Montana State confirmed the hiring of Jeff Choate as the 32nd head football coach in school history on Friday night. On Sunday, Skyline Sports confirmed threw four sources that four Montana State assistants will be given a chance to remain on staff.
Defensive coordinator Kane Ioane, defensive line coach Bo Beck, running backs coach Michael Pitre and wide receivers coach Cody Kempt will be given a chance to remain at Montana State.
Ioane, a Montana State alum and Hall of Fame player for the Bobcats, has been an assistant at MSU since 2004. When Mike Kramer was fired in the spring of 2007, Rob Ash retained Ioane. The 34-year-old served as MSU’s defensive coordinator last season after coaching linebackers from 2009 until 2014. Montana State gave up 34.3 points and 472.5 yards of total offense during a 5-6 season.
Beck served on Ash’s staff for the duration of the former MSU head coach’s nine years at the helm. The 44-year-old served on Ash’s staff at Drake between 2002 and 2004 before spending 2004 until 2006 on Dan McCarney’s staff as a graduate assistant at Iowa State. During his nine seasons at MSU, Beck has coached five All-America selections and two Buck Buchanan Award winners (Caleb Schreibeis, Brad Daly). Beck helped Dane Fletcher and Zach Minter earn shots in the NFL. Fletcher, a Bobcat defensive end and the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP in 2009, is a linebacker for the New England Patriots. Minter, a 2011 unanimous first-team All-Big Sky defensive tackle and All-America pick, played for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears and currently plays for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian football league.
Pitre recently completed his second season coaching running backs at MSU. The 30-year-old UCLA alum and former Bruins’ standout fullback spent 2012 and 2013 as a graduate assistant at Colorado before joining Ash’s staff. Under his tutelage, junior Chad Newell earned third-team All-Big Sky honors in 2015. Shawn Johnson was a second-team All-Big Sky selection in 2014. MSU rushed for 216 yards per game last season.
Kempt is a Montana State alum who has spent the last two seasons coaching wide receivers on Ash’s staff. The 28-year-old played quarterback for three seasons at MSU after transferring from Oregon, exhausting his eligibility after the 2010 season. Kempt spent 2011 as an offensive intern at MSU before spending one season each at Cincinnati and Tennessee as a graduate assistant. Kempt helped sophomore Mitchell Herbert earn third-team All-Big Sky honors in 2015. His father Mychal (football) and mother Marlene (track) were each Bobcat student-athletes.
MSU offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, offensive line coach Jason Eck, special teams coordinator, tight ends coach Daniel DaPrato, co-defensive coordinator Jamie Marshall and linebackers coach Jody Owens will not be retained. Cornerbacks coach Michael Rider has decided to pursue opportunities outside of football.