BOZEMAN, Montana — During his longest address this spring to the press the first Friday of April, Jeff Choate touched on a variety of objectives and obstacles facing his Montana State football team as the team prepares for his fourth season.
One revelation came when Choate talked about the interesting challenges of trying to keep an FCS roster fully stocked. Prior to landing the MSU head job in December of 2015, Choate had spent all but one season of his 14 years as a college assistant in the FBS.
“Recruiting never stops,” Choate said with MSU about midway through spring drills. “One thing you really learn as a first time head coach, especially at the FCS level is how fluid your roster is and how hard it is to get to the three perfect marks which are can you use all 63 scholarships, get all 85 counters and all 104 into camp?”
FCS programs are allowed to offer 63 scholarships which can be split. In the FBS, teams have 85 full scholarships and cannot offer partials. FCS schools are allowed to have 85 total players receiving scholarship money. Just like in the FBS, FCS schools are allowed to bring 94 players to fall camp and carry 104 players on the roster once the academic year begins.
[restrict paid=”true”]
During the early signing period in December, Montana State signed 10 players who received scholarship money and three more who joined the program as preferred walk-ons. Amandre Williams, a transfer from the University of Washington slated to play on the edge of the Bobcat defense, joined the team in January.
Montana State signed nine more scholarship players, five more preferred walk-ons and a greyshirt in February.
Following spring drills, MSU received a commitment from Tyson Regimbal, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from College of the Siskiyous. Kicker/punter Andrew Boyle from Camas, Washington, Caleb Mancini, a kicker from San Marcos, California, and Jack Harlow, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound offensive lineman out of JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano, California are all expected to join the roster as preferred walk-ons.
That brings the number to 34 new additions to Montana State’s roster entering the player-run practices that are exclusive in the summer months.
“I think over signing is part of balancing the roster because of attrition,” Choate said. “You have a guy leave, you have to have a guy ready to replace.
“Our first year, we only had 56 full scholarships. We actually had less the second year. We want to have as many guys in our program as we can to maximize our scholarship count.”
MSU’s roster saw 10 seniors exhaust their eligibility last season. Skyline Sports has confirmed the medical retirement, transfer or exit from the program of 16 more former Bobcats.
Before spring ball began in mid-March, Choate announced the medical retirement of running back Tyler Natee and linebacker Balue Chapman. Natee, a product of Trinity High in Euless, Texas who transferred to MSU from Indiana, rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns in five games before his career was cut shot by a back injury. Chapman, the former Montana Gatorade Player of the Year from Bozeman, managed to appear in four games and notch two tackles before his injury-riddled career came to an end.
Choate also confirmed before spring football that running back Maleek Barkley, linebacker Dante Sparaco and offensive lineman Jarrod Asche left the program. Barkley, a former four-star recruit out of Texas powerhouse Lake Travis High School in Austin, rushed seven times for five yards and a touchdown in four games after transferring from Arkansas.
Sparaco, 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge who transferred to MSU from Colorado, played in 12 games, notching 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Asche, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound walk-on from Glendive, chose to forego the rest of his football career to focus on academics.
During the off-season, kicker Jacob Byrne, a walk-on from Missoula Loyola, and tight end Clark Judisch, a walk-on from Conrad, also were removed from the MSU roster.
In January, Blake Allred, a Class AA selection on both sides of the ball as a senior at Billings Senior and a preferred walk-on to MSU, elected to transfer, eventually landing at Rocky Mountain College in his home town.
That same month, former 3-star receivers Mekhi Metcalf, former two-star wide receiver Koby Duru along with three-star defensive tackle James Williams entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Metcalf, a 6-foot-4, 180-pounder who played for former MSU All-American cornerback Joey Thomas at Garfield High in Seattle, redshirted last season. He is the son of former NFL All-Pro kick returner Eric Metcalf.
Duru is a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Bishop Amat High in La Puenta, California who redshirted last season.
Williams, a powerful and explosive 5-foot-10, 305-pound nose tackle, was a four-year starter who played in four state championship games and won two state championships at Texas 5A powerhouse Aledo.
On Wednesday, Skyline Sports confirmed the medical retirement of sophomore cornerback Jalen Cole, the departure from the roster by sophomore safety Shawn Borges and the removal from the roster of redshirt freshman cornerback Ty’Rese Gibson.
Skyline Sports also confirmed the removal of offensive linemen Sean Hatten and Brody McKnight, neither of whom participated in Montana State’s spring football practices.
At the end of spring ball, redshirt freshman running back Justin Cauley entered the transfer portal, as did preferred walk-on long snapper and defensive end Todd Payne.
Cole, a 5-foot-8, 150-pounder from national powerhouse prep school Mater Dei in Southern California, came to MSU as one of the most highly regarded recruits to choose the FCS in his class. During the second half of his true freshman year, Cole rounded into Montana State’s starting nickel back. Last season, the uber-aggressive, physical and competitive corner made 23 tackles, 19 solo tackles, a tackle for loss and broke up three passes as MSU’s primary nickel back when healthy. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in MSU’s 29-25 win over rival Montana in Missoula.
Borges, a 5-foot-10, 180-pounder former walk-on from Honolulu, Hawaii, was MSU’s Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year in 2017. Last season, he started in two games and played in seven, notching 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
Ty’Rese Gibson and his twin brother Ty’Rhae came to MSU as a package deal out of Paramount High in Southern California. Both flirted with playing time as true freshmen before redshirting. Ty’Rhae remains on MSU’s roster and participated in spring ball.
Cauley, a 5-foot-9, 195-pounder, came to Montana State from Venice, California. He redshirted last season. Payne is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end and long snapper who was a preferred walk-on to Montana State out of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
[/restrict]
