MISSOULA — The Griz have fortified one of their thinnest positions with a Pac 12 transfer. Gavin Robertson is coming to Montana.
Montana’s safeties’ group has become depleted through graduation and a change in head coach over the last two seasons. Two years ago, the group lost former Arizona transfer Yamen Sanders to graduation. In 2017, Montana’s roster featured three more senior safeties — Justin Strong, Mick Delaney and Korey Alexander — who all exhausted their eligibility following Montana’s 7-4 campaign.
With the non-renewal of Bob Stitt’s contract after three seasons at the helm, more attrition proceeded across the roster, including with prized former 3-star recruit Isiahia Banks leaving the UM program.
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In Bobby Hauck’s first recruiting season, the Grizzlies have gone to work reloading third-year safeties’ coach Shann Schilinger’s group. Montana returns Bigfork product Josh Sandry for his junior year and Evan Epperly, a spot starter when Strong was suspended last season, will be a fifth-year senior. Sidney product Michael McGinnis is coming off a redshirt last fall.
During the early signing period December 20-22, Montana signed Woodinville, Washington standout Nash Fouch and Kalispell Glacier’s Jackson Pepe.
On Monday, the Grizzlies landed a crucial piece in Robertson, a transfer from Arizona who will be a front-runner to start next to Sandry in UM’s secondary.
Robertson visited Missoula the weekend of January 12-14 with a group that also included committed transfers quarterback Dalton Sneed (UNLV, Fort Scott CC), safety Robby Hauck (Northern Arizona) and running back Adam Eastwood (San Diego State. All three are enrolled in classes and start the spring semester on Monday.
Robertson is in Missoula and enrolling in classes. He has not been cleared for football activities yet but is expected to qualify and officially join Montana’s roster sometime this week once he passes his physical and irons out his academic clearance. Robertson will have three years to play three.
Robertson is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound third-year sophomore from Auburn, Washington. He prepped at Mountainview High, the same school that produced Montana third-year sophomore Gresch Jensen. Robertson earned a three-star rating by Scout.com and Rivals.com as a prep senior. He was rated as the No. 52 safety in the country after earning first team all-state, first team All-South Puget Sound League honors as a wide receiver and defensive back.
At Arizona, Robertson redshirted in 2016 before moving to Will linebacker in the spring of 2017. He saw “significant reps” with the first and second units during spring drills but played in just three games last season, notching two tackles. UA head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired in the off-season.
Over the last 30 years, Montana has produced some of the top safeties in the history of the Big Sky Conference, including Schillinger, a Baker product who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2010 before playing four seasons in the NFL. The lineage also includes All-Americans like Karl Stein, Tim Hauck, Sean Dorris, Todd Ericson, Blaine McElmurry, Vince Huntsberger, Trey Young, Colt Anderson and Erik Stoll.
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