BOZEMAN — Zach Redd remembers his recruitment by the University of Idaho during his last two years as a standout at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian.
Growing up in a suburb 15 minutes from Idaho’s capital city of Boise, Redd naturally gravitated toward rooting for Boise State. The 6-foot-1, 275-pound center received some interest from the hometown Broncos, but his first scholarship offer came from the Vandals.
“All my friends were going to Moscow but I wanted to do my own thing, go my own route,” Redd said on Wednesday.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate grew up in Saint Marie’s, Idaho about an hour from Moscow. After beginning his coaching career when his playing career was cut short at Montana Western, Choate spent 1994 until 2001 as a high school coach in the Gem State with stops at Challis, Twin Falls and Post Falls.
After launching his college coaching career at Utah State in 2002 and spending 2005 as the special teams coordinator at Eastern Illinois, Choate landed at Boise State. For most of the last 13 years, Choate has mined the Treasure Valley for football recruits.
“I think it’s an important area and I always have,” Choate said. “I would love to be able to take two to three guys out of the state of Idaho every year. But it’s becoming more and more competitive because I think (Rob) Phenicie has done a nice job at Idaho State. (Idaho) Coach (Paul) Petrino is going to have to recruit in-state more and I think you can see that already happening.
“And you are going to fight with Boise State a little bit. (Recruiting Idaho) is just like not a lot of people come into Montana to recruit Montana kids because Montana and Montana State are going to fight it out for those FCS kids and it’s probably not a wise use of your resources to come over here because there are such strong ties to those two schools.”
But for kids like Redd, Division I talents who do not garner interest or offers from Boise State, Idaho’s largest metropolitan area has given Montana State several players so far.
Rocky Mountain offensive line coach Art Roper played with Choate at Western. Roper’s son, Jake Roper, spent a year as a walk-on redshirt running back at Boise State before transferring to Montana State in the spring of 2017. Injuries cut his career short, but the Roper connection helped Redd become a Bobcat.
Tucker Rovig, the state championship-winning quarterback at Mountainview High, one of Rocky’s primary rivals, attended Montana State football camp in the summer of 2016. He received an offer before leaving Bozeman and committed shortly after. He was the first Idaho product Choate landed.
By November, Redd committed to Choate. By December, Redd’s offensive linemate and best friend Connor Wood, Montana State’s starting right tackle as a redshirt freshman this season, also gave his pledge.
“When Tucker committed early, me and Woody both thought it was cool having a guy come here but Woody and I were leaning toward other schools,” Redd said. “Then after, we had more talks with Choate and he made us feel more comfortable with him. Woody committed here first and I didn’t commit here just because he was my best friend. I had a long talk with Choate the night before I committed here and he opened my eyes to make me realize he is an honest and real coach.”
“My whole life, it was Boise State but then once I learned about Bozeman and MSU, it was Montana State,” added Wood. “My mom went to Idaho and so did my two cousins. Idaho started recruiting me right before I committed to Montana State. But once I learned about Montana State, I knew I was coming here.”
On Saturday, Rovig, Redd and Wood will be three of the four Bobcats on the MSU roster as the Montana State hosts the Vandals for the first time since 1995. Todd Payne, a walk-on defensive end and long snapper, is a true freshman from Idaho Falls.
Idaho’s return to the Big Sky will certainly make recruiting FCS players in the Boise area and around the Gem State more challenging for Choate and his staff but MSU’s head coach is confident in what his program has to offer.
“North Idaho should belong to the University of Idaho,” Choate said. “They should be able to get the guys they want out of Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston and Moscow and Sandpoint. Idaho State should do the same thing in Pocatello and Idaho Falls. And then you should see them battling it out in the Boise area for the guys who aren’t Mountain West type players. I think it’s going to be more difficult for us to compete because now we have two teams that are fighting for the same type of athletes we are looking for
“Boise is kind of like a really big Bozeman,” Choate said. “Everyone is into mountain biking and outdoors and going skiing. There’s a lot of similarities in terms of the lifestyle. Our ties to Southwestern Idaho with (wide receivers coach) Matt (Miller) playing there, Byron playing there and myself coaching there, that helps. We have good relationships there. My brother is a high school teacher and coach. We know a lot of people there.
“And I do think we have an attractive product here,” Choate sad.
Miller grew up in Helena, forging a legend prep career as one of the great athletes to come out of the Treasure State in the modern era. At Boise State, Miller caught 244 passes for 3,049 yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished his career with more catches that any Bronco ever both in his career and with his 88-catch 2013 season.
Hout went to high school in Coeur d’Alene. The standout defensive end and linebacker from Lake City High was heavily recruited by Idaho. He remembers taking visits to watch Vandals’ home games while his brother was a freshman at UI. Ultimately, he decided to go to Boise State.
“It was some of my best times during my high school days with my brother that year I got to spend with him when he was at Idaho and I was getting recruited there,” Hout said. “I just knew I needed to go a little farther from home.”
Miller and Hout are still in their 20s, their playing careers finishing up earlier this decade. Many of the teenagers currently playing high school football in southern Idaho and around the Gem State certainly remember the duo as standout Broncos. That will likely continue to carry weight as Choate hopes to keep the Idaho pipeline alive.
Having the Vandals back in the Big Sky provides another competitor in the area but also revives a regional rivalry, something Choate can only help fortify the league as a whole.
“There’s a lot of history and tradition of Idaho being an excellent Big Sky team,” Choate said. “And I’m excited that they are back in the league.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
