Vandal Football Camps
If there is anyone who knows Paul Petrino almost as well as he knows himself, it likely is Kris Cinkovich, who coached Petrino at Carroll College in late 1980s. “That was as big a commitment as I’ve gotten,” said Petrino of his hiring of Cinkovich to coordinate the Vandal offense and coach the wide receivers. “That was huge.” Not only have Cinkovich's teams and players garnered accolades for their achievements, he was recognized last February by 247sports.com as one of the top 50 recruiters in the country. Given his regional roots (he is a native of the Northwest), that is a huge plus, Petrino says.
“He has great ties out here,” said Petrino, who comes to Idaho from Arkansas after a successful stint as an His players have made impacts and set records everywhere he’s been. In the 2012 NFL Draft, Arkansas receivers tied a draft record as for the 14th time in draft history, and third time by the SEC, a school had three different wide receivers selected in the same draft. Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs were all drafted in the fourth round, marking the sixth time in draft history a school had three receivers picked in the first four rounds. Cinkovich tutored Cobi Hamilton to the best season by a wide receiver in Arkansas history and one of the top seasons ever put together in the SEC. Hamilton broke UA records for single-season receptions with 90, tied for third on the SEC’s single-season list and single-season receiving yards with 1,335, the fourth-highest total in SEC history, and career receptions with 175, taking down marks set a year earlier by Wright under Cinkovich’s guidance. Hamilton led the SEC and ranked fifth in the NCAA with his average of 111.25 receiving yards per game and topped the conference and tied for 12th in the country with an average of 7.50 catches per game. Hamilton also was the only player in the SEC and one of three in the nation with at least five games with 10 or more catches in 2012, becoming the first player in UA history with more than one game of 10 or more catches in a career. During the 2011 season, Cinkovich again molded the UA receivers into one of the most dominant groups in the country. Arkansas led the SEC in passing offense (300.7), total offense (438.1) and scoring offense (36.8) to become just the fifth different school to lead the conference in all three categories in a single season and the first since Florida in 2001. The Razorbacks topped the conference in passing offense for the third straight season and became the second SEC team since 1992 to lead the conference in passing offense for at least three straight seasons. Arkansas was one of two schools to place two receivers in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards per game and receptions per game. Wright earned first-team All-SEC accolades after he broke the UA single-season record for receptions (66), receiving yards (1,117) and touchdown receptions (12). He topped the conference and tied for seventh in the country in receiving touchdowns and led the SEC and ranked 18th in the NCAA with his average of 93.1 receiving yards per game, making him the first Razorback in school history to lead the SEC in that category. His 5.5 receptions-per-game average ranked second in the conference. Wright also broke Arkansas’ career receptions (168) and career receiving yards (2,934) records and left ranking second in school history in 100-yard receiving games (9) and receiving touchdowns (24). Adams ranked second on Arkansas’ career receptions list with 164 and fourth in school history with 2,410 receiving yards, 17 touchdowns and seven 100-yard receiving games. He finished the 2011 season fourth in the SEC with his average of 4.2 receptions per game and eighth in the conference with an average of 50.2 receiving yards per game. In 2010 during the Razorbacks’ campaign toward the school’s first BCS appearance, Cinkovich’s unit tied for the SEC lead with nine different games featuring a 100-yard receiver. UA was one of two schools in the conference to have four different receivers top 100 yards. Arkansas also was one of two schools in the SEC to have two receivers rank in the top 10 in the conference in receiving yards per game. Before Arkansas, Cinkovich coached three of the top four all-time reception leaders in UNLV history. Ryan Wolfe finished his career ranked first in the UNLV record books with 283 receptions, a total that stood 12th all-time in NCAA history. Wolfe signed with the Atlanta Falcons after leaving the Rebels. Casey Flair was the second-leading receiver in school history with 202 receptions, and Earvin Johnson finished fourth with 183 receptions. Cinkovich also assisted with a passing attack that ranked in the top 50 nationally in 2008 and 2009, accounting for 40 passing touchdowns. UNLV also led the nation in red zone production in 2008 (95 percent) and third-down efficiency in 2009 (46.39 percent). During the 2006 season, Wolfe set several Mountain West Conference and UNLV freshman records while both Wolfe and Flair earned All-MWC honors. It was the first time since 1994 that a pair of Rebel receivers picked up all-conference accolades. Flair broke the school record for career receptions in 2007, only to be passed by Wolfe. Cinkovich came to UNLV in 2003 from Las Vegas High School, where he oversaw the Wildcats for nine seasons and built one of the state’s top programs en route to compiling a record of 79-24. In 1995, he took LVHS to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and in 2001 brought the school its first state championship since 1959. Cinkovich’s squads won three regional titles and were ranked among the best on the west coast three times by USA TODAY. He was inducted into the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004. Cinkovich played collegiately at Spokane Falls Community College from 1979-80 and Carroll College from 1981-82 as an offensive lineman. A 1984 graduate of Carroll College in Helena, Mont., Cinkovich earned his master’s degree from Central Washington in 1987. He and his wife, Joanie, have two daughters, Carly and Stephanie.
