2024 Montana Recruits

[VimSince03]

So who won the instate recruiting battle this year??

On paper, MSU. But ask me in three years!

Who won 2018 and 2019 (the first two Bobbi 2.0 years and the last two Choate years)?

12.) Marcus Wehr (Billings Central) - DE/DL - 6’3”, 220 lbs. (Montana State)

In your opinion, and with the benefit of hindsight, what do you think the coaches got wrong, if anything, about the evaluation for Wehr to put him as a DL to start his career? And why do you think they switched him to OL and watched him absolutely take off? I'm not looking for any dirt. Just curious as to how the evaluation process goes and how they missed him (initially) as an OL?

What I wrote about him in 2019:

12.) Marcus Wehr – Billings Central (6’3”, 220 lbs.)

Image

• MSU signee – DE
• 2x Class A All-State - OL/DE
• 2018 1st Team All-USA Today Montana – DL
• 2017 2nd Team All-USA Today Montana – OL
• 2018 GFT Super-State – DL
• 2018 Badlands selection - DL
• 2018 Shrine Game selection – OG
• 46 total tackles (38 solo); 5 sacks; 15 TFLs (senior year)
• Had 7 solo tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 TFLs vs. Fergus his senior year
• 2018 State Track Qualifier – Shot Put
• 1st ranked DE; 4th ranked exterior OL

On Wehr: Marcus passes the eyeball test for a DE/DL prospect due to his height, weight, and build. He has a long, lean, muscular frame despite weighing around 230 lbs. Marcus was a major piece to Billings Central’s dominant 2018 campaign that ended with yet another State A title for the Rams. He develops an explosive burst out of his stance that translates to power and lateral agility that is hard to contain. Marcus plays with a good level which makes him even tougher to block. He attacks with his pads square to the line of scrimmage and displays a wide, balanced base. Marcus can sink his hips and create quick arm extension at the point of attack. He plays with violent hands and can physically displace offensive lineman if their footwork/base is spotty (go to :55 in highlight film for example). His point-of-attack technique allows him to set the edge, find the ball, and spot play-action quickly. Marcus consistently plays with good football awareness and intelligence. His lateral quickness is underrated and allows him to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage at a high rate. After displacing blockers, Marcus does a good job of finding himself in tackle-ready position and his long, strong arms bring down ballcarriers with ease. He rarely gets bullied at the point of attack due to his strong core and sturdy base. For pass-rush moves, Marcus mostly goes with a bull-rush but has a nice punch/rip move to counter. When he does get locked up on a pass-rush, he shows the awareness and ability to knock down balls in the air. On top of every other trait, Marcus has an excellent motor and it takes him to plays that other will quit on. His change of direction talent and consistent effort allows him to stretch out plays and hound quarterbacks consistently. There are a few areas for improvement. Marcus is more a max effort/physical-at-the-point-of-attack defender than twitched-up pass-rusher. He’s missing that plus athleticism and bend that make quality pass-rushers in college. Marcus shows a tendency to play top-heavy when he gets into the backfield and will overrun plays at times. He puts a lot of effort into defeating blocks at the line of scrimmage so he will just have to fight to stay more in control when getting into the backfield. I was also surprised Marcus didn’t have more sack production in high school but there were other factors likely working against him (scheme, double-teams, Eastern A style of football, etc.). He will likely never become a big-time edge rusher at MSU. However, he may never have to as he will carry an imposing frame once he adds more mass/muscle and will likely fit as either a strong-side defensive end or 3-Tech defensive tackle in the Bobcats’ scheme. Marcus has the chance to become a starter early in his career because of each trait described above. He is a very consistent competitor and plays with a violent edge (in a good way) that’s required along the defensive line to succeed in college. I would not at all be surprised if Marcus turns out to be the most productive player in this class at the next level. He has every tangible/intangible trait college coaches want in a stong-side DE.

I bolded my review that actually translates to why he is an All-American offensive lineman. Simply put, Marcus plays violent but in control which means he doesn't sacrifice his technique to get after people. He is so so good playing with a great pad level and base from the ground up.

