Tanyon Bissell

homeytennis · Post by **homeytennis** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:37 pm

Mr. Bissell is a wide receiver at Boise State and a former all state QB from Bozeman. It indicates that he walked on at Boise State in lieu of accepting a scholarship at MSU. He is now on scholarship at Boise State but he's paid three years out of state tuition and room and board. Could this have been a symptom that something was amiss with the MSU football program three years ago?

catamaran · Post by **catamaran** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:42 pm

He always wanted to play for a I-A program and got his chance

tetoncat · Post by **tetoncat** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:45 pm

Lets see how much he plays before we say that. Last year he played a lot of special teams, probably earning his scholarship. We did offer him, so maybe the kid just felt like he was better than FCS (1-AA) level and wanted to see if he could make it. More power to someone that does that because they can always transfer back down if they don't make it. And if they do it was probably worth the wait.

some kids do not have a way to pay themselves so therefore will accept the scholarship vs. pursuing their dream and walking on some where.

Hawks86 · Post by **Hawks86** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:50 pm

Here is an article I found on Tanyon.

College Football: Impact Player
By TIM DUMAS, Chronicle Sports Writer
It's not a path to the hall of fame, but it could get you noticed. Especially if you're undersized or not highly recruited.

Special teams.

That phase of football is never overlooked by coaches, yet covering kicks and blocking for return men usually doesn't make the highlight reel. It may sound unglamorous, but you can't make your mark on the sideline.

Tanyon Bissell has made the most of his limited - up until now - playing time. The Bozeman High graduate was once an obscure member of Boise State's football team. Now he is on the verge of becoming an impact player.

Once a walk-on after receiving little interest from colleges despite gaudy high school numbers, Bissell is a full scholarship wide receiver for the five-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Broncos.
After leading all BSU receivers with 42 yards in the program's spring game on April 13, Bissell learned of the scholarship during an evaluation at the close of spring drills two weeks ago.

He knows he can't rest on his laurels, but did admit the news came with a sigh of relief.

"Every time at practice, I was trying to not make mistakes rather than just cutting loose and playing football," Bissell said from Boise Wednesday. "Now that that's out of the way, I can just go out there and play the game."

A scholarship won't change much; it wasn't as if Bissell was waiting tables.

"It doesn't really mean that much to me financially," he said. "But at least mom and dad aren't paying for school anymore."

Bissell, who will be a junior in the fall, has four receptions, seven tackles and a fumble recovery in his career as a Bronco. He may soon have more catches than stops.

The eligibility of Boise State's three top receivers has expired, and all three - Jerard Rabb (Cowboys, signed as a free agent), Drisan James (Bears, free agent) and Legedu Naanee (a fifth-round selection by the Chargers) - will be in NFL camps this spring.

That should pave the way for Bissell to move up the depth chart.

"Tanyon's a step away from being a real big factor for us," BSU head coach Chris Peterson said. "I can see him doing some really big things."

Boise State was known more for its blue turf and underdog status until January, when the Broncos used hook-and-ladder and Statue of Liberty plays to win the Fiesta Bowl in one of the most inconceivable endings in college football history.

Bissell made a tackle on a kickoff return that night. One play later, the Broncos recovered a fumble and quickly gained a 14-0 lead.

Bissell was on the field because, as Peterson says, "he was one of our best guys." Naanee and James were out there, too.

"Linemen are not going to be special teams players, so you're limited to linebackers, tight ends and receivers," said BSU receivers coach Brent Pease, who played and coached at the University of Montana. "And receivers are in a spot where they're not that physical, but our guys are physical and Tanyon's gone over that hump where he's a physical guy."

Bissell was an all-state quarterback at Bozeman High, combining to throw and run for over 2,500 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior. He was chosen most outstanding offensive player for the Montana Shrine Game the following summer, but the interest from the Division I level was mild at best.

Maybe it was because he stands just 5-foot-10 - which is a good size for kickers and cornerbacks.

Undaunted, Bissell made just two official campus visits: Boise and Montana State. He had gotten to know MSU assistant coach Marcel Yates, now at Boise State, but had his heart set on becoming a Bronco "from the get-go," he said.

"I wanted to play Division I and I wanted to go to a top program, and Boise State was on the rise at the time."

And due to the one-for-the-ages victory in the Fiesta Bowl, that climb continues. BSU will be on ESPN five times this fall, beginning with a game against Southern Mississippi Sept. 27.

When the Broncos open the season on the Smurf Turf against Weber State Aug. 30, Bissell - one of four juniors in a receiving corps that includes no seniors - is expected to be in the mix.

He may not be a starter, but he's no longer obscure. And if Bissell isn't catching passes, he can always fall back on special teams. Or quarterback, where he lined up during the spring.