Ronnie Lee is returning to the Palouse where he played football for and graduated from Washington State University before spending 1992 coaching the secondary at the University of Idaho. His coaching career since he left the Palouse has taken him across the country – and now back. “He’s had all kinds of experience,” said head coach Paul Petrino, who roomed with Lee when both were assistants at Idaho in 1992. “He’s definitely a great teacher. He’s a motivator. He’s a disciplinarian. Any time you can get disciplinarians at your coordinator positions, that’s good because they’re speaking the same language I am.” It didn’t take long for Petrino to make the call to Lee.
“Ronnie was the first guy I called; the first guy I asked to be defensive coordinator,” said Petrino of Lee, who was Most recently, Lee was at Indiana State University as the Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator in 2012. The Sycamore finished the season 7-4 behind a ground game led by running back Shakir Bell, who averaged 134.1 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. At Idaho, though, he will return to the defensive side of the ball – where he played as a Cougar and spent the majority of his coaching career, as the Vandals’ defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Prior to Indiana State, Lee was at Minnesota from 2007-10 as the Golden Golphers' co-defensive coordinator in 2009-10 after being promoted following the 2008 season. While at Minnesota he coached cornerback Traye Simmons to Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors in 2009, which marked back-to-back conference honors for Simmons. Under Lee's tutelage, Simmons finished No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation in passes defended (1.38 per game) in 2008. Cornerback Marcus Sherels was No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the nation (1.08 per game) as well. Simmons earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2008, while safety Kyle Theret was an honorable mention selection. Minnesota finished No. 11 in the nation with 31 turnovers gained in 2008. Gopher defensive backs accounted for 15 of those 31 turnovers either by interception or fumble recovery. Under Lee's coaching, Minnesota safety Dom Barber earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media in 2007. Barber ranked ninth in the Big Ten in total tackles (100) that season and was a sixth-round choice of the Houston Texans in the 2008 NFL Draft. Prior to his time at Minnesota, Lee coached at Michigan, where he spent the 2006 campaign as the secondary coach and also worked with the Wolverines' punt return team. Lee's unit played a major role in Michigan finishing the season ranked 10th nationally in overall defense and 15th in scoring defense. The Wolverines also ranked third in the Big Ten in punt return average and 35th nationally. Under the tutelage of Lee, Wolverine cornerback Leon Hall was selected first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media in 2006. Hall was one of only two players chosen unanimously by both the coaches and media. Prior to working with the Wolverines, Lee was the defensive backs coach at Wisconsin from 2003-05. As defensive backs coach for the Badgers, Lee coached safety Jim Leonhard to first-team All-Big Ten and All-America honors in 2003 and 2004. Leonhard tied Jamar Fletcher for the most career interceptions at Wisconsin with 21. Lee helped the Badgers to three consecutive bowl games, the 2003 Music City Bowl, 2005 Outback Bowl and 2006 Capital One Bowl. Prior to his appointment with the Badgers, Lee was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at San Jose State from 2001-02. In 2002, the Spartans ranked third nationally in interceptions (23) and fourth in turnovers gained (38). Lee was also the only coach who had three players ranked among the top 100 nationally in interceptions in 2002. Before joining the San Jose State staff, Lee spent eight seasons at Colorado State (1993-2000) working with the defensive backs. Lee helped coach the Rams to five conference titles during that stretch and aided in the Rams leading the nation in turnover margin during the 1997 season. He also coached Greg Myers, the winner of the 1995 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back. Lee spent a year each at Idaho (1992) as defensive backs coach and Portland State (1991) as defensive backs/special teams coach, helping both schools to conference championships. He was a graduate assistant coach at Miami (Fla.) from 1989-90 and was a member of the Hurricanes' 1989 national championship staff. Twelve of Lee's players have played in the NFL, including Wisconsin's Scott Starks, who was a third-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005. Lee has been involved in 12 bowl games during his career, one as a player at Washington State (1988 Aloha Bowl) and 11 as an assistant coach. A native of Tulare, Calif., Lee earned his bachelor's degree from Washington State in 1989. He was a four-year letterman at defensive back (1985-88) for the Cougars and led the Pac-10 Conference in fumbles forced in 1986. Lee and his wife, Eileen, have five children: Aubree, Jamison, Kayla, Christopher and Madison.
