Peyton Hanser is coming from a high school program draped in prestige to a college program trying to reattain its spot among the Big Sky Conference’s elite. It’s exactly what the Billings Central High senior is looking for.
Behind the strong play of Hanser, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver and outside linebacker, the Rams advanced to the semifinals of the Class A playoffs last fall. Since 2004, the perennial playoff contender has played for eight Class A state titles, claiming the crown in 2007 and 2012. Hanser’s older brother, Dylan — now a linebacker at Washington State — played on the 2012 title team and was a senior on the 2013 team that came up just short, losing to fellow power Dillon in the title game.
Peyton Hanser has seen success first-hand, both watching Dylan and now as a standout for the Rams on the football field and the basketball court. Montana State is coming off a 4-7 campaign in which the Bobcats lost six straight Big Sky Conference games for the first time since 2000. Yet Hanser loves what he sees in the MSU coaching staff’s vision for the future.
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Hanser gave his verbal commitment to the MSU coaching staff five days before Christmas. Although MSU was his lone solid Division I offer, he received interest from Washington State, Wyoming and Montana as well as offers from a variety of schools in the Frontier Conference.
The vision Jeff Choate has for the MSU program as he enters his second year at the helm is what sold Hanser on the Bobcats.
“I really liked everything about how they wanted to rebuild the program, where they were at and where they were headed,” Hanser in an interview in the second week in January. “It was so exciting to see the vision they had for the program.”
Hanser’s recruitment by Montana State began during the spring of his junior year with his attendance at MSU’s Junior Day during spring drills. He attended Montana State’s individual camp in June. As a senior at Billings Central, Hanser wracked up 66 tackles, two sacks and blocked a punt as a linebacker. He caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in Central’s run-heavy option-oriented offense.
“I took time, thought about it more and more and realized the vision they have for where they want their program to go is very similar to what I wanted in a college program,” Hanser said hours before his Rams defeated Class AA Billings Senior 69-67 in a non-conference crosstown game on January 3.
“Everything about it seems perfect almost, where their minds are. They are going in the right place. All the coaches up there, they really want it to go down the successful path they have started to take it.”
Hanser will start out playing wide receiver at Montana State. He is strongly committed to Montana State and will sign on National Signing Day on February 1, although his scholarship situation is to be determined.
“I don’t really know the logistics of that all yet,” Hanser said. “We haven’t really talked about it, I just know I’m signing in February.”
Hanser said he considered the Grizzlies and “liked Montana’s program and what it has to offer.” The Hanser family has a previous connection to Choate: the MSU head coach was the linebackers coach at Washington State for a season and helped with Dylan’s original recruitment to the Palouse.
“He’s an awesome guy who loves football, wants to win,” Hanser said. “We have that in common. Whenever I step on the floor or field, I want to win.”
The long, lanky Hanser comes from a strong athletic lineage. His father, Scott Hanser, is the Montana High School Association Hall of Fame after earning all-state honors as a junior and a senior in basketball and football at Billings Central. He led the Rams to their first ever appearance in the state title game as a senior in 1984 and won his second straight state championship in the discus the following spring.
Scott starred at Wyoming from 1984-1988. He played for Dennis Erickson in in 1986 before Erickson jumped ship, ironically, to Washington State. Hanser was an all-conference linebacker in 1987 and 1988 as the Cowboys went undefeated in the WAC two straight seasons, winning 10 games in Scott’s junior year and 11 in his senior season.
At Washington State, Dylan Hanser has blossomed into a consistent contributor for the Cougs. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound rush linebacker started six games as a junior. He finished the season with 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, including a TFL in WSU’s loss in the Holiday Bowl to Minnesota.
“My brother helps me with all the preparation, whether it’s strength and conditioning training or just little techniques he’s been taught,” Peyton Hanser said. “Anything that has helped him, he tries to pass on and share with me. He wants me to be the best I can be. He always tries to help me out with everything.”
Peyton Hanser is leaning toward studying exercise science because of his interest in physical therapy but he is not certain as of now. He said he has been in communication with Montana State freshman safety Jacob Hadley, a Billings Central product that has shared with him details about campus life and playing for this coaching staff.
The details of Hanser’s roster situation at MSU are yet to be ironed out yet Hanser is thrilled to help Montana State as the Bobcats try to attain the level that brought six Big Sky Conference championships to Bozeman between 2002 and 2012.
“It’s an awesome feeling getting an opportunity to extend my football career and play at the next level,” Hanser said. “It means a lot and I’m excited to continue my football career at Montana State and join the Bobcat football family. I’m so excited to get up there and get rolling next year and try to do everything I can to help the Cats start getting wins and be the best team they can be.”
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Photos contributed from the Hanser Family. All Rights Reserved.
