MISSOULA — Even though he grew up in the Garden City, Colin Bingham is finally back home.
The Missoula native was a Class AA first-team All-State selection as a senior tight end at Big Sky High in 2014. But the son of Griz Hall of Fame offensive lineman Guy Bingham spent his first three years at Montana playing inside receiver in Bob Stitt’s pass-heavy spread offense.
Now Bingham is back to playing tight end. The fourth-year junior “has gained probably 20 to 25 pounds since the end of the season and he looks the part,” according to new Montana head coach Bobby Hauck. It remains to be seen how offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach uses the reinstituted position in his offense. But the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder in enjoying being back at the spot he feels most comfortable in.
“I’m really enjoying it, I really like the game plan, everything, all the stuff the coaches are doing with us,” Bingham said before an afternoon spring football practice in March. “It’s been really fun so far.
“We do stuff really intense and that’s how I like things. Everything is very detail-oriented and I think it breeds a pretty good culture so I’ve enjoyed what the new coaches bring.”
In Stitt’s first season, Ben Roberts, an athletic jumping jack who could stretch the field with his deceiving speed but a player no one would mistake for a dominant in-line blocker, manned the “H” wide receiver spot.
Because of the versatility of former Great Falls C.M. Russell quarterback Josh Horner, a converted tight end, the H position evolved into an inside receiver spot with many wing and H-back elements. After converting from college quarterback to H receiver and physically transforming, Makena Simis added size and athleticism to the position last season.
But when healthy, Bingham proved to be one of Montana’s most productive pass catchers. When Horner went out in 2016, Bingham stepped up. He caught 24 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, while battling a foot injury and sitting third behind the two seniors, Bingham played in eight games and did not catch a pass.
This spring, Bingham has consistently lined up with the starting offense, catching passes from transfer quarterback Dalton Sneed and sophomore incumbent Gresch Jensen as the two gunslingers compete in what is becoming a heated quarterback competition. Bingham has received praise from the new coaching staff as “a natural” and an integral element of what UM’s offense hopes to become.
“He’s done a great job adapting to what we want him to do,” first-year tight ends coach Jace Schillinger said. “He is physical enough to block in the run game and he also has really good hands in the pass game. He’s a natural fit for the position.”
Bingham, also an all-state basketball player who several veteran coaches at Big Sky praise as one of the top blockers in the high school’s history, has showed both power and speed during Montana’s first 10 spring practices this spring.
“We have a lot of stuff out of the wing position still so that all carries over,” Bingham said. “A lot of the route running stuff we did, probably more routes in the old position which carries over. But this is definitely more blocking, which is exactly what I like.”
During Hauck’s first seven-season stint at Montana, his Griz were known for physical football both offensively and defensively. Between 2003 and 2009, UM closed out victory after victory with powerful offensive lines anchored by elite talent paving the way for tough running backs like Lex Hilliard, Justin Green and Chase Reynolds.
The tight end position was as steady as the tackles, guards and centers, particularly when it came to small-school studs developing into NFL-caliber prospects. Hauck’s early teams spliced physically formidable transfers like 6-foot-7 Willie Walden with hard-nosed Montana products like Connor Molloy, Jason Carriger and Kyler Noel.
During UM’s run to 31 Big Sky Conference victories in 32 games between 2006 and 2009 — a stretch that included trips to the 2008 and 2009 national title games — a trio of in-state studs helped Montana own the edge of the line of scrimmage.
Frenchtown product Steven Pfahler capped his career with first-team All-Big Sky accolades as a senior in 2009. He spent a training camp with the Tennessee Titans before returning to Missoula and forming Pfahler Sports Specific, a highly success training facility for local athletes.
Trout Creek native Dan Beaudin participated in football, track and basketball at one time or another during his time at Montana, earning a shot with the Miami Dolphins after earning honorable mention all-league honors the same year Pfahler was the top tight end in the league.
After being recruited by Hauck, Fairview product Greg Hardy took over as the No. 1 tight end for Robin Pflugrad’s two seasons as well as Mick Delaney’s first. Hardy was a first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2011, Pflugrad’s last, and 2012, the one previous season Rosenbach spent calling the Griz offense.
