Okay, so Montana did get a quarterback from a BCS team, but it just was not who we thought. It turns out to be Joe Montana's son, Nate Montana. That makes the Montana off season really good.
The Grizzlies grabbed 11 guys from in state to keep their roster big on local talent. Coach Pflugrad claims that Conner Lebsock (S) and Jonathan Richards (LB) are two of the three best football players in Montana. The other got away to Nevada, but two out of three ain't bad. Two more Montana boys will line up on the O-Line, which is a place the Grizzlies need to improve. One of those on the line will be Jonathan Richards's cousin, Aschan, and he plays Tight End so that is only sort of on the O-Line. Montana pulled in some Hawaii guys, which Montana is able to do more often than you would think. This included another O-Lineman as well as a quarterback - wide receiver combo from Miliani, HI. They also signed a big hitter from South Dakota: Matt Hermanson. He is a coach's son, and should be a fine addition at the safety spot. The O-Line got more support by adding Joe Dahl from Spokane, WA, and Christian Licciardi from Orange, CA. Expect these freshman lineman to get a shot if they can learn quickly and step up in early season ball.
This class will also include two guys who were hurt and missed all of last year. Derek Crittenden (DL) from Montana and Justin Whitted (S) from Las Angles, CA. These two guys ought to make contributions this year as they have gotten to see what FCS football is like, have gone through a college off season, and should know the defense already.
But the big news is still the transfer of Nate Montana. He was not going to be the starter at Notre Dame, and was at least going to be 3rd string. And he would have had to compete for that slot. He may have been the reason Tate Forcier went to Miami instead of Montana. Expect Nate to be the starting QB right out of the gate for the Griz. This makes them immediately a contender for the title in the Big Sky. Coach Pflugrad's first year learning curve is over. He now has two classes of his guys under his belt, and he has a high profile QB that ought to put his team on the map. They were not that far off last year spending most of the season in the top 10. Expect a jump out of this team.
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