The next month is sure to make Jeff Choate’s head spin.
Montana State’s new head football coach is about to embark on a whirlwind 23 days culminating in the first day of 2016 when he hopes to have the foundation of his program solidified.
[restrict paid=”true”]On Monday, he filled four of the 10 spots on his coaching staff, retaining Kane Ioane, Bo Beck and Michael Pitre from Rob Ash’s former staff as well as adding Rocky Mountain College head coach Brian Armstrong to coach the Bobcat offensive line.
Choate will spent the rest of this week trying to meet one-on-one with the 84 current Bobcat players before embarking on a trip around the state to talk to Montana recruits both verbally committed to Montana State and still uncommitted.
On Sunday night, the NCAA dead period for recruiting begins. Choate — now formerly the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator on Chris Peterson’s staff at the University of Washington — will return to Seattle and coach the Huskies until the Heart of Dallas Bowl on December 26 against Southern Miss. Once the bowl game is completed, he will return to Montana State full time.
“I could’ve come in here and done this press conference and left, hit the road,” Choate said on Monday following his introduction at the Strand Union Building on the MSU campus. “But my most important recruiting job is the young men who are here. I wanted to get the opportunity to meet with them. When that’s done, we are going to prioritize the in-state Montana commits. I should be able to get to most of those young men through the remainder of the week.
“I’m used to wearing a bunch of hats and I actually function a little better that way. I was flattered to continue on through the bowl game. Part of the reason is those are my kids over there too. Those are guys I’m invested in and I love coaching them. I get a chance to do that one more time and I’m thankful for that.”
Choate met with his new team for the first time on Sunday afternoon. He began the address by saying, “We are going to be just fine.” The Saint Maries, Idaho native told his story of having his collegiate playing career at Montana Western in Dillon cut short by a car accident and his transition into coaching. He told his players of his philosophies of character, accountability and toughness. Following the address, Choate stood at the door as each player stopped to shake his hand, captain Chad Newell said.
“He wants to get to know us and that will be the foundation for buying in,” said Newell, a senior-to-be from Billings who earned third-team All-Big Sky Conference honors last fall. “He asked us last night to open up our minds to him just like he would to us and find a way to accept him.
“He’s so excited and I can’t stress that enough, his excitement to be here because that’s what we all need. Guys from Montana, guys from Texas, guy from California, we are all excited to be at Montana State and we are excited to build a legacy here at Montana State and hopefully we can leave a legacy in 2016.”
Choate’s hiring as Montana State’s 32nd head football coach ends a whirlwind process that began with Ash’s abrupt firing on November 23, two days after MSU lost to rival Montana for a third straight season to cap the Bobcats’ first losing season in three years.
Montana State athletic director Peter Fields stated a 10 to 14-day timeline to solidify the hire. He and his committee chose Choate in 12 days. Once Choate heard about the opening, he knew he had to “gain traction” in the state by trying to get his name out. Once he used his connections throughout the state from his time playing for and coaching under Mick Delaney and Mick Dennehy, former MSU assistants and Montana Grizzlies head coaches, the hiring process was equally as torrid.
Choate dropped off his wife, Janet, and daughter, Jacy, at the Nutcracker ballet in Seattle and returned home to watch Sunday Night Football with his son, Jory, on November 29. At 6:30 p.m., Choate received a phone call from fields asking him if he would like to come to Bozeman for an in-person interview the next day. Choate interviewed the first day of December and was confirmed as the hire four days later.
“It’s been tough. With finals coming up this week, I’ve been so focused on school and football is the last thing I’ve been thinking about, but it’s weird being uncertain,” Newell said. “You don’t know who your position coach is going to be. You don’t know who your head coach is going to be. You don’t know if you are going to run the same offense. To have some resolution, to have a guy like Coach Choate coming in that is enthusiastic and super excited to be here is awesome. I can’t be thankful enough to have the results so quickly.”
Montana State’s new gridiron leader said he does not have many reservations about the health of Montana State’s program. He said “it’s not broken” but that it just probably needs a “tune up with some energy and a different approach.”
“I think energy, integrity and the ability to connect with players are the three things I bring,” Choate said. “I will always be 100 percent honest with them. I will hold them to a high standard. But I think the energy and the ability to connect with these kids is something that will really help me in this first 90 days in establishing the type of program that I’m going to have here.”
Choate said the program will have a standard for everything the Bobcats do. He said excuses, complaining and defending your actions will not be a part of the daily lexicon. He will prioritize continuity and the same level of accountability for every member of his staff and every member of his roster.
Stylistically, Choate said he thinks the best way to “maximize our ability to compete at a high level early,” the offensive system will remain somewhat similar. He added that he will embrace more two-back running schemes to add to MSU’s spread option offense.
“I want a little attitude play,” he said.
Choate has spent most of his career coaching on the defensive side of the ball with stops at Utah State, Boise State, Florida, Washington State and Washington before landing at MSU. He mentioned wanting to employ a 3-4 scheme filled with multiple packages to combat the spread offenses prevalent throughout the Big Sky Conference. But to Choate, defensive success is a lot simpler than scheme.
“What’s going to matter at the end of the day is how we play fundamentally,” Choate said. “Do we play with good body position? Can we strike and get off of blocks? Do we know how to tackle efficiently? Are we going to run to the ball? I expect our guys to be fundamentally sound and assignment perfect. It doesn’t matter if we play the same call 65 times in a game. They still have to run the play and beat us.
“Most teams you play will screw it up if you make them work.”
MSU has received verbal commitments from Belgrade defensive end Derek Marks, Colstrip offensive lineman Jake Sessions, Great Falls wide receiver Karl Tucker II, Troy running back/linebacker Sean Opland, Huntley Project linebacker Michael Jobman and Boulder punter Jered Padmos before Ash was fired. Marks, Tucker, Opland, Jobman and Padmos have confirmed to Skyline Sports each remains committed if the current staff still has an offer for them.
Choate said his recruiting territory will include major population bases in the Northwest including Boise, Spokane and Seattle. He also has spent most of the last 12 years recruiting Texas, specifically in Houston. He has crossed paths with Beck, MSU’s recruiting coordinator and primary Texas recruiter, on the trail on many occasions. Choate’s main recruiting emphasis will be Montana.
“I think the footprint of the Big Sky has expanded tremendously but we can’t lose sight of our back yard,” Choate said. “We are ultimately going to win championships with Montana kids, kids who grew up wanting to be Bobcats and understanding the tradition of this proud program. When we bring kids in from out of state, they will be able to explain to them what it means to be about this program. That’s tremendously important to me. First and foremost, own the state.”
Once Choate returns to Bozeman, he will have a whirlwind five weeks between the New Year and National Signing Day on Wednesday, February 3. Choate inherited a program with 11 verbal commitments from recruits, seven of whom have confirmed they remain committed. Montana State loses 17 seniors off of last season’s 5-6 squad.
“You have to be calculated,” Choate said. “We have to resist the temptation to sign guys just so we have a guy to sign on signing day. There will be plenty of good players out there. You don’t have to sign a full class on signing day.
“I’m not going to try to win signing day. I’m going to try to win on the field.”
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Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