"I think I have a good chance to see the field as much as anybody next year," he said. "There's some big slots to fill. I'll just find my role in the offense; I'm able to do a lot of things."

Said Peterson: "All of our guys work so stinkin' hard and Tanyon has done a great job of continuing a great work ethic and persevered through some tough times. You know, it's hard what we do here."

cat87 · Post by **cat87** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:28 pm

My son and Tanyon were good friends all through high school and played football together in high school. The Cats were recruiting, but never offered Tanyon or Andrew Schmidt, the other local kid they were recruiting that same year. The Cats did a very poor job of pursuing either of these kids,who have both gone on to receive scholarships(Tanyon a full ride at Boise and Schmidt a partial with the Griz). The Cats did ask them both to walk on. I also heard that Coach Walker and Tanyon went to a recruiting function and were asked by Kramer how the roads were on the way over. ???? Where did he think they were traveling from? You should at least know the local kids and the local coach. I look for Tanyon to see some significant playing time this year and wish him the best on the blue. He's a great kid who represents us well in Boise.

tetoncat · Post by **tetoncat** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:32 pm

If the article is accurate maybe we did not offer Bissell because his heart Was set on Boise and the coaching staff knew that. They may have chosen to offer to someone they really thought they had a chance of landing. It is great to see him doing well but hindsight is always easy. Would we be talking about this if he had gone to Boise as the walk on and played special teams for 4 years never landing a scholarship.

cat87 · Post by **cat87** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:53 pm

Bissell's high school receiver coach his junior year was Junior Adams. My son was a receiver for the Hawks as well. They were all excited when Junior became a Cat coach the following year. However, what happened with both Tanyon and Andrew Schmidt was a lot more interest was shown by their current schools than the Cats ever showed. In fact, when Andrew Schmidt was interviewed by the Chronicle after deciding on the Griz, he really ripped the Cat coaches in the article. Hind sight is always 20/20. I hope they both have great careers at their respective schools. It's always good to see local boys do well, even if it is with the Griz, in Schmidt's case!

homeytennis · Post by **homeytennis** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:36 pm

If you have a local guy that has talent, it should be a no brainer to offer the kid. It helps with alumni, it helps politically and I suspect the kid would not be in trouble. The University of Nevada was really good at not offering local kids scholarships. Chris Carr that plays for the Raiders as a kick returner and defensive back was an example of that. More often they went for California kids instead of the Nevada kids and then wonder why they can't draw flies in Reno.

Cat_gld · Post by **Cat_gld** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:47 pm

cat87 wrote:Bissell's high school receiver coach his junior year was Junior Adams. My son was a receiver for the Hawks as well. They were all excited when Junior became a Cat coach the following year. However, what happened with both Tanyon and Andrew Schmidt was a lot more interest was shown by their current schools than the Cats ever showed. In fact, when Andrew Schmidt was interviewed by the Chronicle after deciding on the Griz, he really ripped the Cat coaches in the article. Hind sight is always 20/20. I hope they both have great careers at their respective schools. It's always good to see local boys do well, even if it is with the Griz, in Schmidt's case!

Didn't they get Dane Fletcher out of the Bozeman High Class? I don't think there have been any complaints either from or about that recruit. Maybe the other 2 didn't have what MSU was looking for in that recruiting class. If they were seriously interested in MSU and had any loyalty to it, they should have walked on to show what they had to offer. The ball was in their court.

omahacat · Post by **omahacat** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:11 pm

Tanyon was a great ball player. I coached him when he was younger and he always had talent. Kramer F'd up not picking up a local kid. Maybe his scholarship went to a cocaine dealer.

Good for Tanyon! I hope he kicks ass.

cat87 · Post by **cat87** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:15 am

When a kid is being recruited, the loyalty isn't established yet. The ball is squarely in the school's court. A lot of kids don't even establish a relationship until their recruiting trip. The interest shown by that school on the recruiting trip can make or break a relationship. All I know is that Tanyon went on a recruiting trip to Boise the last weekend of the recruiting period. Boise flew him down there and by all accounts he was treated great and became a Bronco. Tanyon put up amazing numbers in high school and should have received a better look from the Cats.When no money is offered by either school, go to the highest level you can. My wife and I have followed Tanyon's career thus far at Boise. The papers in Boise have great things to say about him and we look for him to do well. I don't know many kids who work harder or are more self-motivated!
Dane Flethcer graduated the following year from Bozeman High. He was being recruited by several schools as well as far as I know. MSU did a good job of establishing a relationship with him and offered him a partial scholarship. I believe Dane has gone on to earn a full ride. Dane is a great kid from a very visible family, who are big Bobcat supporters. It's great to have a local kid to cheer for and would be even better to have had an opportunity to have landed the other two as well. It's good for the community and good for the Cats.
I think all three will have successful careers. They're all great kids and great athletes!!

