Vandals quickly hire Ford to replace Eck

MOSCOW — Former Idaho assistant coach Thomas Ford was named Wednesday as the Vandals' new head football coach, Idaho athletic director Terry Gawlik announced.

Ford replaces Jason Eck, who went 26-13 in three seasons at Idaho with three FCS playoff appearances. Eck was named head coach at New Mexico on Saturday.

Ford, the 37th head football coach in Idaho football history, was running backs coach at Oregon State in the 2024 season. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as Idaho's special teams coordinator and running backs coach.

"I couldn't be more excited to be coming back to the Palouse," Ford said in a university news release. "This place is truly special and want to continue the standard of excellence that has been set by coach Eck. We're going to be aggressive in everything we do. Schematically on offense, defense, and special teams and especially in recruiting. We will continue bringing in high character athletes that will help us take the program to the next level.

"I can't wait to get back home and get to work."

Ford spent the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Oregon State University. In 2024, the Oregon State rushing attack racked up 2,270 yards, led by Anthony Hankerson who had 1,082 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Under Ford, Idaho's special teams and running back units were among the best in the FCS.

In 2023, Anthony Woods ran for 1,155 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading an effort that saw Idaho rush for 2,077 total yards and 22 TDs and 2,057 yards and 22 TD in 2022.

Two players who played special teams under Ford, long snapper Hogan Hatten and returner Jermaine Jackson, earned NFL Roster spots in 2024.

Ford leveraged his connections in the Pacific Northwest to establish Idaho as a go-to destination for recruits in the I-5 corridor. Dozens of players have come to Idaho from Western Washington and the Portland area from connections to the Idaho staff established by Ford.

"It was clear during our interview process that Thomas is the man to lead Vandal football into the future," Gawlik said "He knows what it takes to win at Idaho. He is an elite recruiter who was instrumental in laying the foundation of our recent success. We are confident in the future of Vandal football as we look forward to working with coach Ford and his staff."

Prior to his time at Idaho, Ford was a quality control analyst for two years at the University of Washington.

He spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division III Simon Frasier University in Burnaby, British Columbia. He led SFU to their first win in four seasons and was named the 2018 GNAC Coach of the Year.

Before his time at SFU, he was the head coach at Stadium High in Tacoma from 2014-17. He took an 0-10 team that had not seen a winning season in over two decades and to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

Ford was the defensive coordinator at the University of Puget Sound during the 2013 season.

He was wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at SE Oklahoma State from 2009-12. He coached running backs at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., from 2007-08.

He played running back and ran track at Linfield. Ford set the Wildcats' single-game rushing record (237 yards against Redlands) in 2003. Linfield was 41-4 during Ford's playing career. He ranks still ranks fifth all-time on the career rushing list with 2,333 yards. 

Ford was a two-time Northwest Conference all-star, a member of four straight Northwest Conference championship teams, and team captain of Linfield's 2004 NCAA Division III national title team that was inducted into the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

He played four years of professional indoor football, winning a National Indoor Football League championship with the Tri-Cities Fever in 2005.

Ford’s brother Tracy Ford played for the Vandals in the 2000s.

Ford and his wife Shannon have two children, a daughter Zoey and son Kingston.

An introductory press conference will be held as soon as possible, Idaho said.