I broke out his weaknesses as a defensive line prospect as follows:

- more a max effort/physical-at-the-point-of-attack defender than twitched-up pass-rusher
- missing that plus athleticism and bend that make quality pass-rushers in college
- shows a tendency to play top-heavy when he gets into the backfield and will overrun plays at times
- He puts a lot of effort into defeating blocks at the line of scrimmage so he will just have to fight to stay more in control when getting into the backfield
- surprised Marcus didn’t have more sack production in high school but there were other factors likely working against him (scheme, double-teams, Eastern A style of football, etc.)
- will likely never become a big-time edge rusher at MSU

My final thoughts:

- may never have to as he will carry an imposing frame once he adds more mass/muscle and will likely fit as either a strong-side defensive end or 3-Tech defensive tackle in the Bobcats’ scheme
- has the chance to become a starter early in his career because of each trait described above
- very consistent competitor and plays with a violent edge (in a good way) that’s required along the defensive line to succeed in college
- would not at all be surprised if Marcus turns out to be the most productive player in this class at the next level
- He has every tangible/intangible trait college coaches want in a strong-side DE

I envisioned how he would be fitting into Choate's defensive scheme and was thinking Tyrone Fa'anono as a big, powerful strong-side end. But his weaknesses as a DE prospect were not necessarily weaknesses for an OL prospect...sometimes the opposite. I was viewing his lack of pass rush ability as a weaknesses but that 100% doesn't matter as an OL prospect. Really it came down to the player here and what he wanted his legacy to be. Vigen challenged him by saying he wouldn't be a great fit as a DL for the Cats but he could arguably push for a starting spot on the OL if he bought in to the adjustment necessary to add the weight. Marcus knocked it out of the park by earning a starting spot coming out of spring ball within 6 months of his position switch. Takes a special type of player to buy-in like Marcus has to rerouting his career and we now have a 1st-Team All American on the OL because of it.

[Prodigal Cat]

<code>

Now the Gatorade player of the year. Tech and Carroll offers. I know he's not the biggest kid but when he's playing kids a baller.

[VimSince03]

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Now the Gatorade player of the year. Tech and Carroll offers. I know he's not the biggest kid but when he's playing kids a baller.

Where does he play at the FCS level? I don't see a QB or WR. Probably a safety prospect. Nate Dick had one of the best seasons of all time several years back for Billings Senior at QB but was a NAIA QB at most. GPOY doesn't always equate to automatic D1 player. Is the kid a gamer? Absolutely.

[Prodigal Cat]

<code>

Now the Gatorade player of the year. Tech and Carroll offers. I know he's not the biggest kid but when he's playing kids a baller.

Where does he play at the FCS level? I don't see a QB or WR. Probably a safety prospect. Nate Dick had one of the best seasons of all time several years back for Billings Senior at QB but was a NAIA QB at most. GPOY doesn't always equate to automatic D1 player. Is the kid a gamer? Absolutely.

Yeah, honestly I thought of Okada and had him as a nickle prospect. Skinny walk on. He would have to do work like Ty. Needs 30+ lbs to hold up.
To be fair I only watched him once in the championship game. Sometimes measurables can be out done by just watching them play.

[AFCAT]

Helena High. Don't know what kind of an offer it is though. He also has a Southern Utah offer.

[blueandgoldblitz]

So who won the instate recruiting battle this year??

On paper, MSU. But ask me in three years!

Who won 2018 and 2019 (the first two Bobbi 2.0 years and the last two Choate years)?

12.) Marcus Wehr (Billings Central) - DE/DL - 6’3”, 220 lbs. (Montana State)

In your opinion, and with the benefit of hindsight, what do you think the coaches got wrong, if anything, about the evaluation for Wehr to put him as a DL to start his career? And why do you think they switched him to OL and watched him absolutely take off? I'm not looking for any dirt. Just curious as to how the evaluation process goes and how they missed him (initially) as an OL?

What I wrote about him in 2019:

12.) Marcus Wehr – Billings Central (6’3”, 220 lbs.)

Image

• MSU signee – DE
• 2x Class A All-State - OL/DE
• 2018 1st Team All-USA Today Montana – DL
• 2017 2nd Team All-USA Today Montana – OL
• 2018 GFT Super-State – DL
• 2018 Badlands selection - DL
• 2018 Shrine Game selection – OG
• 46 total tackles (38 solo); 5 sacks; 15 TFLs (senior year)
• Had 7 solo tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 TFLs vs. Fergus his senior year
• 2018 State Track Qualifier – Shot Put
• 1st ranked DE; 4th ranked exterior OL