tetoncat · Post by **tetoncat** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:22 am

My only concern is that we are looking at this after the fact. It is easy to say we should have offered him because he is having success at Boise. We have also in the past slammed our coaches in Football and Basketball because the waisted a scholarship on someone that we fans did not think produced and should never have been offered. We cannot have it both ways. In hindsight Tanyon would have been a great recruit. Maybe he did not fit into the current recruiting needs at the time.

cat ballou · Post by **cat ballou** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:25 pm

homeytennis wrote:Mr. Bissell is a wide receiver at Boise State and a former all state QB from Bozeman. It indicates that he walked on at Boise State in lieu of accepting a scholarship at MSU. He is now on scholarship at Boise State but he's paid three years out of state tuition and room and board. Could this have been a symptom that something was amiss with the MSU football program three years ago?

If I recall, I don't think he was offered a scholarship at MSU. In my opinion, he was not worth a scholarship for MSU. He might have been able to work his way to one, but not good enough at the time. He was a great high school athlete, but I don't think he has the physical ability to be a great college football player.

Just my opinion

cat ballou · Post by **cat ballou** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:39 pm

Maybe I'm clueless here, but has Andrew Schmidt done anything great with the Griz?

homeytennis · Post by **homeytennis** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:51 pm

You're right that hindsight is 20-20 but it appears that he will either win a starting wide receiver position or at the least be playing a lot for BSU this year. Folks this is a team that was undefeated and ranked sixth in the country at the end of the year. Somehow I think he would have fit quite well at MSU.

catamaran · Post by **catamaran** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:57 pm

From what I can recall from the time and conversations since, Tanyon wanted to play QB out of high school...hence the indifference to him. After he walked on to Boise he did everything he could to get PT, including some time at DB and lots of special teams last year while also learning to play WR. Now through that hard work is getting a chance

cat ballou · Post by **cat ballou** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:57 pm

homeytennis wrote:You're right that hindsight is 20-20 but it appears that he will either win a starting wide receiver position or at the least be playing a lot for BSU this year. Folks this is a team that was undefeated and ranked sixth in the country at the end of the year. Somehow I think he would have fit quite well at MSU.

I did not read the other posts, so I guess I didn't realize he is projected to be a big-time player. That is great for him, and he deserves it. I just thought when he came out of high school, we wouldn't be worth a scholarship. I do know that there always seem to be a rub between Bozeman High and MSU. I don't think that Bozeman High players had much of an influence to try to play at MSU. All that aside, we NEED to be able to get the best players from our own town's high school.

Cat_gld · Post by **Cat_gld** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:17 pm

If you consider only the Class A and AA high schools in Montana, hasn't Bozeman and Belgrade been well represented on MSU teams over time? It would be interesting to know what percentage of scholarship and walkon athletes that UM gets from Missoula considering they have 3 large high schools to recruit from....and MSU recruits from those same schools.

There are only a handful of high school senior athletes each year that will be recruited by FCS or BCS schools. MSU gets a few of them, whereas others simply choose to go elsewhere. It's a little late to second guess the Kramer staff about what they coulda shoulda done. Bissell was or wasn't offered a scholarship at MSU and chose to see what he could do at Boise State....to his credit. Others have had the same experience at MSU. It's no secret that recruiting players out of high school is a crap shoot. A few of the unheralded will always step up and do well....a good part of what makes the game exciting.

cat ballou · Post by **cat ballou** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:24 pm

Cat_gld wrote:If you consider only the Class A and AA high schools in Montana, hasn't Bozeman and Belgrade been well represented on MSU teams over time? It would be interesting to know what percentage of scholarship and walkon athletes that UM gets from Missoula considering they have 3 large high schools to recruit from....and MSU recruits from those same schools.

There are only a handful of high school senior athletes each year that will be recruited by FCS or BCS schools. MSU gets a few of them, whereas others simply choose to go elsewhere. It's a little late to second guess the Kramer staff about what they coulda shoulda done. Bissell was or wasn't offered a scholarship at MSU and chose to see what he could do at Boise State....to his credit. Others have had the same experience at MSU. It's no secret that recruiting players out of high school is a crap shoot. A few of the unheralded will always step up and do well....a good part of what makes the game exciting.

Good Post!

083190 · Post by **083190** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:25 pm

catamaran wrote:From what I can recall from the time and conversations since, Tanyon wanted to play QB out of high school...hence the indifference to him. After he walked on to Boise he did everything he could to get PT, including some time at DB and lots of special teams last year while also learning to play WR. Now through that hard work is getting a chance

According to his Dad, Mark, he indeed wanted to play qb and was not offered anything by MSU based on that. This is based on a conversation with his father during the recruiting period after Tanyon's senior year in Bozeman.

Tanyon Bissell

Tanyon Bissell

Re: Tanyon Bissell