Vandalism: WSU's Akey to Idaho

Washington State defensive coordinator Robb Akey is the new football coach at Idaho.

Akey, 40, will be announced as the successor to Dennis Erickson today at an afternoon news conference, sources confirmed.

Akey's move will be about eight miles, from Pullman to Moscow.

"His moving expenses won't be much," one Idaho official joked.

Well-traveled Erickson jilted Idaho after one year for Arizona State and was announced as the new Sun Devils coach Dec. 12.

Akey has been on the Cougars staff since 1998 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2003, when Bill Doba succeeded Mike Price as head coach. Akey had played for Price at Weber State.

Akey, known for his exuberance and booming voice, is inheriting a program that hasn't had a winning record this decade.

Idaho was 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the Western Athletic Conference this past season under Erickson. The Vandals were 11-47 the previous five seasons. Erickson's predecessor, Nick Holt, quit after 3-9 and 2-9 seasons and joined the USC staff.

Akey has been regarded as one of the up-and-coming coaches in the Cougars program and this will be his first head coaching job. Before arriving in Pullman, he was on the staffs at Weber State (1988-94) and at Northern Arizona (1995-98). He coached the defensive line at WSU.

Akey has been looking for head-coaching opportunities. In a 2003 interview with The Times, he said, "I'd like to be a young head coach if I could."

Cougars players, including second-team All-America defensive end Mkristo Bruce this past season, have described Akey as "energetic," "enthusiastic" and "fun to play for."

Fired Michigan State coach John L. Smith was an early candidate for the Idaho job, which he held from 1989-94, but took himself out of the running. So did Montana State coach Mike Kramer, an Idaho alum whose chances reportedly were tarnished because of drug-related criminal cases for one current and two former players.

Portland State coach Tim Walsh was interviewed this week. Among the other names that surfaced during the search were Blaine Bennett, former Michigan State assistant, and Craig Ver Steeg, Rutgers offensive coordinator.

Two strong in-house candidates to succeed Akey as WSU defensive coordinator are linebackers coach Leon Burtnett, 63, and secondary coach Ken Greene, 50. Burtnett was head coach at Purdue and defensive coordinator at Fresno State, Northeast Louisiana and Arkansas State. Greene, a former Cougar who was a first-round NFL draft choice in 1978, coached linebackers and the secondary at Fresno State and the secondary at Purdue.

The Cougars are scheduled to play Idaho on Sept. 15.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com