Four variably different paths converged Thursday in what Jeff Choate hopes is a perfect symmetry of leadership for his second Montana State Bobcats squad.
A season ago, Choate’s first as a college head coach, he leaned heavily on stalwarts like Chad Newell, J.P. Flynn and Gunnar Brekke to keep the team from ripping apart as MSU struggled to score points or steal wins. With a year under his belt, Choate himself is decidedly more comfortable in all aspects of his job. He has also found four senior leaders who he believes encompass all the tenants of what he wants his program to represent.
Montana State opened fall camp Thursday morning at Dyche Field. Following the session, Choate announced four captains for the 2017 season. The head coach said “it was a one-man vote” after naming linebacker Mac Bignell, safety Bryson McCabe, wide receiver Mitch Herbert and offensive tackle Dylan Mahoney as his first set of hand-picked captains.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate on Aug. 3 2017/ by Colter Nuanez
“Those four guys are all seniors, and I think that speaks to something,” Choate said. “This means a tremendous amount to them. You have a junior college transfer (McCabe) who’s all about riding for the brand. You’ve got two Montana kids (Bignell and Mahoney) who this means more to than probably anything you can imagine. And you’ve got one of the highest character young men than you could find anywhere in the United States, or the world for that matter (Herbert).”
It’s the first time since 2014 MSU won’t have an underclassmen captain and the first time since at least before Rob Ash’s tenure began in 2007 that the captains were selected by the head coach rather than the players.
“When our players say, ‘What does it mean to ride for the brand?’ they can watch how Bryson McCabe prepares and how Mac Bignell gives his heart and soul to this program,” Choate said. “When they ask, ‘What does it mean to be an empathetic leader?’ they can look at (how) Dylan Mahoney can put his arm around guys and say, ‘I know you’re new here, but here’s how we do things.’ And when you talk about a lead-by-example guy, who are you going to find better than Mitch Herbert? I think those four individuals really exemplify the core values of our program.”
Bignell has gone from Class C walk-on to preseason All-American during his five years at Montana State. The youngest son of MSU Hall of Fame tight end Joe Bignell came to MSU from 8-man powerhouse Drummond as a preferred walk-on safety. Following his second year in the program, his future was cloudy at best.
In the spring of 2015, Bignell moved positions to outside linebacker purely because lack of depth created by injuries. He stood out right away, making more tackles in the open field than any Bobcat since Jody Owens from the moment he entered the lineup.
Bignell led the Big Sky Conference in tackles for loss with 20.5 his sophomore year, his first as starter. He followed it up with a second-team All-Big Sky season last fall thanks to 96 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. Entering his final season, the 6-foot, 205-pounder is a preseason All-Big Sky and third-team preseason All-American selection.
“It feels good that these guys let me be their leader,” Bignell said following Thursday’s helmet’s only session. “I’m just a guy they can go to. That’s all that means. Everyone is a leader on this team the way that Coach Choate defines it. It’s an honor but everyone has their role.”
Montana State’s 2016 captains, from top left: Fletcher Collins, J.P. Flynn, head coach Jeff Choate, Chad Newell, Gunnar Brekke; front, from left: Bryson McCabe, Mac Bignell, Khari Garcia/ by Brooks Nuanez
The soft-spoken and slightly hearing impaired Bignell has always deflected praise, even when consistently standing out for an otherwise disorganized defenses. Ask him about his teammates and he lights up. The trend continued Thursday as his fellow captains sat in the grass waiting for their turns in front of the cameras and reporters.
“They are extraordinary guys,” Bignell said with a smile. “Everyone deserves it. Me and Mahoney, came in here together as freshmen and so it’s great to see him make it and see all the work and adversity he’s faced and how he’s gotten through. The other two guys are just remarkable guys and more than deserving of captain.”
Mahoney initially committed to Montana State as a skinny 6-foot-6, 225-pound offensive tackle hoping to develop under revered former Bobcat offensive line coach Jason McEndoo. Five years later, the Great Falls C.M. Russell High product is a two-year starter who weights 285 pounds and has played for four position coaches.
After Mahoney’s redshirt freshman year, McEndoo left MSU following 12 seasons for a similar position on Mike Gundy’s staff at Oklahoma State. He was replaced by Jason Eck, who was fired along with most of the rest of the staff following 2015’s 5-6 finish. Brian Armstrong — MSU’s offensive coordinator after Courtney Messingham’s departure in the off-season — coached the MSU offensive linemen last season. In the spring, Choate brought in Josh Taufalele to work with MSU’s offensive front.
