Sep. 4—Talk to any coach in the country and one of the first things they say when a player goes down with an injury is “next man up.”
That is the mentality that the Idaho Vandals have going into the second game of the season against Wyoming at 12:30 p.m. Saturday (TruTV) without starting quarterback Jack Layne.
Layne suffered a collarbone injury late in the 24-14 loss to then-No. 3 Oregon that required surgery and will miss some time recuperating. With one Jack going down at quarterback, another Jack takes his place.
New starter Jack Wagner is a redshirt freshman from Tualatin, Ore. Wagner has a lot of football experience, but has not had a lot of time as a starting quarterback, playing just one season at the helm in high school. However, when he has been able to take the field, he has been fantastic.
“He has a lot of ability; it is a great opportunity for him,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “We are very excited to see him in action and have the utmost confidence in what he can do.”
Eck said that Wagner was the first scholarship quarterback that he and his staff recruited after coming to Idaho.
Wagner was a three-year starter on defense for his high school team as four-star recruit Jackson Jones held the quarterback position. When Jones committed to the University of Washington in 2022, Wagner finally had his chance to shine and that is exactly what he did.
In his one year at quarterback for Tualatin, Wagner was named an all-league quarterback and led his team to the Oregon 6A semifinals. In that season, Wagner threw for over 2,800 yards and had 29 touchdowns.
Like Layne before him, Wagner saw his only action last year against Idaho State. In his short appearance in the 63-21 blowout, the 6-foot-4 quarterback went 4-for-5 for 41 yards with an interception and touchdown pass. Wagner also used his legs to gain 42 yards on three carries.
Even before Layne went down with his injury, Wagner was able to see the field against Oregon, carrying the ball twice for a total of five yards. He did not complete either of his two pass attempts and threw an interception.
Wagner said that getting that little bit of experience was important.
“I think just going from Oregon, who had a sold-out crowd of 54,000 or so, and then Wyoming’s still going to have a really good crowd. I know they’re always pretty much sold out,” Wagner said. “So just going from Autzen Stadium to Wyoming now, I think it’s going to help me be in the moment, help me just stay calm.”
The new starting quarterback has a lot of mobility and can create more options for offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner with his ability to take off and run. Do not be surprised if you see a lot of run-pass option plays on Saturday to attempt to keep the Cowboys off balance. However, just because Wagner can run does not mean he does not have a good arm.
In practice on Tuesday, Wagner’s throwing ability was on full display as he connected on the deep ball and through tight windows. The right-handed quarterback showed a good ability to move around in the pocket to buy himself some time and open up passing lanes. As long as the freshman doesn’t allow the moment to get too big for him, his talent on the field could surprise some people.
One thing that has been beneficial for Wagner is that the No. 2 offense has had a lot of experience in fall camp going up against the same defense that held Oregon to just 24 points. There are not many defenses in the Football Championship Subdivision that will test Wagner as much as his own teammates have during practices and the pair of scrimmages.
“Jack Wagner, he’s got incredible arm talent. He can really sling that rock, put it in really tight windows,” senior safety Tommy McCormick said. “I’d say that’s his biggest thing, and he’s a good runner. He might not look like it, but he can move. So I’m really excited. I’m really confident in what he’s going to do, and I’m excited to see what he does out there Saturday.”
It also helps that Layne has not taken his injury laying down. The injured quarterback was on the field for the majority of practice on Tuesday looking over plays and talking with his teammates. Wagner said that the work ethic that Layne has shown has really been an inspiration.
“It’s great because he’s a very smart quarterback, great leader and holds people accountable,” Wagner said. “He’s always in here early. He’s always doing the work. He’s got a broken collarbone right now, just got surgery, but he’s still at meetings, still doing (everything), still holding people accountable. So it’s just, it’s nice to have, nice to be around someone like that.”
Wagner will have a full week of preparation before taking the field at War Memorial Stadium to take on Wyoming, but the good thing for him is that he is not doing it alone.
Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, risbelle@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.
