Ok, shameless plug over. Montana State brought in one of its most talked about recruiting classes of the Ash era when two dozen freshman signed in February. Many of those freshmen have turned heads and gotten a lot of attention and acclaim this camp. Here's a look at who will play, who's still up in the air and who will redshirt this fall.
For sure redshirting
Toti Moeakiola, Sam linebacker — Na'a's littel brother has adjusted well to Sam after playing safety in high school. He worked his way up the chart to No. 3 behind Cole Moore and Mac Bignell for a moment and will be a solid member of the scout team.
Trevin Thompson, kicker — With Luke Daly and Trevor Bolton also in the kicker competition, it only makes sense to redshirt Thompson, who has been inconsistent at best this camp.
Braelen Evans, cornerback — Brandon North praised both his freshman and their ability to pick things up, but Evans had an injury that kept him out a week. Like Moeakiola, he'll be a solid member of the scout team.
DeMonte King, safety – Some thought he might be able to play on special teams. He'll redshirt and contribute on scout team.
Noah James, running back — The walk-on has struggled to find many touches this camp with MSU trying to find carries for Shawn Johnson, Chad Newell, Anthony Knight, Gunnar Brekke, Nick LaSane and Tavon Dodd. James will serve a role on the scout team.
Koni Dole, linebacker — The inspiring walk-on with a prosthetic leg has been working in at Will linebacker. He had three tackles with the 2/3 defense during the final scrimmage. He'll be a good scout team player defensively and on special teams and will continue to motivate the team.
Austin Oldenburger, center — Oldenburger might be the only true center on the Bobcats. He's a few years away from contributing, but Jason McEndoo has been impressed with his ability to get his nose dirty. They call him four tons because the day before he moved into the dorms in anticipation of fall camp, he bailed four tons of hay
Joey Marinello, offensive guard — A prototypical guard, Marinello needs his athleticism and strength to catch up with his size. Still, McEndoo loves his run blocking. He went to a high school that didn't really pass so that part is still a work in progress.
Wade Webster, offensive tackle — Webster is the most college-ready of MSU's three offensive linemen. He could play in case of an emergency, but the progress made by Caleb Gillis and the pending return of Dylan Mahoney (broken toe) means MSU is ok at offensive tackle behind starters John Weidenaar and Alex Eekhoff.
Zach Wright, defensive end — Wright needs to get bigger, but his want-to is certainly there. He had a touch sack in the scrimmage and will give good looks at defensive end as a scout all fall long.
Hunter Mahlum, wide receiver — The walk-on from Missoula Hellgate has earned himself some reps with the third team. He's a good sized receiver who's gotten faster just since high school. Another kid who could turn some heads if he puts in a consistent, maximum effort on the scout team.
Conner Sullivan, wide receiver — Some thought he might play, but he's had a hard time breaking into the rotation. He seems to keep getting bigger — He's up to 248 — and I wouldn't be surprised if he's a tight end by the time he's a third-year sophomore.
John D'Agostino, wide receiver — The walk-on from Bozeman has been Quinn McQueary's favorite target when Quinn is operating the third offense. D'Agostino has great hands and he's deceptive in space. He doesn't seem to ever get hit hard. And he's very coachable.
Wilson Brott, tight end — Austin Barth has taken Brott under his wing, which seems only natural since Barth was a prep quarterback as well. Brott needs a redshirt year to put on weight, but he's a good athlete with a good frame.
Curtis Amos, tight end — For a moment, it looked like Amos would have to play at defensive end. He spent the first two weeks of camp there because of depth issues. With the emergence of Tyrone Fa'anono, Amos is back at tight end, a spot where he was one of the top recruits in Texas as a prep senior.
"He loves it and so do we," Ash said. "He has to get bigger. Not this week, but in the next year. He runs well and has great hands. That’s the right spot for him. He will definitely redshirt. He’ll be an offensive player the rest of his career here. Tiai Salanoa and Lee Perkins are seniors, so he's our future there.
