The University of Montana football players are currently soaking up their last remaining care-free days of summer.
Or they better be at least, because it’s all business for them very soon.
Up until this week, summer has been no float on the river for the Griz, with 5 a.m. lifting sessions and player-run practices (PRPs) getting the team mentally and physically prepared for the season ahead.
With the first official practice of fall camp just seven days away, the players are now enjoying a week’s worth of down time before the proverbial pedal hits the metal.
The rest has been well earned too, the reward for completing a process that started on the final day of spring drills and culminated last week in the sweltering heat of Washington-Grizzly Stadium in late July.
In April, the Montana coaches handed the keys to practice over to the seniors for the first official PRP of the season while the staff retired to the stands to observe on the last day of spring drills.
Instead of just turning the players loose and practicing on their own terms, having the coaches observe that first session set the tone that summer would be a season of work, not fun in the sun.
“It gave us an understanding of how we wanted things to run and the intensity we had to bring to each PRP,” said senior quarterback Reese Phillips. “Obviously in the summer the coaches aren’t there, but we made it as close to a real practice as possible – quick and sharp.
“We’re out there competing. We go through every phase of a real practice, from run/pass, 7-on-7 to one-on-ones. This team’s really close, so it’s a lot of fun. You’re going out there with all your friends, playing ball and having a good time.”
But as the summer heat intensified and minds begin to look ahead to time at the lake, the intensity didn’t slip. Quite the opposite really. The intensity grew.
“The last two were honestly really, really good. You can tell as we’re getting closer to camp, the intensity has ramped up a little bit, and we’re all just ready to get going,” Phillips added.
Leading the charge for the Montana staff over the summer is strength and conditioning coach Matt Nicholson, who, per NCAA rules, is the only coach allowed to work with the players during the offseason.
For Phillips, Nicholson doesn’t just teach the Xs and Os of lifting weights. His time with the team during the summer offers a valuable opportunity to get the player’s minds right too – an opportunity to get them bought into the system.
And it worked.
“After the spring, Nicholson sat down with everyone individually and kind of had the same talk with us, that, we’ll work hard, but we’ll have a lot of fun in the weight room,” said Phillips.
“I’ve never really been big on working out, but I really enjoy it here, and that’s because of Nicholson. He has a lot of fun with us, but he’s intense.”
When the staff handed the practice over to the players in April, it was expected the senior leadership would rise to the top. But leadership just doesn’t happen. It takes development and nurturing.
So, the other added bonus of this summer’s PRPs isn’t just that the team has become bigger, faster and stronger. It’s that the seniors have grabbed the reins of the team and become drivers, ready to steer their brothers into battle.
“Coach Nicholson is a really good leader, and he’s taught the other seniors and me how to lead and how to come together,” added Phillips.
“Everybody’s so bought in because of him. It’s the way he does things. He’s really good at connecting with each of his players, and he’s fun to work with. He’s a great coach.”
Now that the seeds of a successful season have been sewn in the sweat of 5 a.m. lifting sessions and the heat of the afternoon Montana sun, the players are ready to lead their way back to the playoffs.
The Grizzlies report for the first day of fall camp on Sunday, August 6, with the first practice set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Press release courtesy of Eric Taber – University of Montana Sports Information. Photo by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
