Petrino's son signs with Vandals

Idaho football coach Paul Petrino didn’t have to look far for one member of his 2016 signing class.

His son, Mason Petrino, a standout quarterback at Pullman High, has planned to be a Vandal for some time.

“I’ve been working out with him since he could walk,” Paul Petrino said Wednesday, in a news conference to announce his fourth signing class. “My brother (Louisville coach Bobby Petrino) said his best position is receiver.”

Mason Petrino is listed at quarterback on Idaho’s recruiting list, but will come in as an “athlete,” meaning he could also play wide receiver.

“He’s going to be a good one. It’s been a dream of mine to coach him someday,” Paul Petrino said, noting he played for his father at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.

All told, the Vandals announced a signing class of 18 players, which included just two junior college transfers and one graduate transfer. Nearly half of Petrino’s past classes at Idaho have consisted of JC players.

“It’s nice to sign a bunch of high school kids,” he said.

The Vandals went big on defense, signing five defensive linemen and three linebackers, because more guys are coming back on offense, Petrino said.

Petrino has always stressed speed in recruiting, but this year also looked for physicalness.

“These guys can all still run, but I definitely wanted to get tougher on defense,” he said. “I wanted to go out and sign guys that are physical, tough-nosed football players.”

One of those, defensive back Qendarrion Barnett from Macon, Miss., will “run around and hit you,” Petrino said. “We’ll play him at safety, and it’s a safety I’ve wanted forever — he’ll come up and knock you.”

Other regional athletes signed by the Vandals include safety Ty Graham of Cheney High and “athlete” Dylan Beeler of Clarkston High, who could play linebacker or fullback.

Linebacker Jaden Gardner, from Notre Dame High in Riverside, Calif., is the son of former Vandal standout Bryson Gardner, who unexpectedly passed away last summer — the day Jaden was offered a scholarship to Idaho.

Idaho won a recruiting battle with UTEP for Chris Hunter, a receiver from Lakes High in Tacoma. Petrino said he’s one of the newbies who will likely see playing time immediately, along with receiver/defensive back Lloyd Hightower from Temecula, Calif., Barnett and Dylan Thigpen, a running back from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Of the 18 signees, seven are from California, five from Washington, two from Mississippi and one each from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Massachusetts.

Among the handful of grayshirts coming in this season include former Lakeland High kicker/punter Cade Coffey, whom Petrino envisions redshirting this fall, then taking over both duties when Austin Rehkow graduates after this season.

They’ll join three JC transfers who signed in December.

Petrino said, in recruiting this year’s class, he sold the recruits on Idaho’s improvement — after back-to-back one-win seasons, the Vandals won four games last year and, in his words, “blew two games.” That helped overcome any uncertainty whether Idaho will remain in the Sun Belt Conference after the 2017 season, which will be determined in March.

“The biggest thing I sold is we’re in the Sun Belt, and we’re going to be in a bowl game next year,” Petrino said.