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Mar. 28—MOSCOW — Nine former Idaho players are attempting to accomplish their dreams of playing professional football. A great Pro Day is a step in the right direction.
The Vandals worked out in front of professional football scouts for UI's Pro Day on Thursday at the Kibbie Dome.
Idaho players present included defensive backs Corry Thomas Jr., K.J. Trujillo, Kyrin Beachem and Tommy McCormick, defensive lineman Jahkari Larmond, linebacker Mathias Bertram and tight end Mike Martinez.
Two former Vandal wide receivers also took part in the Pro Day — Terez Traynor (2021-23) and Mujeeb Rufai (2019-22). Traynor played the 2024 season on the Charlotte 49ers, while Rufai spent the last two years with the University of Mary Marauders.
NFL scouts from the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks were present.
The nearly-five-hour affair started at 8 a.m. with measurements for height and weight. Then the series of tests and drills began.
They started with the 225-pound bench press, followed by the vertical jump in the UI weight room.
The players being tested, along with family members and many of the players on the current Vandal football team, then mobbed their way into the Kibbie Dome.
The players proceeded to do the broad jump and the 40-yard dash, which was timed by just about everybody in the facility, be that coaches, parents, scouts, media and current Vandals supporting the Pro Day players.
After the 40-yard dash came the positional drills as the whole building looked on.
Thomas Jr. showcase
Thomas Jr. showed up and showed out at the Idaho Pro Day.
Thomas, who measured at 5-foot-11 and weighed 180 pounds, benched 17 reps. He had the team high in most of the drills. He posted a 39-inch vertical and ran an unofficial 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Thomas set the team high on the day in broad jump as well, jumping 10 feet, 5 inches.
"I came out here confident. I kind of had an idea of what I was going to do. But I'm kind of upset about the vert, I wanted 40-plus. But 39 I can't be too mad about," Thomas said, only half-joking.
Thomas started his college career at Eastern Michigan in 2019, where he spent his first four seasons, including a redshirt year and a COVID year.
He then transferred to Northern Iowa in 2023 and played all 11 games for the Panthers. Thomas earned 44 tackles, forced a fumble and had two interceptions.
Last year for Idaho, he totaled 31 tackles, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
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"I had a lot of fun, I dreamt about this day for a long, long time. I'm glad I came out here and put up some good numbers. Definitely satisfied throughout the day," Thomas said. "Aim for the sky, hopefully I get drafted based on the numbers I got. Got some decent film, got some good special teams film. Came out here to try to get a shot at whatever opportunity that may be."
He said that he was especially grateful for his mom to be at the Pro Day. She came to Moscow from Michigan to watch him perform. Thomas said being with his mom gave him a jolt of energy and a large amount of extra motivation.
Notable statistics
Defensive lineman Jahkari Larmond led the team in reps on the bench press with 28. The 6-2 and 315-pound Larmond jumped a 28-inch vertical and ran an unofficial 5.28 40-yard dash.
Kyrin Beachem, a 6-foot and 195-pound defensive back, reached 33 1/2 inches on his vertical. He jumped 10-3 in the broad jump and ran an unofficial 4.54 40-yard dash.
K.J. Trujillo jumped 36 inches on his vertical attempt. The 6-foot 185-pound defensive back reached 10-4 on his broad jump and ran an unofficial 4.53 in the 40.
Linebacker Mathias Bertram performed well also. The 6-2, 206-pound linebacker had 16 reps on the bench and jumped 35 inches in his vertical. In his broad jump he reached 10-3 and ran an unofficial 4.64 40-time.
Tommy McCormick, a 6-1, 210-pound defensive back, had 23 reps on the bench and jumped 36 inches in his vertical. His broad jump was 10-1 and he ran an unofficial 4.56 40-time.
Vandal pride
The players were supportive of each other during the whole event, yelling to push their teammates and to bring energy to the Dome.
The players each said that they began training for the Pro Day in early January at their respective gyms and with their own trainers. Some trained together.
McCormick said he was proud of all the players that participated in the Pro Day.
"Proud of all the guys that showed up. I thought we showed the type of players we have on this team and we all showed out today, which was really cool. Proud of all my guys out here," McCormick said.
Thomas also said that he was appreciative of his teammates.
"I appreciate all these guys, my brothers out here," Thomas said. "We encouraged each other a lot throughout this day."
Most of the players said they are just looking for a foot in the door, whether that be a late-round draft pick, a priority free agent or a camp invite to the NFL. They also said they are simply looking to continue playing football even if that means the Canadian Football League or the UFL.
Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @TrevorJunt.
Continue reading...
The Vandals worked out in front of professional football scouts for UI's Pro Day on Thursday at the Kibbie Dome.
Idaho players present included defensive backs Corry Thomas Jr., K.J. Trujillo, Kyrin Beachem and Tommy McCormick, defensive lineman Jahkari Larmond, linebacker Mathias Bertram and tight end Mike Martinez.
Two former Vandal wide receivers also took part in the Pro Day — Terez Traynor (2021-23) and Mujeeb Rufai (2019-22). Traynor played the 2024 season on the Charlotte 49ers, while Rufai spent the last two years with the University of Mary Marauders.
NFL scouts from the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks were present.
The nearly-five-hour affair started at 8 a.m. with measurements for height and weight. Then the series of tests and drills began.
They started with the 225-pound bench press, followed by the vertical jump in the UI weight room.
The players being tested, along with family members and many of the players on the current Vandal football team, then mobbed their way into the Kibbie Dome.
The players proceeded to do the broad jump and the 40-yard dash, which was timed by just about everybody in the facility, be that coaches, parents, scouts, media and current Vandals supporting the Pro Day players.
After the 40-yard dash came the positional drills as the whole building looked on.
Thomas Jr. showcase
Thomas Jr. showed up and showed out at the Idaho Pro Day.
Thomas, who measured at 5-foot-11 and weighed 180 pounds, benched 17 reps. He had the team high in most of the drills. He posted a 39-inch vertical and ran an unofficial 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Thomas set the team high on the day in broad jump as well, jumping 10 feet, 5 inches.
"I came out here confident. I kind of had an idea of what I was going to do. But I'm kind of upset about the vert, I wanted 40-plus. But 39 I can't be too mad about," Thomas said, only half-joking.
Thomas started his college career at Eastern Michigan in 2019, where he spent his first four seasons, including a redshirt year and a COVID year.
He then transferred to Northern Iowa in 2023 and played all 11 games for the Panthers. Thomas earned 44 tackles, forced a fumble and had two interceptions.
Last year for Idaho, he totaled 31 tackles, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
"I had a lot of fun, I dreamt about this day for a long, long time. I'm glad I came out here and put up some good numbers. Definitely satisfied throughout the day," Thomas said. "Aim for the sky, hopefully I get drafted based on the numbers I got. Got some decent film, got some good special teams film. Came out here to try to get a shot at whatever opportunity that may be."
He said that he was especially grateful for his mom to be at the Pro Day. She came to Moscow from Michigan to watch him perform. Thomas said being with his mom gave him a jolt of energy and a large amount of extra motivation.
Notable statistics
Defensive lineman Jahkari Larmond led the team in reps on the bench press with 28. The 6-2 and 315-pound Larmond jumped a 28-inch vertical and ran an unofficial 5.28 40-yard dash.
Kyrin Beachem, a 6-foot and 195-pound defensive back, reached 33 1/2 inches on his vertical. He jumped 10-3 in the broad jump and ran an unofficial 4.54 40-yard dash.
K.J. Trujillo jumped 36 inches on his vertical attempt. The 6-foot 185-pound defensive back reached 10-4 on his broad jump and ran an unofficial 4.53 in the 40.
Linebacker Mathias Bertram performed well also. The 6-2, 206-pound linebacker had 16 reps on the bench and jumped 35 inches in his vertical. In his broad jump he reached 10-3 and ran an unofficial 4.64 40-time.
Tommy McCormick, a 6-1, 210-pound defensive back, had 23 reps on the bench and jumped 36 inches in his vertical. His broad jump was 10-1 and he ran an unofficial 4.56 40-time.
Vandal pride
The players were supportive of each other during the whole event, yelling to push their teammates and to bring energy to the Dome.
The players each said that they began training for the Pro Day in early January at their respective gyms and with their own trainers. Some trained together.
McCormick said he was proud of all the players that participated in the Pro Day.
"Proud of all the guys that showed up. I thought we showed the type of players we have on this team and we all showed out today, which was really cool. Proud of all my guys out here," McCormick said.
Thomas also said that he was appreciative of his teammates.
"I appreciate all these guys, my brothers out here," Thomas said. "We encouraged each other a lot throughout this day."
Most of the players said they are just looking for a foot in the door, whether that be a late-round draft pick, a priority free agent or a camp invite to the NFL. They also said they are simply looking to continue playing football even if that means the Canadian Football League or the UFL.
Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @TrevorJunt.
Continue reading...
