When you’re good, people expect you to stay good.
In the world of college sports, that can be a misguided expectation. Rosters change constantly, particularly in an era defined by the transfer portal, NIL and annual turnover. Yet it’s an expectation fans rarely stop to consider as they devour every move, every commitment and every roster change from the end of one season to the start of the next.
At Montana State, the coaches and players have been able to satisfy that expectation not only for their fans, but for themselves. The 2026 season is no different.
“Our mindset is the best are going to play,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “We’d like to be as deep a team as possible. I know some positions lend themselves to that more than others, and if you’re good enough, you’re going to get your opportunity to contribute. That might be a blend of special teams and some offense or defense as a young player, but keep chipping away at that.
“I think Dane Steel is a perfect example of that last year. It didn’t appear at this time last year that Dane was going to have a lane, but Chris Long goes down after the Oregon game and Dane’s given an opportunity, and there’s no looking back. You get to the end of the year and clearly Dane made one of the bigger plays of the season in that championship game while doing all kinds of good things along the way.”
Last year, it was Steel. It was also linebacker Cole Taylor, defensive tackle Talon Marsh, cornerbacks Carson Williams, Jhase McMillan and Seth Johnson, and offensive tackle Braden Zimmer, among others.
They weren’t necessarily expected to play huge roles or make pivotal plays. But they did.
The expectation is that Montana State will find another handful of players to elevate their games as the Bobcats drive toward a shot at another national title this season. And judging by certain performances in spring ball and fall camp, it might be hard to keep several really young players off the field even if they are a part of a veteran position group.
There are already several players showing signs of giving the Bobcats a lift. Center Aiden Kaplan, wide receivers Parker Mady and Carter Dahlke, defensive tackle Josiah Asuega and tight end Carter Curnow have all jumped out coming out of fall camp.
“We’ve got to have a next-man-up mentality,” Vigen said. “We want to play as many guys as are capable of playing. I think that competition, that depth, is what continues to fuel us. And I know from a forward-thinking perspective, we want to be able to get to the middle of the season and evaluate where our losses are going to be, but look internally and see if we have the next guy here.
“The more guys that can get on that field, the better you feel about that. We’ve been able to do that and not dip in the transfer portal a whole lot largely because we get to that midyear point and we can say that we feel like the next this is going to be this guy, and the next this is going to be this guy.
“We’ll have a big senior class this year — 20 or 21 players, somewhere in there — so that’s going to be tested again. But right now, this is the proving ground for so many of those first- and second-year guys to show what they can do. So by midyear, we might see those guys as the next man up.”
Kaplan ready for his opportunity
Kaplan had the strength to play as a true freshman when he came out of high school as one of the strongest prep athletes in Texas, winning numerous weightlifting titles.
He was forced into action during his second game at Montana State in 2024 against this week’s opponent, Utah Tech, and played numerous snaps on special teams last season.
Now he finds himself as the starting center on one of the best offenses the Bobcats have ever had. And he’s expected to stabilize a position that’s been very stable with Justus Perkins, Cole Sain and JT Reed all putting forth All-Big Sky efforts to anchor MSU’s offensive front.
Kaplan’s break-in period will be eased by the players around him, including senior quarterback Justin Lamson and an offensive line that returns three starters in Titan Fleischmann, Braden Zimmer and Burke Mastel.
Vigen said Kaplan has earned the opportunity rather than simply being handed the starting job.
“The games and his consistency there,” Vigen said when asked where Kaplan needs to focus. “That’s snapping the football, that’s communicating, that’s blocking and that’s being able to play at a high level. That’s our expectation. That all lives within his potential, but he needs to go out there and do it.”
“We brought Aiden in hoping that he could be this guy who could emerge within a couple years,” Vigen added. “Thinking back to the last time we were down at Utah Tech, we were down a couple guys and Aiden played in that game, and it probably almost blew his mind as a true freshman. So when you think back to where he was at that point, and even last year, he wasn’t quite there.
“We made the move to slide JT (Reed) in after Burke went down, and there was no looking back after that point. He wasn’t handed this role. He was given a great opportunity to take it and run with it, and I think through the course of spring and fall, he’s done that.
“Even for him, these will be his first, I’d say, really live bullets. He played in some games last year, went in at the end of games, but this will be the first time where this is his job. Nothing forms you better than that as far as how you can continue to go about it and how much confidence it’s going to build.
“For a young lineman — either side of the ball — you need to build that confidence up. Practice and preparation can only do so much of that. So I’m really excited to see what Aiden can do, and I think he can continue to ascend through the course of the season.”
Kaplan has gained high praise from Lamson as well.