Paul Petrino has vivid memories of Mike Mickens – as No. 21 for the University of Cincinnati, a player Petrino’s Louisville offenses had to elude. “He was a great player at Cincinnati,” Petrino said in announcing Mickens as the cornerbacks coach on his University of Idaho staff. “I coached against him for three years. We used to have some good battles. I loved he way he played the game.” As for his coaching career, Mickens came with the endorsement of new Vandal defensive coordinator Ronnie Lee with whom he worked at Indiana State in 2012. “Coach Lee is really excited to have him – a guy he can trust; a guy who’s been in the room with him,” Petrino said.
Prior to his season at Indiana State, Mickens was a defensive assistant at Cincinnati where he assisted the He was drafted by Dallas in the 2009 NFL draft. He wound up playing for both Tampa Bay and Cincinnati as well as the Calgary Stampeders before retiring because of injury. As a collegian, he is Cincinnati's career leader in interceptions (14) as well as interception return yards (296). He was named an All-American in 2007 and 2008 and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Additionally Mickens was named All-Big East three times during his career, once on the first team and twice on the second team. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mickens is a graduate of Wayne High School where he was a two-time All-Greater Western Ohio Conference cornerback and helped the Warriors to a 24-9 record as well as two league titles during his three seasons. He recorded 205 tackles, 10 interceptions and returned a kickoff for a touchdown and won the Ohio State 300-meter hurdles championship as a junior. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cincinnati in 2011.
Head Vandal football coach Paul Petrino can relate to Jason Shumaker’s coaching career. “He’s coached every position on the offensive side of the ball at a small college level,” said Petrino of Shumaker, who will coach Idaho’s running backs. “That’s how I was brought up. When you have to do that, you become a better teacher and you know how to do things.” Shumaker comes to Idaho after serving one year as Arkansas’ Director of High School Relations. Prior to joining the Arkansas staff last fall, he spent seven years of collegiate coaching at small colleges from Eastern New Mexico to Midland University. It was Petrino who was charged with vetting him for Arkansas. Not only did he see the breadth of his coaching experience but Shumaker’s career as a fullback at Kansas also caught Petrino’s attention. “He’s played at the big-time level,” Petrino said.
Shumaker went to Fayetteville after two seasons at Midland University. He was the associate head coach/offensive coordinator in 2011 and the run game coordinator/head junior varsity coach in 2010. The Warriors' offense averaged more than 30 points per game and finished in the top 30 nationally in nearly every offensive Shumaker was hired as the head coach of Dana College in December of 2009 and served in that role until the school closed in June of 2010. Prior to his time at Dana, he was at the University of Saint Mary at Leavenworth, Kan., for three seasons as the offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator and offensive line and tight ends coach. The offense he developed while at St. Mary finished as the fifth-ranked passing offense in the nation in 2008 and broke numerous school records. The offense he directed finished in the top 30 in the nation in several categories over two seasons with four games of 500 yards total offense. He coached 21 players over three seasons that were All-KCAC selections. Because of this success, he was chosen the 2008 KCAC Assistant Coach of the Year. Shumaker went to USM from Eastern New Mexico, where he served as fullbacks coach and defensive line coach over two seasons and coached three All-Lone Star Conference players. Prior to his time at ENMU, he was a teacher and a coach at Rowlett, Texas. Shumaker was born in Salina, Kan., and went to high school in Grand Prairie, Texas. From there, he attended the University of Kansas, where he played fullback for the Jayhawks. He was also a five-time Jayhawk Scholar and was named to the Big XII Commissioner's Honor Roll five times. Shumaker graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in education in 2003 and received his Master's Degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico University in 2007. He is married to the former Kate Klepper. They have one son, Davis.
Jon Carvin joins Paul Petrino’s University of Idaho football staff as the Vandals’ offensive line coach after spending three seasons at Illinois during a time when the Illini were setting school records and finding their way to the top of NCAA offensive statistics. For Petrino and Carvin, it is a reunion in Moscow. “Coach Carvin was with me at Illinois,” said Petrino, who was the offensive coordinator at Illinois in 2010-11. “He’s a young coach who reminds me a lot of myself when I coach here; a lot of the other young coaches that we had here.” Petrino said Carvin’s energy and commitment made him a logical candidate for the job.
