IDAHO STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
Idaho State Director of Athletics Jeff Tingey announced at Monday’s weekly football press conference that he and Head Football coach Rob Phenicie have verbally agreed to a three-year contract extension.
Contract details will be worked out after the season and presented to the state board in December.
“He came in under some less than ideal circumstances and under some less than ideal timing and has performed very well.” Tingey said. “All of that said in consultation with President Vailas, I have offered coach Phenicie a three-year contract extension beyond this year. We haven’t worked out any of the details of that. Coach Phenicie has more important things to worry about and I would hate to be a distraction. We will let him deal with the team and coaching and we’ll work on that at the end of the season.”
Tingey said talks on a contract extension started several weeks ago and that he has seen things since the spring to know that Phenicie is the right person to lead the Bengal football program.
“The players want to win for coach Phenicie,” Tingey said.
On the extension, Phenicie said, “I told the President the other day that I would do this for what I am making now. What is more important to me is watching the kids in the locker room smile, sing the fight song and have a great time and just enjoy football. That is the biggest thing with all this.”
The announcement of the extension will have an immediate impact with recruiting.
“It is good moving forward that the kids we recruit will know who their head coach will be for the next few years,” Phenicie said. “That is a big deal. Other schools can’t go into a kids home and say well you don’t know who your coach will be.”
Idaho State is 4-4 and 2-3 in Big Sky Conference play. The Bengals play at Montana State on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Root Sports.
