For Ryan Tirrell, committing to his hometown Montana Grizzlies is a pledge that fulfills a childhood dream and strengthens his family ties within the program. The Missoula Loyola product has forged a friendship with Ryder Meyer that has blossomed quickly enough that the two newest Grizzlies requested to be interviewed about their college decisions together.
Consider it Tirrell welcoming Meyer to the Griz family, a clan he already has strong ties with.
Meyer, a three-sport athlete from Fairfield, and Tirrell, a three-sport athlete for the Rams, got to know each other from battling for two of the top Class B athletic departments in Montana. Now the fast friends will become future teammates.
On April 18, Meyer gave his verbal commitment to first-year Montana head coach Bobby Hauck, becoming the first player for UM’s Class of 2019 recruiting class. The next day, Tirrell gave his commitment, giving Hauck the first two in-state recruits of the spring and granting the head coach to add another family member to his squad.
Tirrell’s mother Katie is Bobby Hauck’s sister. Hauck’s only son Robby Hauck transferred from Northern Arizona to Montana in January. The redshirt freshman safety will have four years of eligibility to play for his father during Bobby’s second go-round as UM’s head coach.
“Well, I don’t know if I would be accepted in the family anymore if I went anywhere else,” Tirrell said in an interview on Tootell & Nuanez on 102.9 FM ESPN Missoula. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Two of my uncles have played there and now Robby, getting the chance to play with my cousin, it’s a phenomenal chance to be with my family. I’m ecstatic to be able to do it.”
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In the 2016 Class B playoffs, Tirrell and the Rams eliminated Meyer and the Eagles. Last September with the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Meyer playing quarterback and free safety, Fairfield returned the favor.
Meyer, the son of longtime Fairfield head coach Les Meyers, threw a 95-yard touchdown among his two scoring tosses, ripped off a 34-yard touchdown on the ground and led the Eagles to a 34-10 victory, the second of 10 straight wins before losing to reigning champion Lincoln County (Eureka) High in the Class B title game.
“After the game, Ryan reached out to me to say ‘good job’ and it took off from there,” Meyer said. “Ever since, we’ve tried to hang out as much as we can whether it’s at a track meet or a basketball tournament. Before Junior Day (April 14), I was able to stay at his house, hung out, shared some stories and it was fun.
“It’s cool we’ve become fast friends and that we will get to play together.”
The duo also have a mutual friend in Loyola three-sport standout David Koppang, a senior who will join the Grizzlies in the fall.
“We have to play each other this year so we have to be enemies for a few more hours before we are teammates,” Tirrell said with a laugh.
As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Tirrell rushed for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rolling up 62 tackles as the Rams marched to the semifinals of the Class B playoffs before falling to Shelby 28-27. Tirrell was a Class B first-team all-state selection at outside linebacker, his likely position with the Grizzlies, and a first-team all-conference selection as a running back.
“You don’t have to worry about people asking you where to go, what to do,” Tirrell said of making his decision early. “You can really focus on getting better for your senior season and really playing to try to get more (scholarship) money. It feels like it takes a little pressure off your shoulders and it’s great because you can reach out to other kids across the state too and say, ‘If the opportunity presents itself, come to the Griz.’ We want to get other kids enthusiastic into the program.”
The athletic, quick Meyer completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,507 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 930 yards and 17 touchdowns as the Eagles qualified for the Class B playoffs for the 15th time in 16 seasons. Meyer earned all-conference honors on offense while earning first-team all-state honors at safety.
Meyer was a target of former head coach Bob Stitt and his staff, namely wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter, a Helena native who spearheaded UM’s central Montana recruiting under Stitt. Meyer came on visits to several Griz games last season. When Hauck took over following Stitt’s non-renewal, initially Meyer didn’t hear much until new tight ends coach Jace Schillinger invited Meyer to Junior Day.
Tirrell was also among the invites too, so he in turn invited Meyer to stay at his family’s Missoula home. The following day, Hauck saw his nephew and Meyer hanging out together so he approached the two, learning of their relationship during a conversation before Montana’s spring game.
“After the scrimmage, he brought Ryan and I into his office and we talked a little bit, then he told us that he had some money for us,” Meyer said, adding he called Hauck to give his pledge less than a week later. “I want to play for Coach Hauck and be a part of the tradition he’s had over the years. The new staff is great. I really enjoyed visiting with all of them and hearing what they had to say. The new facilities really sell you too.
“Growing up, going to a ton of Grizzly games with friends, watching players like Colt Anderson, Marc Mariani, Shann Schillinger and my dad being good friends with Coach Hauck, when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t think I could turn it down.”
Meyer said he talked on the phone with UM offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach recently and that the coaching staff is considering Meyer an ‘athlete’ for the time being. He likely will play safety or slot receiver for the Griz. Tirrell will play either outside linebacker or a “linebacker-safety hybrid, which is basically what I’m doing at Loyola right now.”
With the upcoming graduation of Eureka standout quarterback and do-everything defensive player Garrett Graves, also an incoming Griz recruit himself, both Fairfield and Loyola should be among the favorites in Class B next fall. Tirrell said the choice to commit before his final high school season gives him more clout in his pursuit to become a more engaged leader. Meyer said the choice to verbally commit early gives him the ability to fully focus on chasing a state championship to cap his career.
“Growing up watching University of Montana players be successful and go to national championships and win big games, that’s something that I want to be a part of at the highest level,” Meyer said. “Coming from a Class B school, there’s guys like Chase Reynolds, 8-man football player, who made a huge name for himself and made it to the NFL. That’s something special I realized could happen at the University of Montana.”
Hauck’s first tenure produced almost unprecedented success at Montana. The Grizzlies earned at least a share of seven straight Big Sky Conference championships and advanced to the FCS national title game in 2004, 2008 and 2009. From hearing stories of his uncle Tim, who went on to forge a 13-year NFL career and is now the secondary coach for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, to following his uncle Bobby’s teams as a youth in Missoula, Tirrell has always dreamed of carrying on his family’s legacy with the Griz.
“Looking up to these guys my whole life, especially living in the same area as them, seeing them around town, this honestly means the world,” Tirrell said. “It seems surreal it’s happening right now. It’s a really cool experience.”
Photos contributed by Meyer and Tirrell familes. All Rights Reserved.
