Lonyatta Alexander Jr. commits

[AFCAT]

As first reported by 1984champ in the portal thread.

Alexander has WR at Montana State in his Twitter header.

https://mobile.twitter.com/LonyattaJr

[VimSince03]

Transfer from UW.

[AFCAT]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

[ND0479]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

[vike_king]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

Third time's the charm???

[coloradocat]

Looks like he grew up in Washington, went ASU and either didn't gel with the coaches/team or was homesick, transferred to UW and while playing in 11 games only had one catch for nine yards (against that powerhouse Portland State). If he can buy in to the team aspect, including blocking, he should be a solid asset.

[AFCAT]

I remember another Cat WR named Travis Jonsen that played at three schools in three years. Of course, one of those schools was a JC. Sometimes, you need a change of scenery.

[catatac]

Agree, will see how he fits in with the culture and performs. The Griz get any drop downs from FBS, regardless of what they’ve done, and get all grizzy over themselves thinking they hit a gold mine

[Colter_Nuanez]

Alexander, who goes by Junior, is more than committed. He's signed and on campus attending classes and preparing for winter conditioning, which likely starts soon.

[TomCat88]

Alexander had 127 receptions for 2,187 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2018/2019 his soph/junior seasons. I think his senior year was Covid.

UW’s wr room is stacked.

[ThoughtUKnew14]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

Exactly! Why not build with what we have?!?! I bet this makes him an automatic starter since he is coming from FBS level just like they have done with the others. I don’t like the feel of this…

[tdub]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

Exactly! Why not build with what we have?!?! I bet this makes him an automatic starter since he is coming from FBS level just like they have done with the others. I don’t like the feel of this…

Did you feel the same way about Bryce Sterk?

[hilinegrizfan]

I hope he's ready to run block

[CelticCat]

I think (hope?) the staff realizes that a path forward involves being better at throwing the ball. Not that we will necessarily throw the ball 30 times a game but having just 37% of your total yards be passing is probably a number I think needs to be higher. I think we are bringing in talent and competition to this end. That said I do think we have talent on the roster and I agree that I don't necessarily love this on the outside but in Vigen we trust.

If Tommy can really start seeing the field and finding the open receivers, MSU is going to have an elite, dynamic offense next year.

[TomCat88]

Keep in mind Mellott hasn’t had a spring session at quarterback yet. The MSU passing game is likely to improve, regardless of who is brought in.

MSU needs receivers. I only recall one (Thomas) that consistently got open. Mellott also missed open receivers which may have been due to the inability of them to get open.

No one on the roster put up these kinds of numbers like Alexander their sophomore/junior seasons of HS.

You rarely get good drop-down players that don’t have some sort of baggage real or perceived.

[VimSince03]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

Exactly! Why not build with what we have?!?! I bet this makes him an automatic starter since he is coming from FBS level just like they have done with the others. I don’t like the feel of this…

Did you feel the same way about Bryce Sterk?

Yeah the narratives coming out of some Bobcatnation accounts these past few weeks have been something else. WR was an area we desperately needed starter and depth additions through transfers that would be able to compete immediately. We lost two starters and one contributor (Alston, Patterson, and Steel) with Alston and Patterson being major parts of our offensive production (Alston for his blocking and Patterson for his playmaking ability). Getting Clevan Thomas back was one of our best recruiting wins so far this year in my opinion. So who do we have coming back where everyone is screaming to "build with what we have":

True Freshman last fall who redshirted

Christian Anaya - played late in a few games but coaches correctly redshirted him as he clearly wasn't ready physically to be a major contributor on the outside fresh out of high school. However, has a high talent ceiling and should push for rotation time next fall. The spring will be big for him.

Dylan Snyder - redshirted but coaches liked what they saw out of him this fall as a scout receiver. Was very raw as a receiver out of high school but really physical after the catch and has no issues blocking which is why Dylan may be a sneaky contributor next year if he keeps progressing as an overall receiver. Will likely play a role on special teams next fall.

Noah Smith - was a grayshirt during that COVID year so technically was in his second year last fall but still redshirted. Was a higher profile recruit out of Texas a few years ago and is one of our tallest receivers. Very intrigued by how he looks this spring because if he looks good Noah is a kid who can push the starters due to his talent. But if he looks like "just a guy" entering his 3rd year (2nd football year) then the development has hit a snag.