“I don’t think it’s changed much, honestly,” Hauck said when asked about the role of a tight end in modern-day offenses. “It depends on the offense, certainly. And offenses are widely varied. The beauty of the tight end position is they are involved in both sides of offense intimately, both run and pass. For us, we want to be balanced so they are going to be a big part of both parts of the football game.”
Bingham sees the evolution similarly to his head coach.
“I do think it’s evolved a little bit in the sense that they are being utilized in a lot of ways but when it comes down to it, it’s still fundamentally the same,” Bingham said. “You still have guys with their hand in the dirt blocking. Still got guys going out on routes, being goal line targets. Not a lot has changed when you really look at it.”
The state of Montana has a rich history of producing tight ends, whether it’s Montana State legend Joe Bignell, a Deer Lodge native who earned first-team All-American honors for MSU’s 1984 national championship team, or Brian Salonen, a first-team All-Big Sky selection for UM’s league title team who went on to play four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.
Since Hauck’s first season in 2003, All-Big Sky players like Brandon Bostick (Missoula), Elliott Barnhart (Broadus), Joe Schreibeis (Billings), Kyle Begger (Miles City) and Steven Foster (Helena) all started for Montana State. At Montana, the aforementioned list along with Clay Pierson (Twin Bridges) and Horner kept the in-state pipeline flowing before Stitt eliminated the position the last three seasons.
“Historically, you can go back to a lot of guys over the years,” Hauck said on National Signing Day. “You can look at Rocky Klever and Brian Salonen. Our time here with Dan Beaudin and Steve Pfahler who were really good players for us. They tend to this day in age tend to come from the same pool, guys who are a little bit bigger and playing wide receiver in high school.
“The only way to build the pool is to recruit them.”
In Hauck’s first signing class, the position wfas recruited heavily. The Griz signed Valier product Colten Curry, the son of former UM and NFL offensive lineman Scott Curry. UM also signed Max Morris from Kalispell Glacier, the son of former Stanford fullback Brian Morris. And Montana landed Vancouver, Washington product Cole Grossman, the son of former Portland State tight end Mike Grossman.
“I think it’s getting to be a hybrid position anymore,” Schillinger said. “Getting to catch the ball but also being able to be involved in the run game on the line of scrimmage and also blocking, pulling, it’s a different deal than what is used to be. You split them out now compared to what it used to be, on the line tight ends. Having these guys who can do both is nice. That’s what we will continue to look for.”
The new staff has also fortified the position by moving a collection of players from throughout the roster to new positions. Caleb Hill, the No. 3 quarterback behind Jensen and Reese Phillips, is now at tight end. So is Brennan Corbin, a 6-foot-5, 215-pounder from Anaheim who redshirted last season.
“Helping Caleb and Brennan out, it’s a really good way to help me learn too because we are bouncing ideas off each other, which is super helpful,” Bingham said.
“Even though Brennan is pretty skinny right now (laughs) — we have to get some muscle on him — he’s actually doing a really good job of blocking, which is exciting. And he has the receiver aspect of being a tight end down more than most do.”
Redshirt freshmen Matt Rensvold (6-foot-4, 215) of Polson and Bryson Deming (6-4, 230) of Billings have converted to back to the position seamlessly after playing the spot in high school. Trase Le Texier (6-2, 236), a sophomore from Boulder, has taken some tight end reps but is slated mainly as a fullback/H-back in a role similar to the one Billings product Kevin Klaboe stood out at during Haucks’ first stint at UM.
Schillinger, a former standout running back before at Dickinson State before spending the last seven years coaching at his alma mater, said Monday the last four practices and two spring scrimmages serve as “crunch time” for his group. The coach wants to lay a foundation heading into the summer.
Bingham will surely expected to be the leader during the time between spring football and fall camp. He’s ready to embrace the role.
“Just get physical, get tough, get better every day,” Bingham said. “That’s our sole focus.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