On Wehr: Marcus passes the eyeball test for a DE/DL prospect due to his height, weight, and build. He has a long, lean, muscular frame despite weighing around 230 lbs. Marcus was a major piece to Billings Central’s dominant 2018 campaign that ended with yet another State A title for the Rams. He develops an explosive burst out of his stance that translates to power and lateral agility that is hard to contain. Marcus plays with a good level which makes him even tougher to block. He attacks with his pads square to the line of scrimmage and displays a wide, balanced base. Marcus can sink his hips and create quick arm extension at the point of attack. He plays with violent hands and can physically displace offensive lineman if their footwork/base is spotty (go to :55 in highlight film for example). His point-of-attack technique allows him to set the edge, find the ball, and spot play-action quickly. Marcus consistently plays with good football awareness and intelligence. His lateral quickness is underrated and allows him to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage at a high rate. After displacing blockers, Marcus does a good job of finding himself in tackle-ready position and his long, strong arms bring down ballcarriers with ease. He rarely gets bullied at the point of attack due to his strong core and sturdy base. For pass-rush moves, Marcus mostly goes with a bull-rush but has a nice punch/rip move to counter. When he does get locked up on a pass-rush, he shows the awareness and ability to knock down balls in the air. On top of every other trait, Marcus has an excellent motor and it takes him to plays that other will quit on. His change of direction talent and consistent effort allows him to stretch out plays and hound quarterbacks consistently. There are a few areas for improvement. Marcus is more a max effort/physical-at-the-point-of-attack defender than twitched-up pass-rusher. He’s missing that plus athleticism and bend that make quality pass-rushers in college. Marcus shows a tendency to play top-heavy when he gets into the backfield and will overrun plays at times. He puts a lot of effort into defeating blocks at the line of scrimmage so he will just have to fight to stay more in control when getting into the backfield. I was also surprised Marcus didn’t have more sack production in high school but there were other factors likely working against him (scheme, double-teams, Eastern A style of football, etc.). He will likely never become a big-time edge rusher at MSU. However, he may never have to as he will carry an imposing frame once he adds more mass/muscle and will likely fit as either a strong-side defensive end or 3-Tech defensive tackle in the Bobcats’ scheme. Marcus has the chance to become a starter early in his career because of each trait described above. He is a very consistent competitor and plays with a violent edge (in a good way) that’s required along the defensive line to succeed in college. I would not at all be surprised if Marcus turns out to be the most productive player in this class at the next level. He has every tangible/intangible trait college coaches want in a stong-side DE.

I bolded my review that actually translates to why he is an All-American offensive lineman. Simply put, Marcus plays violent but in control which means he doesn't sacrifice his technique to get after people. He is so so good playing with a great pad level and base from the ground up.

I broke out his weaknesses as a defensive line prospect as follows:

- more a max effort/physical-at-the-point-of-attack defender than twitched-up pass-rusher
- missing that plus athleticism and bend that make quality pass-rushers in college
- shows a tendency to play top-heavy when he gets into the backfield and will overrun plays at times
- He puts a lot of effort into defeating blocks at the line of scrimmage so he will just have to fight to stay more in control when getting into the backfield
- surprised Marcus didn’t have more sack production in high school but there were other factors likely working against him (scheme, double-teams, Eastern A style of football, etc.)
- will likely never become a big-time edge rusher at MSU

My final thoughts:

- may never have to as he will carry an imposing frame once he adds more mass/muscle and will likely fit as either a strong-side defensive end or 3-Tech defensive tackle in the Bobcats’ scheme
- has the chance to become a starter early in his career because of each trait described above
- very consistent competitor and plays with a violent edge (in a good way) that’s required along the defensive line to succeed in college
- would not at all be surprised if Marcus turns out to be the most productive player in this class at the next level
- He has every tangible/intangible trait college coaches want in a strong-side DE

I envisioned how he would be fitting into Choate's defensive scheme and was thinking Tyrone Fa'anono as a big, powerful strong-side end. But his weaknesses as a DE prospect were not necessarily weaknesses for an OL prospect...sometimes the opposite. I was viewing his lack of pass rush ability as a weaknesses but that 100% doesn't matter as an OL prospect. Really it came down to the player here and what he wanted his legacy to be. Vigen challenged him by saying he wouldn't be a great fit as a DL for the Cats but he could arguably push for a starting spot on the OL if he bought in to the adjustment necessary to add the weight. Marcus knocked it out of the park by earning a starting spot coming out of spring ball within 6 months of his position switch. Takes a special type of player to buy-in like Marcus has to rerouting his career and we now have a 1st-Team All American on the OL because of it.

Awesome eval Vim, thanks for the information!!!

[kwcat]

Gallatin in Bozeman high Boise basketball playing right now on SWX.
Couple of kids coming to Montana State football next year are playing right now.

