The early signing period opened on Wednesday, making it the first opportunity for football teams across the country to add players in the Class of 2023. Verbal commitments have been pouring in throughout the summer and fall. Wednesday’s early signing day means those commits can now be made official. Here’s a list of all the signees for the Montana Grizzlies. More names will be added to this list as they’re announced by the team’s social media channels. Other offers are sourced from 247 Sports or recruit’s social media.
CAMERON GURNSEY//WR//6-0, 180//BUTTE HS
Other offers: Montana Tech, Montana-Western
The son of former Griz all-conference receiver Scott Gurnsey, Cameron verbally committed in August. He had 52 catches for 769 yards and seven touchdowns, all team highs, for Butte in 2022.
What Hauck says – “Cam is another guy whose dad played in our program and who grew up around Griz football. He was a really productive player out of Butte High School, and we love getting Butte guys here. Cam’s got great hands and he’s a really good technician for a guy his age. He’s been well coached. We’re excited for him to come in here and put on the pads for the Griz.”
HAYDEN OPITZ//LB//6-2, 215//HELENA CAPITAL HS
Other offers: Montana Tech, Montana-Western, Carroll, University of Mary
Opitz, one of several D-I recruits on state champion Helena Capital, was announced as a linebacker by Montana, although he could likely play on offense as well. He’s also a key piece for the Bruins’ defending state champion basketball team.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Hayden is a versatile player. He’s a state champ from Capital that can play a lot of positions. We see him on the defensive side of the ball. He’s got a tremendous upside because of his frame and his speed. He could be a dynamic player for us.”
CLAY OVEN//LB//6-2, 205//BILLINGS CENTRAL CATHOLIC HS
Other offers: Montana State, North Dakota, Dickinson State, University of Mary, Carroll, Montana Tech
Oven received a 3-star rating from 247Sports after running for 819 yards on 7.1 yards per carry and racking up eight tackles for loss for the 10-2 Billings Central Catholic Rams.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Clay was just one of the great players in the state this year. He was a highly recruited guy. He’s a big, fast, linebacker, similar to other guys we’ve recruited over the years. I think he’s got a very bright future.”
JAXON TUCKER//OL//6-3, 240//BILLINGS WEST HS
Other offers: Dickinson State
Tucker, who anchored the offensive line for Billings West, which has been one of the top programs in the state in recent years.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “We’re excited about Iverson. He caught our eye last spring when Coach (Ronnie) Bradford was in Texas recruiting. We kept our eye on him through the fall and we’re grateful that we’ve been able to land him in this recruiting class. I think he’s a terrific prospect. He does a lot of good things. He’s good with the ball his hands, he’s got good size around 200 pounds and before long he’ll be 220 pounds and a really good player.”
CY STEVENSON//LB//6-2, 210//LIBBY HS
Other offers: Montana-Western, Carroll, Montana Tech
Stevenson, like Opitz and Oven, was announced by the Griz as a linebacker but could likely play offense as well after leading the Libby Loggers with 1,323 yards rushing (9.2 per carry) and 17 total touchdowns in 10 games.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Cy has a great frame. He played a lot of positions in high school like a lot of the smaller school guys do, but he was terrific in our camp this summer. That’s a recurring theme with a lot of these guys. We see him in camp, they do a nice job and end up on our team, and Cy placed himself in front of a lot of guys in terms of players we were recruiting.”
GAGE SLITER//QB//6-1, 180//KALISPELL GLACIER HS
Playing for former Griz quarterback Grady Bennett at Glacier, Sliter torched the state for 3,175 passing yards and 36 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 2022, and also ran for 204 yards and two more scores.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Gage is a guy who grew up around our program. We’ve been watching him in our summer camps for years and he’s really developed into a fine player. He’s a guy that’s going to come in and provide depth at the quarterback position.”