“Aiden Kaplan is a dude who has just gelled right into (2025 center) JT Reed’s spot, and I think he’s had a great camp,” Lamson said. “As a quarterback, that relationship is huge, and it’s been an easy adjustment for me. He’s clear with his calls. If he wants me to switch protection, he’s clear with that. When I switch protection, it’s easy for him to get that to the rest of the O-line.
“He’s starting to find his voice now, getting a little bit of confidence, and he’s a hard worker and gritty as well. I appreciate that about him.”
Asuega’s potential could be enormous
On defense, Asuega has been generating hype since last season despite seeing the field only a handful of times. At 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, he’s arguably the most imposing player on the Montana State roster.
He and Kaplan are pivotal players for the Bobcats this season. Their development has the potential to help turn both of Montana State’s lines into two of the best units in school history.
Like Kaplan, Asuega will be surrounded by experienced veterans who can help guide him through difficult stretches. Defensive end Zac Crews was selected as a captain, while fellow defensive tackle Talon Marsh gained a wealth of playing time last season while rotating at both tackle spots. Behind Asuega, Montana State also has three veteran linebackers in Bryce Grebe, Cole Taylor and Neil Daily.
Xavier Ahrens should receive plenty of elevated opportunity, as we wrote about here:
Consistency is a word Vigen constantly preaches to his players in general, but especially to the young players. That’s no different where Asuega is concerned.
“It’s being consistency,” Vigen said when asked specifically about Asuega. “Any and all of our D-linemen, they come here and all they’ve been taught to do is go get the ball. So there’s a learning curve on what it means to play within, I guess, the confines of our defense and do your job. When an opportunity to make a play presents itself, go make it.”
Vigen said Asuega has the potential to be a playmaker, but the young defensive tackle must learn when to take his shots and when to simply execute his assignment.
“Josiah can be a playmaker, but you can’t go hunting up those plays,” Vigen said. “It’s a facet of being assignment-sound, technically sound, trusting the guys around him that I think he has to prove.
“We’re going to give him a chance to prove it for sure, and you don’t want to walk away with one out of three plays where Josiah flashes, but these other two he really costs you. I don’t think he’ll be there, but ultimately those plays where he costs us because he’s doing too much or not enough, we can’t have those plays in our D-line.
“So I think as that whole group sorts out, that’s really the bar: getting to that disciplined place to know when the play needs to be made, while all along doing what you’re supposed to do. I think Josiah gets that and, again, game play will help sort it out. I think he could have a fantastic year for a second-year guy.”
Young receivers making their mark
The Bobcats have their best returning wide receiver group in a decade, with all three starters — Taco Dowler, Dane Steel and Jabez Woods — back in the fold.
Despite that experience, three players have made as much noise during fall camp as anyone: true freshman Carter Dahlke out of Gallatin High in Bozeman, redshirt freshman Parker Mady and fifth-year senior Jordan Reed, a 6-foot-6 former quarterback who moved to wide receiver in 2025.
Dahlke and Mady could represent the future at the position. But for Montana State, that future might already be here. Both are listed on the initial two-deep entering the season. Mady was the star of MSU’s only fall camp scrimmage, hauling in four passes for 104 yards. He also had a touchdown catch and a touchdown throw in the spring game a few months ago.
“There are so many young guys that I got an opportunity to create a relationship with,” Lamson said. “Parker Mady, this guy’s a dude. He’s the real deal. Carter Dahlke, as a true freshman, I’ve never seen a dude come into camp like this and make that many plays.”
Curnow adds depth at tight end
Another offensive player who could emerge as a difference-maker is Curnow, who has been described as an excellent in-line blocking tight end.
The Dillon product likely would have had an opportunity to make his mark in 2025, but an injury slowed his progress. Since spring ball, though, Curnow has been a force. He’s listed as the backup tight end in a room loaded with talent. Many within the program think he’s the best blocking tight end on the roster.
As a redshirt freshman, he is ahead of former starter Rylan Schlepp and Bruin Fleischmann, a former Air Force Academy starter and All-Mountain West honorable mention selection who transferred to Montana State this offseason.
The Bobcats also have Luvens Valcin and Carter Cocke making strong impressions at tight end.
“In the tight end room, Carter Curnow is a baller,” Lamson said. “First thing I’ll say is he’s a mean dude. In the run-blocking aspect, he’s got an edge for sure, but it’s kind of funny because he’s, like, the nicest guy off the field.
“His pass-game ability has really elevated, and I think him and I have created a good bond together.”
Montana State continues to work through its final practices in the run-up to its season-opening showdown against Utah Tech in St. George on Saturday night at 8.