[VimSince03]

Archived prior to final ranking.

Below is a list of players to watch for next year's Montana recruiting cycle using the same tier system I've used the past two years (no order for players in each tier yet). If you believe a player should be added, please share in the comments!

Pre-Senior Season Ranking

"The Rare Ones"

Hayden Hanks (Thompson Falls) - 6'4", 270 lbs. - DT (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Boise State)
Quinn Clark (Bozeman Gallatin) - 6'6", 190 lbs. - WR (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Nebraska)

Thoughts: "Hanks got pursued by both in-state schools immediately but Boise State got him in the building and he left with an offer. Clark has legacy ties with Nebraska and Coach Rhule wants to throw the ball. Clark has the size and athleticism to compete at the top level."

"The Blue Chips"

Henry Sellards (Kalispell Glacier) - 6'5", 270 lbs. - OT (Cat/Griz/NDSU offer; committed to NDSU)
Rocco Lencioni (Bozeman) - 6'4", 195 lbs. - WR/S (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Montana State)
Hudson Wiens (Bozeman) - 6'4", 245 lbs. - DT (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Montana State)
Mason Dethman (Froid/Med-Lake) - 6'4", 195 lbs. - QB/S (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Montana State)
Grady Walker (Sentinel) - 6'3", 190 lbs. - WR/S (committed to UM)
Kash Goicoechea (Kalispell Glacier) - 6'1", 180 lbs. - ATH/DB (committed to UM)
Dalton Noble (Jefferson) - 6'5", 250 lbs. - OL/DT (Cat/Griz offer; committed to Army)

Thoughts: "Elevated Walker, Goicoechea, and Noble to the blue chip category. Noble and Lencioni are the only two recruits have haven't committed prior to senior year starting. Sellards committing to NDSU is big on a few levels as the Bison have been trying to breakthrough with a Montana recruit for years. Wiens decided to stay home after an oddly long wait for a MSU offer. Dethman is the first 6-man start to join MSU since Treyton Pickering. Walker and Goicoechea follow in their father's footsteps to UM where they should make an impact on the offensive side of the ball."

"The Partials"

Danny Sirmon (Missoula Sentinel) - 6'4", 205 lbs. - TE (committed to UM)
Rueso Battermann (Butte) - 6'3", 190 lbs. - WR
Shawn Tadlock (CMR) - 6'5", 300 lbs. - OL (Only played 4 games in 2022 due to injury)
Braden Zimmer (Billings West) - 6'6", 230 lbs. - OL
Ethan Alexander (Florence) - 6'3", 225 lbs. - TE/DE (committed to MT Tech)
Tavan McMaster (Jefferson) - 6'4", 265 lbs. - OL
Andrew Burrows (Hamilton) - 6'2", 250 lbs. - OL/DL
Kaiden Clement (CMR) - 6'2", 215 lbs. - HB/LB/DE
Isaac Keim (Kalispell Glacier) - 6'3", 225 lbs. - TE/DL (committed to UM)

Thoughts: Keim and Sirmon finished great camp circuits and got scholarship offers to UM with Sirmon picking up offers from MSU and UNC. The other five are kids to circle heading into their senior season.

"The Safe Investments"

Joshua Woodberry (Bozeman Gallatin) - 5'11", 205 lbs. - LB
Cody Schweikert (Columbia Falls) - 6'4", 224 lbs. - QB (committed to UM)
Austin Baller (Bozeman) - 6'0", 195 lbs. - LB
Cole Dawes (Helena Capital) - 6'5", 230 lbs. - OT/DL
Owen Reynolds (Red Lodge) - 6'1", 190 lbs. - WR/S (Injured his junior season; 1st Team All-Conference as a sophomore)
Cohen Kastelitz (Kalispell Glacier) - 6'3", 185 lbs. - WR
Ethan Triplett (Belt) - 6'1", 175 lbs. - WR (Griz offer)
Chace Water (Sidney) - 6'4", 245 lbs. - OL/DT
Kellen Harrison (Bozeman - 6'0", 160 lbs. - QB/S
Maxx Lee (Billings Senior) - 6'3", 250 lbs. - OL/DT
Ryder English (Great Falls High ) - 5'11", 180 lbs. - RB/NB
Xavier Brackenridge (Billings Central) - 5'9", 180 lbs. - RB
Alex Hausmann (Kalispell Glacier) - 5'11", 160 lbs. - WR/DB
Taylor Searle (Hamilton) - 6'3", 190 lbs. - WR/S
Kieran Netburn (Lewistown) - 6'0", 210 lbs. - LB
Manu Melo (Helena High) - 5'11", 150 lbs. - WR
Isaac Stoker (Corvallis) - 6'2", 260 lbs. - OL/DT
Tyce Casterline (Lockwood) - 6'3", 190 lbs. - ATH/LB
Torin Jeske (Bozeman) - 6'5", 240 lbs. - OL/DL
Maddox Roberts (Billings Central) - 6'3", 210 lbs. - OT/DE
Izayah Brown (Great Falls High) - 6'1", 205 lbs. - FB
Kee Christiansen (Dillon) - 6'1", 180 lbs. - QB/S
Kyle Mounts (Bozeman Gallatin) - 6'0", 170 lbs. - ATH/DB
Lucas Lant (Hamilton) - 5'11", 205 lbs. - FB/LB
Talen Reynolds (Missoula Loyola) - 5'8", 160 lbs. - RB/DB (committed to UM)

