Big Sky Conference

IRISH REUNITED: Banks, Strahm thriving in middle of Griz defense

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MISSOULA — While Connor Strahm flew down the field busting up wedges on kickoffs, James Banks wondered what his football future might hold.

In 2015, Strahm was etching out a reputation as one of the hardest hitting, most intimidating players in the Big Sky Conference. The latest in a long line of Griz linebackers who first became stars for their thunderous hits covering kicks, Strahm earned Montana’s coveted Golden Helmet Award, given annually to the team’s hardest hitter. Strahm also secured the Hauck Family Award as UM’s Special Teams Player of the Year, as he waited his turn to take over at middle linebacker behind All-Big Sky senior Jeremiah Kose.

Banks meanwhile was searching for what to do next. Banks, Strahm, Griz right tackle Mike Ralston and Montana State senior captain wide receiver Mitch Herbert made up the core of one of Oregon’s most dominant prep teams this decade at Sheldon High in Eugene. After the Irish posted a 52-2 record that included a 14-0 mark during 2012’s run to the Oregon 6A state championship, Strahm and Ralston committed to Montana while Herbert settled in for his senior prep season.

Montana linebacker James Banks (36)/by Brooks Nuanez

Banks moved to Roswell, New Mexico but not in pursuit of extraterrestrial experiences. Despite piling up a Sheldon-record 182 tackles and earning first-team All-State honors as a senior, the New Mexico Military Institute, one of just four military junior colleges in America, was Banks’ only offer. The school also served as the first stop on what’s become a college football odyssey across the country.

That 2013 season, Banks earned second-team All-Western States Football league honors and was the MVP of the El Toro Bowl. His standout true freshman season earned him a scholarship offers from Wyoming, North Dakota State and Georgia State before he eventually chose FBS Alabama-Birmingham. As a sophomore in Birmingham, Banks played in 11 games, notching nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack for the 6-6 Blazers.

Then, abruptly, UAB football was no more. As the Blazers waited to hear if the 6-6 mark was good enough to punch a ticket to a bowl game, a few players read on a fan message board that the program had been disbanded. Days later, the administration confirmed the disband to the players.

“We had just finished 6-6, we were expecting a bowl, we were all hyped and then we don’t hear anything,” Banks said. “We hear that the program had been shut down. No one really knew anything because we were hearing from the blogs. Not even the president until a couple of days later when they finally told us to our face.”

“What do I do? We were in Alabama, a big football state, so this doesn’t happen. When it happened, I wondered, do I work toward home? Do I stay out here? Do I wait for what comes to me? I had no idea.”

Montana linebacker James Banks (36)/by Brooks Nuanez

Banks did know he had friends across the Treasure State playing for premier FCS football programs. By 2015, Herbert was an All-Big Sky Conference wide receiver for the Bobcats. Former UAB safety Des Carter had landed at Montana State as well, another familiar face for the Bobcats to use while recruiting Banks.

Ralston was in the middle of what would become one of his four position switches in college. And Strahm was laying the foundation for what would become an All-Big Sky junior season the following fall.

UAB eventually managed to revitalize the program. Players were given the option to stay and use a paused eligibility clock for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before rejoining Conference USA in 2017. Banks did not want to wait.

Instead, he sat out the 2015 season, continuing to live in Birmingham and rehabbing from surgery on both shoulders. In October of 2015, Banks came on an official visit to Montana, committing before he left.

“Coming in, with my third program in four years, having people I already knew made it so much of an easier transition in to get caught up and not take as long to get acclimated to everything,” Banks said. “Those guys, Connor and Mike and (former Griz wide receiver) Taylor Walcott were a big reason I came here.”

Banks earned UM’s strong side linebacker spot coming out of fall camp. Strahm earned Montana’s starting middle linebacker job. All of a sudden, he was lining up to a familiar face for the first time in four years.

Montana linebacker Connor Strahm (10)/by Jason Bacaj

“We’ve been playing together since we were 12,” Banks said. “We played basketball together since we were kids. I don’t think I ever would’ve guessed I’d be playing right next to him at age 23 but it’s sweet.”

“They have been inseparable in a lot of ways,” UM linebackers coach Travis Niekamp said during UM’s bye week. “They are not living with each other this season, which I was a little shocked at. You can tell there’s a chemistry there. When guys grow up together, you can see that. There’s a comfort level, just like quarterbacks and receivers, just like offensive linemen.”