“I’ve had a few coaches here,” Mahoney said with a chuckle. “Coach Mac was an absolutely great coach and deserves everything he has. It didn’t surprise me that much that I would have a new coach but having a new one every year, that’s a little tough. But I get to hear from four different minds, people who have been all over the country, all over to different schools. I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far, healthy enough to play with the guys I have and the coaches that are here.”
Dylan Mahoney (No. 60) as a sophomore right tackle at EWU in 2015/ by Brooks Nuanez
Mahoney played the role of a sort of sixth man as a sophomore in 2015, filling in on every other series at right guard for Kyle Godecke or right tackle for Alex Eekhoff, each oft-injured seniors. Last fall, Mahoney assumed the starting job at left tackle, taking over for four-year starter John Weidenaar. Mahoney suffered an injury that cost him five starts; Montana State’s offense subsequently struggled with Mahoney on the shelf.
Upon his return, Montana State proceeded to run the ball with authority to help close a 4-7 campaign with consecutive wins over UC Davis and Montana. Now Mahoney will be tasked with leading MSU’s largest position group and an offense that will need better production if the Bobcats hope to improve their record this fall.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by my coaches and teammates to be a leader of this team,” Mahoney said. “I think that it was a great choice with those other three guys as well. I think they represent what it’s like to be a Bobcat. I think all four of us are going to do a great job leading this fall.”
As Montana State’s out-of-state native captains, McCabe and Herbert have had much different journeys to their final seasons. McCabe, a native of Spirit Lake, Iowa, initially went to South Dakota State out of high school. After a season, he transferred to Iowa Western junior college, then to Montana State before the 2015 season.
McCabe battled injuries his first season but showed flashes of the hard hitting and cerebral preparation that made him a second-team All-Big Sky selection last season. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder enters his senior season, like Bignell, as a returning team captain.
Montana State senior safety Bryson McCabe/ by Brooks Nuanez
“It’s definitely one of my biggest accomplishments, being a team captain, having all your teammates look up to you,” McCabe said. “Transferring in, I’ve been here for three years and I feel like I’ve spent my whole career here. I’ve loved every minute of it. I know all the coaching changes, been through all that, some new players but at the same time, it’s been a big honor.”
Herbert’s career has featured highs early, lows most recently and a chance for redemption in its finale. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound outside receiver from Eugene, Oregon broke into the starting lineup to begin the conference slate as a true freshman. He caught the game-winning touchdown in a 59-56 win at Sacramento State that eventually proved to be the victory that got MSU into the 2014 FCS playoffs. He finished that rookie season with 28 catches, 339 yards and four touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Herbert emerged as former quarterback Dakota Prukop’s favorite target. He earned third-team All-Big Sky honors by catching 42 passes for 562 yards and eight touchdowns. That 2015 season, MSU led the league in scoring offense and total offense yet a maligned defense ensured a 5-6 finish and a terminated coaching staff.
“We have been here four and five years and we have been on playoff teams,” Herbert said. “We have been on teams that haven’t had the success we want. I know people look up to us because of that. I think we just need to make sure we stay focused and gets better every day.”
Last year, Herbert’s numbers dipped. He caught 26 passes for 476 yards and three touchdowns as the Bobcats struggled mightily to throw the ball. During Thursday’s practice, Herbert resembled his sophomore form, snaring jump balls and displaying an aggressive catch-everything attitude. In his interview, Herbert exuded confidence and gave articulate responses, a portion of his development into a more talkative captain. Herbert, an Academic All-Big Sky selection despite his pre-medicine major, enters his final season with 18 career touchdown catches, three from tying Butte product Kelly Davis for MSU’s all-time career mark.
MSU wide receiever Mitch Herbert celebrates with the ‘Cat offense after a touchdown
“It’s a huge honor to get that title from my teammates and it’s going to be a tall task,” Herbert said. “I need to work on being more of a vocal leader and getting the offense going in the right direction.”
“I try to lead by example. From (wide receivers) Coach (Matt) Miller, I need to become more of a vocal leader. We have a bunch of young receivers so getting them going in the right direction is going to be huge for the future of this program.”
Photos by Colter Nuanez or attributed. All Rights Reserved.