Thoughts: Schweikert, Woodberry, and Netburn got elevated to this group. Schweikert won't play QB at UM so it will be interesting to see where they develop him as an ATH. Several of these players likely have some type of PWO offer from either UM or MSU or there is at least interest. Ethan Triplett has the chance to be another Class C kid who could make the jump to FCS for college.

"The Projects"

Daniel Marinko (Belgrade) 6'2", 205 lbs. - OT/DE
Cooper Frietag (Billings West) - 6'1", 195 lbs. - HB/LB
Ryan Frisinger (Helena High) - 5'10", 185 lbs. - LB
Gabe Sims (Kalispell Flathead) - 6'4", 200 lbs. - TE
Kael Barnes (CMR) - 6'6", 215 lbs. - OT
Thomas Buchanan (Red Lodge) - 6'4", 195 lbs. - QB
Adam Balkenbush (Billings Central) - 6'1", 190 lbs. - QB/S
Jordan Jenson (Lewistown) - 6'2", 220 lbs. - OL/DL
Aiden Marceau (Missoula Big Sky) - 5'11', 165 lbs. - WR/DB
Brody Jenness (Lewistown) - 5'11", 190 lbs. - NB/S
Jace Hill (Columbia Falls) - 6'2", 170 lbs. - WR

Thoughts: I still think Frietag and Jace Hill are kids to watch from this group. I also still think Thomas Buchanan is an underrated QB prospect.

[VimSince03]

Final ranking is up. Thoughts to follow up until signing day. Post signing day I'll post the 2025 list...which I have compiled.

[coloradocat]

Final ranking is up. Thoughts to follow up until signing day. Post signing day I'll post the 2025 list...which I have compiled.

Not that you don't already do enough but it would be cool if you added a couple notable Bobcats (and maybe griz) from the last half dozen years that were on each end of season tier. That would give each list a little more perspective, like "wow, he was a tier 4 and look what he turned into". We could do that ourselves but I assume you have the old tier handy.

Thanks for the rankings. It's become an annual day of note to see where everyone ended up and is going.

[coloradocat]

Final ranking is up. Thoughts to follow up until signing day. Post signing day I'll post the 2025 list...which I have compiled.

Tier 1
Cats - 0
griz - 0

Tier 2
Cats - 4 (DT, WR/S, QB/S, OL/DT)
griz - 3 (ATH/QB, TE/DE, WR)

Tier 3
Cats - 3 (HB/LB, OL, QB/S)
griz - 2 (TE, WR/S)

Tier 4
Cats - 1 (CB)
griz - 2 (QB/LB, RB)

Tier 5
Cats - 0
griz - 0

[VimSince03]

Final ranking is up. Thoughts to follow up until signing day. Post signing day I'll post the 2025 list...which I have compiled.

Not that you don't already do enough but it would be cool if you added a couple notable Bobcats (and maybe griz) from the last half dozen years that were on each end of season tier. That would give each list a little more perspective, like "wow, he was a tier 4 and look what he turned into". We could do that ourselves but I assume you have the old tier handy.

Thanks for the rankings. It's become an annual day of note to see where everyone ended up and is going.

I like that idea a lot actually. Will work on getting it added.

[84CatGrad]

I spoke with Thomas Buchanan a week ago. Thomas plans to attend Bozeman but not participate in athletics. Wants to live the student life style. I think it's pretty cool he defied expectations and is doing what he wants to do.

