Bryce Leighton is the first Under Armour All-American to ever sign a National Letter of Intent with Montana State. And the saga of his recruitment from Camas, Washington to Bozeman, Montana is a testament to the progress of MSU as a university and the acumen of Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate and his staff as recruiters.
Choate has put a priority on recruiting Western Washington since taking over as the head coach at Montana State before the 2016 season. The former Washington Huskies’ defensive line coach had connections at some of the best programs on the Westside of Washington, including in Camas, one of Washington Class 4A’s powerhouse programs and the classification’s state champs during the 2019 season.
So Leighton, Camas’s all-state punter, was on Choate and his coaching staff’s radar pretty early on in the spring after Leighton’s junior football season.
When Leighton was on his way to attend a camp at Penn State late in the spring of 2019, he received a call from MSU director of high school operations B.J. Robertson.
“That was the first time I really thought about Montana State,” Leighton said.
MSU extended in invitation to Leighton to attend MSU’s individual camp. It happened to be the same dates as the Kohl’s Kicking Camp’s final stop in Orlando, Florida for a national showcase of kicking and punting specialists. At that gathering, Leighton thrived, winning the punting competition and earning an invite to the Under Armour game.
Leighton still managed to make an unofficial visit with his dad to Bozeman during the summer of 2019 before he attended the Kohl’s showcase or earned an invite to the most prestigious high school football all-star game in the country. That was the first hook that helped lure him to Montana State.
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“I loved Bozeman and I loved all the coaches there,” Leighton said of his visit. “I loved the town. I think Bozeman is super beautiful too and the school is super awesome. I had an awesome visit and then we left knowing it was really great.”
A week after Leighton first stepped on campus, he attended the Kohl’s camp with more than 600 kickers and punters. At the competition, Leighton took top honors in the punt section, earning him an invite to the Under Armour All-American prep all-star game.
Soon after, MSU offered Leighton a scholarship. He also had a walk-on offer from Washington State but the impression the MSU campus and coaches stuck.
“In the back of my head after I visited campus, I knew I wanted to go there but I didn’t rush into anything, wanted to take my time,” Leighton said. “A week after that, I went to Washington State’s camp and got an offer there. I still wanted to take my time, didn’t want to rush in but I still really liked Montana State.
“Then I hit a point where I realized I really liked Montana State. I was like, ‘Hey dad, I am going to commit there. There’s no point in waiting. I love it there, it’s really awesome and I love the coaches. That’s’ the place I want to call home.”
When Montana State first offered Leighton, Robertson, who also serves as MSU’s special teams coordinator, knew the punter had traveled around displaying his talents enough to earn himself a 3-star rating and interest from Washington State, Washington, Oregon State and Penn State. But Robertson said months later he “had little idea he was going to win the Kohl’s camp.”
Leighton did not forget that Montana State. And when he verbally committed on August 5 of 2019 a few weeks before the start of his senior football season, he basically eliminated receiving any other firm scholarship offers.
“As specialists, your recruiting is different than other positions because you basically have to go compete in front of coaches like at the (Kohl’s camp) or you have to try out,” Leighton said.
Montana State didn’t need to see much to want to sign Leighton. The Bobcats lose four-year starting punter Jered Padmos, a two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection who left a memorable mark on the league with his top-notch rugby punting.
“He started really blowing up after Kohl’s but we really wanted him,” Robertson said. “It was one of those deals where he was like, ‘you were here first, I’m all about that.’ He has a connection to Montana State. His parents are both teachers. And they believe what we believe: that you win with people. This kid has crazy academics and the engineering program was a great fit there.”
After committing, Leighton’s recruitment didn’t take off like it might’ve had he not been committed. But his personal and team success certainly flourished. Leighton was one of five Papermakers to earn first-team all-state honors from the Washington Associate Press. Those accolades stemmed from Camas rolling to a 14-0 record and a state championship capped by a 35-14 win over Bothell in the state title game.
Rush Reimer, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive tackle, also earned All-State honors for the Papermakers. And he also signed a NOLI with Montana State on December 18.
“I remember when I was there (at Montana State), I texted Rush that Montana State was really cool and then he texted me back, ‘I’m well aware’ and he committed few days later,” Leighton said with a chuckle. “It’s super cool. I didn’t commit because of him but it’s definitely cool knowing a teammate up there.”
“Then the state championship, that was really cool for us and it was really cool for Rush too because our team, we dominated the run game and that’s kudos to our awesome o-line, including Rush. Rush is a beast and I think Rush will have a huge impact at MSU. I think he’s going to be super good.
“But playing at a high level and feeling what that’s like to win state, that was awesome. MSU, they are really high up there and they are top four in the country so I think it’s cool transitioning from a high level team to another one.”
Performing at a high level continued at the UA All-American game inFlorida. Leighton was one 100 players from across the country invited to participate.
“I was just trying to enjoy the moment but it was super fun, kind of crazy being around those top recruits who look like they could be 30 years old…they are dudes,” Leighton said. “But playing in that helped me prepare for being in more intense games. I didn’t feel much pressure playing in it because I have taught myself to not feel pressure but it was definitely a good experience, being around a high level of talent gets you used to it instead of being thrown into it.”
Performing alongside the best of the best combined with his desire to major in engineering — Leighton is leaning toward environmental engineering — made him the perfect fit for the Bobcats.
“Bryce was ranked as the number one punter in the country, and he picked Montana State for all the right reasons,” Choate said during his press conference to open the early signing period in DeCember. “He’s interested in our engineering program. He committed to us early in the fall and has stayed with us. He was part of that state championship team at Camas High School, and with Jered Padmos finishing his career we have a lot to replace there. We hope Bryce can step right in and have an immediate impact.”
Leighton was infusive in his praise of everything Choate, Robertson and former MSU recruiting coordinator DeNarius McGhee sold him about the program and the school. He said he loved the beauty as well as the seasonality of Bozeman.
He has been to the Gallatin Valley multiple times this last winter. Leighton and his father explored Hyalite Canyon, another place Leighton figures to spend a lot of time in over the next few years. He loves Choate’s tough-guy attitude and priority on special teams. And the punter is excited for the opportunity to compete for a starting spot right away with the Bobcats.
“It’s kind of crazy, I grew up playing soccer and I got into football in eighth grade and everybody told me about recruiting and all that,” Leighton said. “My grandma started raving about me having such a big leg, I should play football. This whole recruiting process, ending up with Montana State, putting the pen to paper, making it official, it’s really awesome. I get to play awesome football for an awesome school. I feel so lucky and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I am super grateful for this opportunity.”
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