“He has great energy,” Petrino said. “He loves to sit in the meeting room with you until all hours of the night just Carvin has worked his way up the ranks of college football. His coaching career started at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute where he was a defensive intern for two seasons (outside linebackers in 2005 and defensive ends in 2006). From Worcester, he went to Lafayette College where he coached defensive backs in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, he moved to linebackers and worked with the punt return team. Success has been a part of his path. At Lafayette, the Leopards were the top-ranked FCS defense in 2007 and the secondary led the Patriot League in 2007 and 2008. He made the move to offense when he made the move to Illinois. As an assistant to offensive line coach Joe Gilbert, Carvin helped guide a line that paved the way for school records in total points and points per game as well as Mikel Leshoure’s school-record 1,697 yards rushing in 2010. That same season, with Petrino as the offensive coordinator, the Illini were the Big Ten rushing leader and finished 11th nationally in rushing. In 2011, tackle Jeff Allen was a second-round NFL draft choice. Carvin is a 2004 graduate of the University of Albany (New York), where he was a two-year starter at outside linebacker during Albany’s back-to-back (2002, 2003) Northeast Conference championship seasons. He and his wife, Lisa, have one daughter, Kinsie.
Bryce Erickson truly is coming home when he returns to Moscow to join Paul Petrino’s Vandal staff. Erickson, the son of former Idaho coach Dennis Erickson, was born in Moscow when his father was an assistant at Idaho under Ed Troxel in 1975. While he has spent most of his coaching career in the collegiate ranks, he was at South Albany (Ore.) High School last fall. The lure of college coaching brought him back to Moscow where he will coach either the Vandals’ receivers or quarterbacks coach. Petrino said his coaching pedigree spoke volumes. “His dad was a legendary coach here,” Petrino said. “He grew up a lot like I did as a coach’s son. We’re just fortunate to have another Erickson here. It’ll be great to have him.” Erickson’s experience, too, caught Petrino’s attention. “I met Bryce out on the road recruiting quite a bit,” Petrino said. “I’ve always heard great things about him as a recruiter so that was intriguing to me.”
Then there is Erickson’s experience at Arizona State and New Mexico Highlands. “He can coach a lot of different positions,” Petrino said. Erickson was the running backs coach at Arizona State from 2009-11 after serving as a graduate assistant for the Sun Devils in 2007-08 as an assistant quarterbacks coach and with the overall offense. In 2010, Erickson guided one of only two Pac-12 Conference returning running back duos in which both players amassed 500 rushing yards, as Cameron Marshall and Deantre Lewis join only LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner of Oregon for that honor. Marshall and Lewis combined for over 1,300 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns in 2010. Prior to joining ASU, Erickson spent the previous three seasons on the coaching staff at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M. He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons as the quarterbacks coach before becoming offensive coordinator during the 2006 season. Erickson played college football at the University of Miami in 1993, before finishing his career at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Erickson earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from New Mexico Highlands in 2006.
Tight Ends Coach Former San Diego Charger and one-time FCS single-season receptions record holder Al Pupunu is coach Paul Petrino's choice as the Vandals' tight ends coach.
Pupunu, who came to Idaho in 2010 after two seasons at Southern Utah University, spent nine seasons in the NFL - seven with the Chargers. A tight end, he was the Offensive Player of the Game in the 1994 AFC Championship game and averaged 9.8 yard He made his collegiate mark at Weber State when he led the FCS in receptions with 93 in 1991. That mark still stands as the second-best ever by a tight end in FCS history. He was able to parlay that playing knowledge to coaching with Daniel Hardy, who was in Pupunu's first tight ends group at Idaho, being drafted by Tampa Bay. A native of Tonga, Pupunu attended Dixie State College for two years before transferring to Weber State. Not only was he an all-conference performer at Weber State, he was a Walter Camp All-American and is in the Wildcats' Hall of Fame as well as the Dixie College Hall of Fame and Utah Sports Hall of Fame. He was presented with the Distinguished Utahn Award by former Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher. He and his wife, Mindi, have four children - Miley, Kade, Brynnli and Kenna.
Vaught is in his fifth season as Director of Football Operations after earning his master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership at the University of Washington. He graduated cum laude from Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in Business. In preparing for a career in athletics adminstration, Vaught served as the interim director of the Nordstrom Tennis Center, was the assistant director of the Pac-10 Women's Golf Championship (2007) and the NCAA Volleyball Regional (2006). He also served as the visiting team liaison at the NCAA Gymnastics National Championship in 2006, assisted in Oregon State Event Management (2003-06) and Oregon State Football Operations (winter 2006). He and his wife, Bailey, were married in July 2009.
Bio Coming Soon!
Bio Coming Soon!
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Kris Cinkovich
assistant at UNLV. “I’m real excited to have him.”
Ronnie Lee
co-defensive coordinator at Minnesota in 2009-10. “For me, I hit the jackpot and got the guy I wanted. It’s great.”
Mike Mickens
defensive coaching staff in all aspects on and off the field, which included film breakdown, scouting and practice preparation.
Jason Shumaker
category in 2011.
Jon Carvin
learning football.”
Bryce Erickson
Al Pupunu
Mark Vaught
Tevita Halaholo
Nick Gilbert