coach, was assistant head coach and coaching receivers at Arkansas.

"We knew about him, and talked to him," Petrino recalled earlier this week, in his weekly news conference with area media. " We thought he was a running quarterback, but also thought he was athletic enough to be a good receiver at that time."

So when Petrino landed the head coaching job at Idaho following that 2012 season, and brought Cinkovich with him, they continued to recruit McCain out of junior college.

"To be brutally honest, we knew we weren't going to still be at Arkansas," Petrino admitted. His brother, Bobby, had been fired as Razorbacks coach in April 2012 following the infamous "mistress and the motorcycle accident" affair. John L. Smith, a former Vandal coach, was interim head coach that year, and another coach, who would bring in his own assistants, would be brought in the following year.

"We knew wherever we ended up, that was a kid that was athletic and a good player, and you might want to recruit him," Paul Petrino said. "As soon as we got here, he was the first kid we called."

McCain came to Idaho as a running quarterback in 2013, and had limited success in that position with the Vandals until a shoulder injury ended his season.

With Chad Chalich coming back as quarterback, Matt Linehan coming off his redshirt season and Jake Luton coming in as a freshman, the Vandals appeared well-stocked at the position. Petrino moved McCain to wide receiver in spring ball, and McCain flourished.

He has continued to flourish this fall, as a senior. After three games, McCain leads the conference and is third nationally in touchdown receptions with five. He also leads the Sun Belt in receiving yards per game (123.7, which is seventh nationally), and is 17th nationally with 371 total receiving yards.

"He goes up and catches the ball so well with his hands," Petrino said. "He's had some plays where he just goes up and takes the ball away from people. And he's good with the ball in his hands after the catch ... You wish that he had one more year, because he's going to get better every single day."

Idaho (0-3) plays host to South Alabama (1-2) on Saturday in Sun Belt Conference play in the Kibbie Dome. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.

A handful of pro scouts have visited Vandal practices this fall, and Petrino said if the 6-foot-2, 177-pound McCain was not on an NFL team's radar by now, "he will be soon." But Petrino also stressed that McCain needs to be focused on the present, and getting better each day.

"He keeps doing what he can do, there's no question he'll get into a (pro) camp," Petrino said.

Notes: McCain is second in the Sun Belt in receptions per game with 6.7 (25th nationally). Three other Vandals are in the top 10 in the conference in receptions per game - Deon Watson of Coeur d'Alene High (third), Justin Podrabsky of Lewiston High (fourth) and Richard Montgomery (sixth).