Grant Collins popped the blocking sled with a two-handed punch so powerful, it jostled the snap of his chin strap loose.
“Grant, we need to get you a helmet that stays on right if you’re going to hit this thing that hard,” new Montana State defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak exclaimed before flashing a smile for the display of power from the Bobcats’ newest defensive end.
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For first-time observers, Collins looks right at home blasting the sled and doing barrel roles across the Bobcat Stadium turf. But for those who have followed the Bozeman native’s meteoric rise to Big Sky Conference standout, Collins is in an entirely new role for the new-look Bobcats this spring.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder was the Class AA Defensive Player of the Year while prowling the middle of Bozeman High’s defense as proficiently as any prep middle linebacker in Treasure State history. After leading the Hawks to a perfect 13-0 record as a senior, many thought the towering, limber linebacker was bound for the Pac 12. But a shoulder injury suffered before his senior season kept him from going to any of the individual camps at some of the top football programs on the West Coast.
Collins did earn offers from Montana, Montana State and Idaho along with a preferred walk-on offer from Southern Cal. The son of former NFL Draft pick Shane Collins, a two-sport star at Arizona State in the late 1980s, elected to stay home.
The elation surrounding Collins’ commitment resonated among the Bobcat coaching staff. Former head coach Rob Ash called Collins the “gem of Montana” when he first signed. And Collins showed signs of his formidable potential right away.
After a redshirt season that saw him add nearly 20 pounds, Collins broke into the starting lineup as a freshman last fall. After taking a few games to adjust to the wear and tear of playing inside linebacker at the FCS level, Collins settled in and produced as well as any Bobcat linebacker outside of knifing All-Big Sky outside linebacker Mac Bignell.
In his first year roaming the middle, Collins piled up 88 tackles (second on the Bobcats), including 46 solo stops, five tackles for loss and a sack.
In November, following Montana State’s 54-35 loss to rival Montana to cap MSU’s first losing season since 2001, Ash and his staff were fired. The Bobcats hired Jeff Choate in December, ushering in a wave of change.
As MSU gets set for its third week of the five-week spring ball session, Collins and a handful of other Bobcats are finding their way at new positions. Former running back Tavon Dodd is playing cornerback, former wide receiver Connor Sullivan is playing tight end and former defensive end Keegan Bray is playing fullback. But the most notable change is Collins’ move from the quarterback of the defense to playing Boundary end, a position featuring just three players: the sophomore along with seniors Zach Hutcins and Jessie Clark.
“I think it’s fun,” Collins said. “It puts me in a position to go out and make some plays, which I love. The biggest difference is probably just working hands. There’s a lot more hand fighting and a lot more action up front. But I love it.”
“It wouldn’t say it’s hard but middle linebacker has always been my home. I have always been a middle linebacker. But hey, I’m good with change. Change has been good for us so far and I love where I’m at.”
Gregorak loves Collins’ hunger to get better as well as his team-first attitude. He said Collins did not argue for a single second when the position switch came up.
“He’s so long,” said Gregorak, an assistant for the Grizzlies for 12 of the last 13 years and the primary position coach for the trio of Boundary ends. “He’s one of our biggest players in terms of size and length. He’s a big guy, a long guy who can hit. He’s a local boy who being a Bobcat means is everything to. He’s a real positive leader, a real natural leader, which I love. He’s really smart, analytical young man. He’s thirsty to learn more.’
“He’s constantly in my office. I get him for three more years. He is just going to be a sophomore. I think we did him a service by moving him and doing what we are doing with him. I’m not saying he couldn’t have been a great linebacker. He could’ve. But he has a chance to be an elite rush end in this league. I’m fired up for his potential and I know he will work to be great.”
Montana State’s linebacker group still includes Bignell, a Drummond native who notched 20.5 tackles for loss last season along with the senior duo of Blake Braun and Fletcher Collins, each part-time starters at MSU’s two inside linebacker positions.
“Grant is a guy who is 6-foot-4, 235 pounds and isn’t going to get smaller,” Choate said. “He has long lever and he’s a good natural pass rusher. He has an ability to effect the game on the edge a little more than he did as an inside guy. And we have a lot of depth at the inside linebacker position. You are essentially taking away another really good player who is going to not start or be competing for reps. We are trying to get our best 11 on the field right now.”
The Bobcats have acclimated to Gregorak’s intense, challenging style well in the early going of spring drills. Gregorak has helped mentored NFL players like Caleb McSurdy, Brock Coyle, Jordan Tripp, Zack Wagenmann and Tyrone Holmes. He has already taken Collins under his wing as the young Bobcat strives for greatness.
“I love him,” Collins said. “He is helping me out so much. I’m always in there and he’s helping me out when I need a little extra. He’s always there for me.”
While Collins has embraced his new position with open arms, he admits he misses being the man in the middle. He has always been the guy calling the huddle, barking out the plays and running the show. Gregorak hopes Collins doesn’t stop being who he is: a fierce, positive leader who can make plays from sideline to sideline.
“Every position has it’s role,” Gregorak said. “I would love middle linebacker to be a leader, quarterback of the defense type of guy but I would say the same thing about safety. Grant is such a good leader, he can do that stuff in his new role. There’s no reason he can’t. And I believe he will.”
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Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