Tavon Dodd, running back — Ash said this was the hardest decision. They love him, but didn't want to waste his redshirt so he could be the 6th-string guy. Here's what Ash said after practice today: We have made the decision we are going to redshirt Tavon Dodd. He’s had a really, really strong camp and he’s been a great player for us. But I really want him to go down to scout team and be the scout team player of the year and really get after it. I think that will be a great role for him. We talked to him about it last night. That’s the right spot for him. That’s not because we are not happy with him. We are really, really impressed with him.”
Maybe redshirting
Grant Collins, linebacker — Senior linebacker Michael Foster's return means Collins won't have to play on special teams. The natural Mike linebacker has learned how to play WIll this fall camp, a precaution in case Wyatt Christensen's surgically repaired knee doesn't hold up as the backup to Alex Singleton. All that said, Ash said Collins will not be on the scout team. He'll practice with the varsity and travel with the varsity. He'll redshirt, but he'll need to be ready to play at any time.
"Grant Collins will be a guy who we keep up with the varsity. I don’t think he’ll play on the scout team," Ash said. "We are still trying to wait. With Foster’s return, that might impact that, but Grant is going to have to be ready to play this year. We are not going to say right now he’s redshirting and he’s certainly not going to play on the scout team.”
Tucker Yates, defensive tackle — The Colstrip product has turned heads all camp with his powerful burst. He's listed as the third defensive tackle behind starters Taylor Dees and Taylor Sheridan and backups Conner Thomas and Nate Bignell. Ash said this is a decision that's still up in the air.
"That’s one we have not decided on yet."
For sure playing
Garrett Marino, defensive end — He's been out of practice the last few days, but he'll not only play; he'll start. He relishes the pressure, the attention, everything. He wanted to wear No. 1. He wants a target on his back. He has an unsettling, yet impressive confidence for a true freshman. Bo Beck told me yesterday they need double-digit spots out of his spot and they think if he stays healthy, he can get them that.
Tyrone Fa'anono, defensive end — Fa'anono has been one of the emerging stars of fall camp. He had two sacks in Saturday's scrimmage. He'll back up Marino at the end spot.
“Tyrone has improved every day of camp,” Beck said. “He continues to show up on film, which is what you want. Not only am I talking about him, other coaches are talking about him. He’s a good player.”
Bryce Alley, cornerback — Alley will be the second tier of corners along with senior James Nelson. The standout comes from North Shore High, a powerhouse in Houston. He's picked up MSU's scheme with relative ease.
“I was impressed with how fast he picked things up,” North said. “He comes with a certain skill set with footwork and being able to backpedal and turn around and run when the receiver is breaking his cushion, so you don’t have to coach him as hard on those things. But we still have to refine the details.”
Mitchell Herbert, wide receiver — Ash said Herbert is "still in the mix to play", but Cody Kempt told me he's one of MSU's top eight WRs and Tim Cramsey told me they want to play eight guys, so I take that to mean Herbert is playing. He's a big, strong, fluid athlete who picked up the offense well.
“Herbert is extremely intelligent,” Kempt said. “He picked up the offense incredibly quickly. He’s a big, physical presence on the perimeter. He’s going to catch everything thrown his way. He’s going to be a good one when those older guys like Flotkoetter and Roderick leave.”
Justin Paige, wide receiver — On media day, I asked Shawn Johnson if he was the fastest guy on the team. This is what he said:
“I’ve never said I was the fastest, but people think that and I know this freshman, Justin Paige, is THE fastest,” Johnson said. “We put him on a go route, he runs by the safeties and corners. We need to work on his catching a little bit, but other than that, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. He's too fast."
Paige doesn't run like a sprinter. His mechanics are sub-par. He's not that fluid of an athlete. Yet he might be the most raw fast guy I've ever seen. He truly has world-class speed. When he's in, the corners know he's running a go and they bail before the ball is snapped and he still beats them over the top. It's insane. He's unbelievably fast. Here's what Kempt said about him:
"Justin Paige gives us an element we don’t have and that’s the ability to push the ball down the field vertically,” Kempt said. “That’s been the one missing piece in our offense. We talked as a staff and came to the conclusion that that is the one missing piece that we needed to recruit or bring in. The ability Justin has to stretch the defense over the top is going to force the safeties to play deeper. They are not going to be able to put nine in the box. If they do, then we have a 1-on-1 matchup with Justin and he’s just going to run by any corner in the league.”
