Dylan Mahoney wants to ensure the No. 55 is the written in Montana State’s starting lineup for years to come.
For the past four seasons, John Weidenaar has worn the blue and gold jersey. The Manhattan product was a pillar of consistency for the Bobcats, starting a school-record 49 straight games at left tackle for MSU. Now Mahoney, a Great Falls C.M. Russell High product, has switched from No. 60 to No. 55 and is the front-runner to replace Weidenaar on the blindside of Montana State’s offensive line.
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“When I put it on, maybe I’ll think this will be the left tackle number for a long time,” Mahoney said on Tuesday.
The new No. 55 is up to 280 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame. Mahoney still has quick feet and sneaky athleticism despite putting on more than 50 pounds since his prep days. He played left tackle for his first year and a half in the program before moving to the right side and learning to play guard out of necessity. He said the switch from guard to tackle is more challenging than flopping sides of the line.
Last season, right tackle Alex Eekhoff and right guard Kyle Godecke, each starters for parts of the last four years themselves, missed substantial time due to various injuries. Mahoney became a sort of sixth man for both positions, starting four games but mostly entering the contests in place of Godecke or Eekhoff every other offensive series.
This spring, Mahoney is all of a sudden the veteran of the MSU offensive line with J.P. Flynn on the shelf. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Flynn suffered a knee injury in Montana State’s season finale against rival Montana. He wore a shell during Wednesday’s practice but will not be cleared for contact until June. Of Montana State’s 39 returning starts on the offensive line, Flynn, a two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection at guard and an All-Big Sky selection at right tackle as a freshman, has 35 of them.
“Dylan Mahoney is a guy we are relying on to take that next step,” MSU head coach Jeff Choate earlier this month. “He’s shown flashes of that already. He has played some good football.”
“Mahoney played more than anybody we have out there right now and he’s a guy who’s been a leader,” added first-year offensive line coach Brian Armstrong, the former head coach at Rocky Mountain College of the Frontier Conference. “He had his best practice (Wednesday). He showed the ability to be physical, have that point of attack knock off. I think his best football is ahead of him.”
While replacing Weidenaar’s All-America talent at left tackle will be a main priority, Mahoney is not the only Bobcat offensive linemen who’s emergence is necessary if MSU hopes to cure the ills of last season’s 5-6 season.
MSU returns Flynn but must replace Godecke, Eekhoff, Weidenaar and Joel Horn, a converted guard who earned All-Big Sky honors as a junior and a senior while displaying a combination of size and toughness rare among centers at the FCS level.
“Those guys were all here as long as I’ve been here,” Mahoney said. “There will definitely be some changes but we are coming along.
“This spring, we just have to get a lot of reps as a unit. We haven’t had a lot of that. The more reps we get as a unit, the sky is the limit. We can do a lot of things.”
Choate points to junior Caleb Gillis and redshirt freshman Mitch Brott as players who “are right on the verge.” Each has seen substantial repetitions as MSU’s offensive line has been plagued by injuries both nagging and long term so far in spring drills.
“It’s been tough for them,” MSU senior captain running back Chad Newell said on Tuesday. “They’ve had a lot of injuries, guys going down up there so there’s a lot of guys taking a lot of reps. But guys who have seen snaps, Dylan Mahoney, Caleb Gillis are doing a great job of starting to gain confidence in themselves and that’s rubbing off on the young guys around them.
“Mitch Brott has come a long ways in the seven practices we’ve had. He’s starting to play fast, starting to know the offense. That’s the biggest thing right now: learn the scheme, master your footwork and learn your job. That way, you make those guys around you job easier. I’ve been really impressed with their dedication to improve and their desire to get better.”
In the middle, Alex Neale has made a strong impression already as MSU’s first-team center. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound sophomore transfer from UNLV came to Bozeman in January and completed winter conditioning with the team. The former state champion in football and wrestling at Eastside Catholic High outside of Seattle has shown a keen ability to captain the offense while also employing a physical, popping blocking style.
“The first thing about Alex is he’s a Bobcat,” Armstrong said. “He loves Montana State University, loves Bozeman, wanted to be here in the worst way. Because of that, he is melding into the room seamlessly. It’s like he’s been here as long as anybody.
“As a center, you have to be smart. You’re the guy recognizing fronts and making the calls. He’s an intelligent individual and he loves contact. He’s a guy who is going to be a very good player for us.”
With a variety of ailments across the board, the Bobcats have employed offensive line units with players playing in different positions. Sophomore Wade Webster, a 6-foot-6, 285-pounder recruited to play tackle, has played left guard between Mahoney and Neale in the spot Flynn will eventually anchor. Gillis, a 6-foot-6, 285-pounder from Dillon who played significant snaps last season, has worked in at both right side positions as well as center, although Armstrong said he feels more like a natural tackle. Brott, a 6-foot-6, 275-pounder out of Billings West who redshirted last season, has seen time at both tackle spots.
As the second week of spring drills came to a close last week, new offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said he was pleased with MSU’s talent at all the skill positions, naming specific players at running back, quarterback, tight end and wide receiver that have impressed him so far. He said his biggest issue is “finding five new linemen all playing together as one.”
“It’s not so much a five-some as a whole group,” Messingham said. “They need to be somewhat interchangeable. I’m a guy who believes you should be able to play six, seven or eight offensive linemen in any given game and not have a big issue communicating when a new guy is in there. It’s easier said than done when most of these guys haven’t played a lot of game snaps yet. But when we are done with spring ball, we want all 10 guys to be able to really play together.”
Like Flynn, senior Doug Hanson is out for the spring after off-season shoulder surgery. He will likely serve as Neale’s backup at center. In the mean time, walk-on sophomore Garrett Gregg is taking the bulk of the reps behind Neale. Webster is also getting snaps at both tackle spots between a nagging knee injury.
Junior Monte Folsom, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound junior from Dillon, earned his way into MSU’s top eight offensive linemen last season, starting in MSU’s win at Idaho State. But he is out this spring, as is 6-foot-6, 300-pound redshirt freshman Jake McFetridge, although McFetridge could return before the session is finished. To aid all the wounded linemen, Mitch Brott’s sophomore brother, Wilson, has moved from tight end to left tackle at least temporarily. He changed numbers from a pass-catching 89 to a permanent trench role with 79.
In the fall, Mahoney, Flynn and Neale will be strong favorites for starting positions. If Folsom can continue to progress, he will give Gillis a run for his money at right guard. The right tackle competition will be between Brott and Webster. Gillis will also be a candidate to anchor the right side if he does not win a starting spot at right guard.
“I think the biggest thing about the offensive line is position versatility, the ability to always have the five best on the field and I think there is a lot to be said for the same five guys who can play together for awhile,” Armstrong said. “They’ve gotta be together and see everything through one eye.”
Armstrong said he wants at least five players who can snap the ball. He wants at least two swing guys who can go between guard and tackle, with Gillis, Webster and McFetridge all candidates. He wants his right tackles to be able to play left and vice versa. He wants to “have the ability to shuffle the deck and still go about our business.”
“We have no choice. We have to get better,” Armstrong said. “We have to be productive so we are planning on it.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