TATE TEMPLETON//OL//6-3, 270//MISSOULA SENTINEL HS
Other offers: Montana Tech, Montana-Western
Templeton, a two-time all-state lineman for Sentinel, was a late commit, officially announcing his decision in early December.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Tate is a local guy from Sentinel High School who joins several other Spartans on our roster, and like those guys I think he’s going to work hard to get into the mix. He’s a big kid and we can’t have enough guys like Tate on our team.”
DYLAN COHEN//OL//6-1, 280//O’DEA (WA) HS
Cohen, a road-grader for Seattle power O’Dea, announced his commitment on Wednesday morning.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Dylan Cohen is another guy that came to our camp last summer has been here for numerous games. He’s just an awesome guy. The more offensive front guys that we have in our program, the better we’re going to be, and Dylan is a kid that we’re excited to welcome into the program.”
IVERSON YOUNG//RB//5-10, 190//WAXAHACHIE (TX) HS
Other offers: Louisiana Tech, Alcorn State, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Montana State, North Texas, Northern Arizona, Rice, Stony Brook, Texas State, UNLV, Utah State
Young, who’s rated by 247Sports as the top recruit in Montana history, was originally committed to FBS Louisiana Tech before re-opening his recruitment and ending up with the Griz. He’s planning to enroll in January and be on campus for spring ball.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “We’re excited about Iverson. He caught our eye last spring when Coach (Ronnie) Bradford was in Texas recruiting. We kept our eye on him through the fall and we’re grateful that we’ve been able to land him in this recruiting class. I think he’s a terrific prospect. He does a lot of good things. He’s good with the ball his hands, he’s got good size around 200 pounds and before long he’ll be 220 pounds and a really good player.”
KEALI’I AH YAT//QB//6-1, 185//KAMEHAMEHA KAPALAMA (HI) HS
Other offers: Northern Colorado
Ah Yat, the son of legendary Griz QB Brian Ah Yat, became the first known commitment in Montana’s Class of 2023 when he announced his decision on June 29.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Keali’i had an interesting recruiting process. With Hawaii so locked down during the pandemic, he didn’t have a lot of film. But he came to our camp and just blew it out. He was absolutely terrific at camp. He also has good high school film from this fall. He’s a really great get for us. He was a man of his word with this commitment, and is just a really outstanding get as the quarterback in this class.”
AUSTIN BUEHLER//OL//6-5, 250//HELENA CAPITAL HS
Other offers: Eastern Washington, Montana Tech
Buehler joins his high school teammate Hayden Opitz with the Griz after helping Helena Capital to the state title.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Austin is another legacy kid on our football team. He’s got a big frame and moves his feet well. He’s a two-sport guy, played both offense and defense, and has a great temperament. He’s a state champion and I’m excited about him joining the program.”
JAYLEN HALL//WR//6-0, 180//MATER DEI (CA) HS
Other offers: Idaho State, Holy Cross
Hall adds a jolt of speed to Montana’s recruiting class after averaging 17.4 yards per catch for Mater Dei Catholic in Chula Vista, California.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Mater Dei High School in the southern part of San Diego is a great program. Jalen has been up here and fell in love with Montana. He was an early commitment with us and withstood some recruiting pressure. We’re excited that he’s joining us.”
LUCAS FREITAS//OL//6-6, 295//MOUNT SI (WA) HS
Other offers: Eastern Washington, Washington State (PWO)
Freitas looks like a late flip for the Griz, as he previously verbally committed to Eastern Washington on October 19 and still has “EWU commit” in his Twitter bio. He was a first-team all-county lineman in 2022, playing both offense and defense.
Quoting Coach Hauck: “Lucas is a late addition to the class. He’s a big kid, he’s got a great frame, and he’s got good film. He’s a guy that we liked last spring when we were out on the road and made a good evaluation on him. He wasn’t able to come to camp this summer so he kind of slid to the backburner, but he’s a guy we really like and are glad to add to the class.”