Zachary Dodson-Green - a PWO late last year who redshirted last fall. However, he and Dylan Snyder drew praise from Udy and Vigen for their scout team performances last fall. Zachary is a slight frame kid so just needs to keep developing but you always have to track scout team standouts because it means they are pushing our varsity guys to be better in some way.

Others who saw minutes last fall

Aidan Garrigan - you won't find a bigger fan of Aidan Garrigan than me (with maybe the exception of his family). I thought he popped last spring but just wasn't quite physical enough or athletic enough to beat out guys like Ravi, Clevan, Willie, and Taco. Caught his first touchdown against Cal Poly and played special teams all year. Quite frankly I think Vigen and Co. brought in Alexander Jr. to push guys like Aidan and Christian because they know their potential is high and have chances to be starters next year. He'll be about 6'3, 205 lbs., already runs great routes, has good hands, and will get his nose dirty in the run game. Sounds like a WR fit to me in MSU's system!

Malik Mullins - got hurt early last fall and didn't come back until late in the year. He's a long receiver but you can tell he needs more development in route running and playing the position at a higher level. They brought him in to develop and eventually compete so this spring will also be huge for Malik to show he belongs with that outside receiver bunch.

And that's really it because Tayvian Williams and Marquis Johnson are RBs who can also line up in the slot and we already know how Johnson can factor into changing a game. Clevan and Taco are known commodities and will be two of our starters next year. So what does this depth chart look like? Here is my best guess heading into spring:

X Receiver

Aidan Garrigan - 6'3", 205 lbs. (RSo.)
/Lonyatta Alexander Jr. - 6'1", 200 lbs. (Jr.)
Malik Mullins - 6'3", 190 lbs. (So.)

H Receiver

Taco Dowler - 5'9", 170 lbs. (So.)
Marqui Johnson - 5'8", 165 lbs. (Jr.)

Z Receiver

Clevan Thomas - 5'11", 195 lbs. (GSr.)
Ty McCulloch - 6'1", 180 lbs. (Sr.)
/Christian Anaya - 6'1", 175 lbs. (RFr.)

Also on the roster:

Garrett Walchli - 5'8", 180 lbs. (Jr.) - Good luck to him trying to beat out Taco or Marquis plus Clevan
Dylan Snyder - 6'2", 190 lbs. (RFr.) - Spring will show us where he's at in development but should play special teams
Noah Smith - 6'3", 190 lbs. (RFr.) - Needs to start showing what everyone saw on film his senior season in high school
Zachary Dodson-Green - 6'1", 170 lbs. (RFr.) - Needs to get bigger but opened eyes as a scout teamer last fall
Javonte King - 6'4", 200 lbs. (Fr.) - He's a huge but tall doesn't always translate to production right away in college...still excited about him
Jacob Trimble - 6'0", 185 lbs. (Fr.) - I mean we all know Jacob is going to be the next Kevin Kassis right?

[CelticCat]

I can't imagine McCulloch is coming here to be a backup, but with Thomas returning and Alexander committing, someone has to give, unless they start Thomas at H and use Taco in specific situations and formations?

I love Taco but at his size I'm not sure he's an every down WR.

[TomCat88]

I can't imagine McCulloch is coming here to be a backup, but with Thomas returning and Alexander committing, someone has to give, unless they start Thomas at H and use Taco in specific situations and formations?

I love Taco but at his size I'm not sure he's an every down WR.

Yes, something has to give, like the formation having the ability of going 4 and 5 wide effectively sometimes.

[ThoughtUKnew14]

I can't imagine McCulloch is coming here to be a backup, but with Thomas returning and Alexander committing, someone has to give, unless they start Thomas at H and use Taco in specific situations and formations?

I love Taco but at his size I'm not sure he's an every down WR.

I agree, something has to give and my guess it will be by way of WR’s transferring out after Spring (just like last year). Why stick around if the coaching staff is no longer interested in developing and utilizing what they currently have. Just my opinion of course…

[coloradocat]

Transfer from UW.

And a former 4 star. I know how you love those ratings.

4 star talent level with a -2 star commitment level. I’m sure he has his reasons but you have to raise an eyebrow at 3rd school in 3 years.

Anyways, welcome to Bozeman and hope he finds what he’s looking for with the Cats!

Exactly! Why not build with what we have?!?! I bet this makes him an automatic starter since he is coming from FBS level just like they have done with the others. I don’t like the feel of this…

He's got 3 years of eligibility left and only had one catch last year. He's essentially a high school recruit with college practice experience. Only technically an FBS dropdown at this point.