In search of a QB; Walk-on Tracy has joined Nooy at head of UI competition

MOSCOW - At first glance, Luke Tracy seems to be a long-shot in Idaho's wide-open quarterback competition. Unlike his fellow passers, Tracy wasn't with the team last season, and he wasn't a ballyhooed recruit.

In fact, he doesn't even own a scholarship.

But the 6-foot-1 junior walk-on does have the nimblest feet in the QB mix, not to mention a respectable arm. And his taste is impeccable.

During the Vandals' scrimmage Saturday, Tracy was wearing No. 17 - the number that belonged to John Friesz during his record-setting UI career in the late 1980s.

"It's good to have heroes, isn't it?" new coach Robb Akey said. "... You know Tracy is no dummy if that's the one he wants to pick out."

One week into spring practice, Tracy and Brian Nooy have jumped to the lead in the quarterback race. They took all the snaps with the first-string offense during Idaho's first spring scrimmage, held on a warm, cloudless morning.

Tracy spent the last two seasons at Fullerton College in California. The junior transfer was offered a Vandal scholarship during the Dennis Erickson regime, but the proposition was in limbo when the former coach absconded to Arizona State.

But Idaho assistants Jonathan Smith and Johnny Nansen - the only holdovers from Erickson's staff - stayed in touch with Tracy. They told him there was no longer an available scholarship, but he would get a crack at the starting job.

"So that's what I decided to do," said Tracy, who is from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "I had a couple offers from other schools, but this is close to home for me, so I decided to come up here and take a shot."

During Saturday's limited scrimmage time - less than an hour was devoted to 11-on-11 play - neither Tracy nor Nooy had abundant success against the top defense. The only touchdown notched by the No. 1 offense came on a carry by running back Deonte Jackson during a red-zone drill.

The most successful quarterback was Nathan Enderle, a redshirt freshman. He led the No. 2 offense to two field goals and a touchdown, but those scores came against the second defense. (Chris Joseph, the last of the prominent quarterback candidates, engineered a field-goal drive.)

"I do think that's a work in progress," Akey said of the QB battle. "Is it starting to separate? It may be. That depends on how everybody reacts as we take what happened during the course of this week and we look at going on in the future. But, yeah, I think Nooy and Tracy have both done some good things."

The most impressive unit might have been the top defense. During one series, linebackers Jo Artis Ratti and Brandon Ogletree stopped ballcarriers in their tracks with stinging licks.

"As a linebacker crew, we kind of set the pace, we set the tempo," said senior-to-be David Vobora. "We get everybody organized, and a lot of them feed off of us. When you make plays like that, energy comes with that, so it's a good feeling."

The most-used running backs were Jackson, a redshirt freshman from Warren, Ark., and Jayson Bird, the veteran from Shelley, Idaho.

The session drew a large crowd to the Vandals' outdoor practice field. Most in attendance were football players still in high school, invited by Akey to check out the campus and program.

"I think there's some good kids here today," he said, "and I hope that they'd be excited about what they saw out here."

- Tracy might not keep No. 17 come the start of the season. Idaho retired it in honor of Friesz during the Boise State game last fall. ... Punts and kickoffs weren't part of the scrimmage, but Idaho's kickers went 3-for-3 on field goals. Tino Amancio converted tries from 37 and 36 yards while Vincente Rico hit a 33-yarder. ... Defensive lineman Siua Musika didn't suit up for this workout. He tweaked his knee last week, Akey said, but might return for Tuesday's session. ... The Vandals will hold 10 a.m. scrimmages the next two Saturdays, then stage their Silver and Gold game April 27.

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Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com