He played for an FCS title in January. Now he’s on the Vandals’ sideline as a coach
Tucker Rovig’s body was ready to be done with football, but the Montana State quarterback couldn’t imagine his life without it.
Now he doesn’t have to.
Rovig, a 2017 Mountain View High graduate, joined the University of Idaho football staff this spring as an offensive graduate assistant under first-year Vandals head coach Jason Eck. Rovig had one year of eligibility remaining with the Bobcats but gave it up to begin pursing a career in coaching.
“My body was kind of shutting down. ... I knew that I wasn’t at the potential that I was back in like 2019,” Rovig said. “I couldn’t do the things I used to. It was kind of like a realization moment. ‘Hey, you love football. Go try and impact kids’ lives and be a coach.’”
Rovig got his first taste of live coaching Saturday during Idaho’s spring scrimmage at Eagle High, with the Vandal defense besting their offensive counterparts 61-26 in a modified scoring system.
“This job’s a lot of hours, and I have not worked a single second,” Rovig said. “This literally does not feel like a job to me. I am having a blast.”
During his time at Mountain View, Rovig developed a love for coaching, and he credits former Mountain View head coach Judd Benedick and then-offensive coordinator Brian Compton with instilling that passion. Under their direction, Rovig helped lead the Mavericks to their first 5A state championship in 2016, earning All-Idaho First Team recognition. He complied a 22-3 record in two seasons and finished his senior year with 2,747 total yards and 40 total TDs.
At Montana State, Rovig served as the Bobcats’ primary backup quarterback since starting 12 games in 2019. He was a team captain this past season and played in the Football Championship Subdivision title game after starter Tommy Mellott went down with an ankle injury on Montana State’s first drive in a 38-10 loss. His final collegiate play was a 28-yard touchdown pass.
“I kind of got to go out on my own terms,” Rovig said. “I knew not many people get to know when their last snap is gonna be, and I kind of knew going into this last game this was going to be my last one.”
Since January, Rovig has been back at Mountain View helping Compton, now the Mavs’ head coach, as a way to give back.
His generosity ended up opening the door with the Vandals.
Eck met Rovig while looking at some Mountain View prospects, and Rovig mentioned that he was interested in getting into coaching.
“I kind of tucked his name away, talked to some people about him, got really high reviews for him,” Eck said. “It happened our offensive grad assistant left. ... We had an opening, and Tucker was one of the first guys we called. It’s great to have a guy on the staff from the state. We want to get a lot of players from this state.
“Getting him up here, he’s done a great job so far.”
Rovig is working with quarterbacks coach Luke Schleusner and receivers coach Matt Linehan. He’s also involved in the recruiting process and has made a strong impression on his new boss already.
“I think he’s got a bright future in the profession,” Eck said.
Defense dominates
The Idaho offense led 8-5 after the first quarter but was outmatched for much of Saturday’s scrimmage.
The Vandals played three 20-minute quarters with a running clock and one 15-minute fourth quarter using a modified scoring system.
The offense could earn points for a touchdown (6), field goal (3), PAT (1), two-point conversion (2), 20-yard gain (1) or first down (1). The defense picked up points for a defensive touchdown (12), PAT after a defensive TD (1), turnover (6), safety (5), three-and-out (3), stopped drive in open field (1), stopped drive on fourth down (3), stopped drive in red zone (4), sack/tackle for loss (2) or a stopped two-point conversion (1).
The defense racked up 35 points in the second quarter, including four sacks and a turnover when linebacker Isiah King intercepted sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy.
The offense managed a 50-yard field goal from Ricardo Chavez on its opening drive, but it did not find the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. Redshirt senior Roshaun Johnson scored the game’s only TD on an 8-yard run.
“I thought the offense came out pretty well in the first quarter. We moved the ball well and did a lot of good things,” Eck said. “... Then the defense really just turned it on. The D-line played great. ... I was proud because the game kind of got away from the offense, but they kept firing. I thought it was a heck of a touchdown drive.”
Four quarterbacks saw playing time, with McCoy working with the first-team offense followed by appearances from sophomore CJ Jordan, freshman Tyler Webb and sophomore Macloud Crowton.
“The first two guys — CJ and Gevani — have kind of separated from the other two,” Eck said. “Those guys are probably the two main guys competing. It’s been back and forth between those guys. We gave Gevani the first group today. He’s probably a tad ahead, but it’s very close between those guys.”
Four awarded scholarships
At the conclusion of Saturday’s scrimmage, Eck announced that four walk-ons were awarded scholarships.
“That was my favorite moment since I’ve been here as the head coach,” Eck said.
Offensive lineman Beau St. John, tight end Alex Moore, defensive lineman Sam Brown and free safety Mathias Bertram were the scholarship recipients.
