This former Rocky Mountain star is helping Idaho rush toward another FCS playoff berth

Anyone else in his situation would have left.

That was the near-unanimous consensus among players, coaches and fans when it came to Idaho senior running back Nick Romano.

But at the end of the day, the decision to stay or go was up to him. And luckily for the Vandals, the Meridian native didn’t waver.

Romano, a former Rocky Mountain High standout who was the 5A All-Idaho player of the year his senior season, is on pace to have his best college season yet in 2023. During the Vandals’ 44-36 win against Eastern Washington on Saturday, Romano picked up 5 yards on a carry with 4:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. That put him over 100 yards rushing for the first time since 2019.

“It’s been a while,” said Romano, who finished with 18 carries for 129 yards. “It felt good that the staff had trust in me to get it done.”

Romano has rushed for 234 yards on 39 carries five games into Idaho’s 2023 campaign, which is a big step in the right direction. The tailback’s yardage total is already the second-most he’s had during his five-year tenure in Moscow. He has one touchdown rushing and another receiving for the Vandals (4-1, 2-0 Big Sky), who play at Cal Poly on Saturday as they aim for a second straight FCS playoff appearance.

How is that for a resurgence?

Romano had a solid outing as a freshman in 2019, starting five games at running back and picking up 498 yards on 97 carries. But where the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder shined was in the return game, recording 545 return yards and a score. He earned a first-team All-Big Sky nod as a kick returner and was honorable mention on the Hero Sports Freshman All-American team for FCS.

After Romano’s electric freshman campaign, he seemed prepped to be the face of Idaho’s backfield for years to come. But whether it was small injuries or other running backs starting to earn their keep, Romano began to slide down the depth chart, with 2022 being the most extreme example.

The former two-way player didn’t really have a spot in Idaho’s backfield, with the likes of Anthony Woods, Roshaun Johnson and Eli Cummings receiving the bulk of the carries. And the kick return duties were handled by receiver Jermaine Jackson, who earned a first-team All-Big Sky selection for his efforts.

“I never wanted to go anywhere else,” Romano said. “This is the place I wanted to be, and I really didn’t know if I was going to be the No. 2 back because of the transfer portal, and they can bring in people that can play.”

The Vandals returned just Woods and Romano to their backfield this season, so Romano had a good idea he’d be competing for some playing time. He had a meeting with running backs coach Thomas Ford to discuss what he needed to improve.

“I told him that he needed to improve his change of direction and hip flexibility,” Ford said. “I also told him he really needed to improve on his route running, and he did that.”

Romano was a standout through the offseason, and he’s starting to reap the fruits of his labor.

“Nick Romano is a starting running back here, too,” Ford said. “He might be No. 2 on the depth chart, but we kind of feel like it’s 1A and 1B. Nick’s top-end speed is phenomenal. He’s clocked the fastest speed on the field in a football game for our team.”

The Vandals’ rushing attack has been superb in 2023, with Woods gaining 597 yards and the team racking up nearly 1,200 yards in five games. Woods is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and Romano 6.0.

Romano said his ability to take in what Ford said and apply it speaks to the level of impact that the staff has had on the senior.

“They really want to develop a family atmosphere,” Romano said. “You feel like you can go and talk to them about anything. It’s a much more friendly kind of staff.”

Romano has demonstrated a level of perseverance that is a rarity these days in college football, a trait he said he developed at Rocky Mountain. He had a stellar career, including rushing for more than 2,200 yards as a senior — a season that ended in a state championship for the unbeaten Grizzlies.

Romano had a 95-yard TD run in the victory over Highland in the title game.

“I learned to just work hard,” Romano said. “It really helped me the last couple years to know that everything is going to work out in the end.”