Nick Germer believes he can sell the Montana football program as well as anyone. And that’s the Missoula Sentinel junior’s plan over the next 10 months.
Germer, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver for the Spartans, calls the overtime Grizzly win in a driving snow storm over Appalachian State in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in 2009 as “literally one of the greatest moments of my life.” He remembers accompanying his father, UM stalwart offensive line coach Chad Germer, to the FCS national championship game that same year in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Even when Chad Germer moved on to coach with former Griz head coach Bobby Hauck at UNLV from 2010 until 2014, Nick kept close tabs on his hometown team.
Nick has blossomed into a star athlete himself, albeit in a different model than his father, who earned All-American honors as Montana’s center in 1991 before briefly playing in the NFL. Nick Germer is a lanky, smooth wide receiver who also plays basketball and is dabbling in track for the first time this spring.
Nick has always dreamed of someday running through the tunnel into Washington-Grizzly Stadium like his father many of his childhood heroes. And now he’ll get the chance.
[restrict paid=”true”]Last week, Germer became UM third-year head coach Bob Stitt’s first verbal commitment for the Class of 2018. He will accept a three-quarters scholarship next February when he signs with the Griz. Per NCAA rules, coaches are not allowed to comment on recruits until they sign National Letters of Intent.
“I’ve wanted to commit here since Signing Day of last season so I decided I might as well do it now because I didn’t want to keep waiting,” Germer said. “This is what I have always wanted.”
Germer said he wanted to make his decision before his senior year to alleviate any distractions as Sentinel chases its second straight Class AA playoff berth. Germer also wanted to be “the first one in the boat” in an effort to help recruit his in-state brethren in the always-heated battle for the best prep prospects in the Treasure State between the Griz and the rival Montana State Bobcats.
“They treated me pretty much the same as other recruits,” Germer said. “Me and (Gabe) Sulser are the only ones who have gotten offers I think. They were looking at both of us all of last season and Coach (Bob) Stitt wanted to get us on the boat because me and him could recruit the other kids in the state and get them to here.
“The ‘Cats offered me too but I already knew there was no other FCS program close to the Griz. I wanted to go to Montana because of the great tradition.”
Sulser is Gabe Sulser, the reigning Class AA Offensive Player of the Year and indisputably the state’s best college prospect. The lightning fast Billings Senior product was a first-team all-state selection as a wide receiver, a cornerback, a kick returner and a punt returner for the state champions. He currently holds offers from Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Montana State and North Dakota State but remains uncommitted.
“Committing early, I want to help recruit guys here,” Germer said from his Missoula home on Monday night. “I’m basically a recruiter now, telling these kids how the Griz are going to be the next best team. I have a good idea of all the reasons the Griz are better than the other school.”
As the top target for Montana signee Mitch Roberts, Sentinel’s standout quarterback who will play wide receiver at UM, Germer earned honorable mention all-state honors. He caught 42 passes for 745 yards (17.7 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Germer’s longest reception was a 64-yard touchdown that was part of a seven-catch, 204-yard performance in Sentinel’s 63-62 overtime loss to Kalispell Glacier at Washington-Grizzly Stadium last fall.
Germer held an offer from Montana State, strong interest from the in-state Frontier Conference schools and was starting to receive interest from out of state FCS schools like departing Big Sky rival North Dakota. But when Montana extended a solid offer during its junior day, Germer did not hesitate.
“Other schools from out of state were starting to talk to me but you already know that the Griz by far have more tradition than any other of those schools,” Germer said.
Chad Germer was an All-American who started 36 consecutive games between 1989 and 1991 for the Griz. He was the Big Sky Conference’s first-team all-conference center as a senior in 1991 before signing a free agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chad’s first of three coaching stints at his alma mater began in 1998 with Mick Dennehy. He stayed at Montana when Joe Glenn took over in 2000 and helped Montana to back-to-back national title games, including the 2001 Division I-AA championship. Chad then moved with Glenn to Wyoming, where he coached from 2003 until 2008.
Following that memorable national championship game loss to Villanova in Chattanooga in 2009 — Montana’s seventh national title game appearance and fifth title game loss since 1995 — Chad Germer moved with Hauck and most of UM’s staff to UNLV. Chad returned to Missoula as Stitt’s offensive line coach before the 2015 season.
Although his father has lived a life intertwined with college football and the recruiting process, Nick said his dad kept his advice simple.
“The thing is, he never really talked to me about it,” Germer said. “It was really (wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter) and Stitt who talked to me about it. My dad didn’t really say much about it so it wasn’t like my dad just recruiting. But he still gave me tips, especially like, ‘Come here, not the Cats’ (laughs).”
While Chad Germer has been a pillar for the Griz for longer than Nick has been alive, Nick said he feels no pressure following in his father’s footsteps. For one, they play completely different positions.
The upcoming months include finishing out his first track season — Germer has already lowered his time in the 100 meters from 12.6 seconds to 11.91 seconds — before embarking on tour of football summer camps.
Stitt’s pass-first offense proved to be a draw for the future outside receiver. Germer doesn’t know what he will study in college but could see himself pursuing pharmacy or business. His Grizzly ties go so deep, even his high school head coach Dane Oliver is a former Montana wide receiver. Now it’s Germer who will get a chance to live out a childhood dream.
“It’s amazing. I just remember being a little kid imagining myself in a Griz uniform running out of that tunnel and now that it’s actually coming true, it’s crazy to think about,” Germer said.
[/restrict]Photos contributed by Germer family. All Rights Reserved.