Strahm, who politely declined interview requests for this story, thrived in his first season playing Mike linebacker in Jason Semore’s high-pressure scheme. Strahm notched 70 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and an interception he returned 78 yards for a touchdown. He forced a team-high three fumbles and earned UM’s Golden Helmet for the second straight season. He was a third-team All-Big Sky selection.

“Strahm sets the tone, I think everyone knows that,” UM junior linebacker Josh Buss, himself a third-team all-league pick last season, said. “When he is on the field, EVERYONE knows he’s on the field. When you are an offensive player, you look over and see him, intimidation.

“But he’s also a genius at football. In meetings, he will ask Coach questions and it’s stuff you wouldn’t ever think of. He understands the game really, really well.”

Montana linebacker Connor Strahm (10)/by Jason Bacaj

“We call Connor Strahm the ‘War Daddy,’” added UM senior defensive tackle Myles McKee-Osibodu earlier this week. “He’s always ready to beat somebody up, honestly. Not actually (laughs). But he’s tough.”

Strahm has never had a problem harnessing the physicality of Division I college football. In fact, as a sophomore, he was prone to personal fouls while playing special teams and spot duty spelling Kose. He’s maintained his reputation as an edgy player throughout the last two seasons.

“Edge: that’s what Connor brings,’ Semore said. “About 95 percent of the guys you coach, you try to coach them to be more physical and be more violent but Connor is the other way. You have to coach him to not do it as much. He’s a kid who some of the younger guys who look at and know that’s how you play middle linebacker in Division I. He separates himself with the mentality he plays with.”

In Semore’s scheme, the ball carriers are often filtered back to the inside linebackers, meaning having sure tacklers is essential. This season, despite missing two games due to suspension for a DUI last summer, Strahm has been solid, notching 36 tackles, third-most on the Griz, to go with 3.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. He has put constant pressure on opposing passers with his ability to collapse the pocket as a blitzer into the interior of offensive lines.

“Physicality,” Semore said. “He’s an incredibly strong kid. He’s 255 pounds and he’s a pretty fast kid for how big he is. He’s a very effective blitzer because of that. A lot of times when we blitz, we are getting knocked off our tracks, which causes exit lanes. Connor is not one of those guys. If an offensive guard peels back on him, he’s not going anywhere. He’s staying on his blitz path. He’s a luxury to have in the core.”

Montana linebacker James Banks 36)/by Brooks Nuanez

Banks acclimated to campus life right away. The chemistry major earned Academic All-Big Sky honors his first year at Montana. On the field, he struggled with a nagging groin injury but still managed to play in all 11 games, notching 54 tackles and two tackles for loss.

This season, Banks has been Montana’s most productive defender. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder has 73 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a sack.

“I think he’s finally healthy,” Niekamp said. “He’s productive because he’s a very smart football player and he’s comfortable with what we are doing defensively. He’s got a very good football IQ. He prepares himself for what teams are going to do throughout the course of a week and he’s finally healthy, so he can run through there, make some plays at the point of attack.”

The will linebacker had 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in UM’s season-opening win over Valparaiso. Banks had 10 tackles against Savannah State, 14 tackles against Eastern Washington, 11 against Portland State and 14 more against Idaho State. Montana enters Saturday’s matchup with a 3-1 Big Sky mark and a 5-2 record overall.

“Banks is really smart,” Buss said. “I think a lot of people don’t take him as a big hitter but when you go back and watch film, he smacks guys. This year, there’s been at least twice a game where he goes up and lays a huge hit.. You can hear how big it sounds. He definitely plays behind his pads.”

Saturday, Montana faces the most stout Big Sky opponent its faced in a month with its trip to Ogden. The Griz take on a Weber State team with an identical record in both league play and overall. The Wildcats possess the ball for a Big Sky-best 34 minutes per game.

Montana linebacker Connor Strahm (10)/by Brooks Nuanez

To slow down Weber State’s ball control offense, particularly without suspended senior safety Justin Strong, the Griz will need top-notch performances from its senior linebackers once again.

“Those two are so good, as good as anybody in the Big Sky,” Montana senior center Cooper Sprunk said. “They hit so hard. They are both different. Jimmy is a speed guy with a nose for the ball who makes plays any time he can. Strahm is a good leader because he’s the quarterback of the linebackers and d-line, knows what is going on. It’s super fun to watch them all ball out this year.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez & Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved. 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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