[VimSince03]

I finally will start including K/P into my ranking!

[catatac]

The Glacier kid defecting to NDSU baffles me. I'm assuming either he has ties there, or they are giving him significantly more money than MSU or UM can afford. You grow in in the Flathead and then decide to move to Fargo rather than Bozeman or Missoula. Ouch.

[VimSince03]

The Glacier kid defecting to NDSU baffles me. I'm assuming either he has ties there, or they are giving him significantly more money than MSU or UM can afford. You grow in in the Flathead and then decide to move to Fargo rather than Bozeman or Missoula. Ouch.

Not surprising at all in my opinion. NDSU has a storied OL development program over the past decade. Also, NDSU has been reaching out to Montana kids every year since I've been tracking the in-state recruiting and kids have been taking visits so eventually one is going to commit. Gabe Sulser was deciding between NDSU, MSU, and UM back in the day as well. Sure, Fargo isn't Bozeman or Missoula...but maybe kids want something different. Nothing wrong with that.

[Joe Bobcat]

The Glacier kid defecting to NDSU baffles me. I'm assuming either he has ties there, or they are giving him significantly more money than MSU or UM can afford. You grow in in the Flathead and then decide to move to Fargo rather than Bozeman or Missoula. Ouch.

Not surprising at all in my opinion. NDSU has a storied OL development program over the past decade. Also, NDSU has been reaching out to Montana kids every year since I've been tracking the in-state recruiting and kids have been taking visits so eventually one is going to commit. Gabe Sulser was deciding between NDSU, MSU, and UM back in the day as well. Sure, Fargo isn't Bozeman or Missoula...but maybe kids want something different. Nothing wrong with that.

True enough but I had hopes that the numerous O linemen from MSU that were recognized as grading out among the very best in the nation this year might sway him to reconsider and choose MSU. It's not the first nor will it be the last time I have unrealistic hopes regarding recruits. I know we have good to great ones but like every coach since the beginning of time I want the ones that are even better.

[DMMDCats]

NDSU does cover Full Cost of Attendance.

Getting a degree with no debt is always nice.

[msutrackfan]

The Glacier kid defecting to NDSU baffles me. I'm assuming either he has ties there, or they are giving him significantly more money than MSU or UM can afford. You grow in in the Flathead and then decide to move to Fargo rather than Bozeman or Missoula. Ouch.

Not surprising at all in my opinion. NDSU has a storied OL development program over the past decade. Also, NDSU has been reaching out to Montana kids every year since I've been tracking the in-state recruiting and kids have been taking visits so eventually one is going to commit. Gabe Sulser was deciding between NDSU, MSU, and UM back in the day as well. Sure, Fargo isn't Bozeman or Missoula...but maybe kids want something different. Nothing wrong with that.

True enough but I had hopes that the numerous O linemen from MSU that were recognized as grading out among the very best in the nation this year might sway him to reconsider and choose MSU. It's not the first nor will it be the last time I have unrealistic hopes regarding recruits. I know we have good to great ones but like every coach since the beginning of time I want the ones that are even better.

If this reference is the Henry Sellards of Glacier, according to his X account, he committed to NDSU on August 1, 2023. I don’t believe he defected to NDSU but has always been committed there (unless I missed another X post, which is possible.)

[BelligerentBobcat]

The Glacier kid defecting to NDSU baffles me. I'm assuming either he has ties there, or they are giving him significantly more money than MSU or UM can afford. You grow in in the Flathead and then decide to move to Fargo rather than Bozeman or Missoula. Ouch.

Not surprising at all in my opinion. NDSU has a storied OL development program over the past decade. Also, NDSU has been reaching out to Montana kids every year since I've been tracking the in-state recruiting and kids have been taking visits so eventually one is going to commit. Gabe Sulser was deciding between NDSU, MSU, and UM back in the day as well. Sure, Fargo isn't Bozeman or Missoula...but maybe kids want something different. Nothing wrong with that.

True enough but I had hopes that the numerous O linemen from MSU that were recognized as grading out among the very best in the nation this year might sway him to reconsider and choose MSU. It's not the first nor will it be the last time I have unrealistic hopes regarding recruits. I know we have good to great ones but like every coach since the beginning of time I want the ones that are even better.

If this reference is the Henry Sellards of Glacier, according to his X account, he committed to NDSU on August 1, 2023. I don’t believe he defected to NDSU but has always been committed there (unless I missed another X post, which is possible.)

He’s meaning it as in, he defected from the state of Montana.