MISSOULA, Montana — Bobby Hauck has plenty of experience recruiting to Montana while navigating a playoff run. But things are a little different then they were then with the institution of an early signing period.
During Hauck’s first tenure at the University of Montana, the Grizzlies were in the middle of a playoff run for all seven seasons Hauck guided the program between 2003 and 2009. But when the season ended, whether it was in the first round of the playoffs or in the national championship game, the Griz still had a month or more to continue prospecting or hold on to recruits.
With the institution of a new 72-hour early signing period three years ago, now FBS and FCS programs alike can sign players in December.
Montana’s season ended last Friday in a disheartening 17-10 loss to No. 3 Weber State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. Hauck’s second season at the helm in his second stint at his alma mater ended with 10 wins and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 with much credit to him, his staff and his players.
Over the last few weeks, the Griz coaches could not be in the homes of prospective recruits as they prepared for and endured the postseason. But Montana still managed to sign 17 prospects with the opening of the early period on Wednesday, essentially completing the Class of 2020 before the calendar turns to 2020.
“We didn’t really have much of a recruiting pitch because we couldn’t get on the road,” Hauck said on Wednesday afternoon at the Sky Club at the Adams Center on the University of Montana campus. “We were playing, which I think you always worry about not being out there in kids homes when others are but they are paying attention to the trajectory of what we are doing.
“I think that is the critical element: they think we are winning, they think we are going to win down the road, they know what we are about. That in essence is the recruiting pitch.”
The Griz signed seven players from Montana among its 17 new additions. A team short on scholarship money managed to reel in players Oregon, Idaho, Washington, California, Utah and Hawaii to bolster a roster that loses 16 seniors.
“I like the class and I think we covered our board pretty well, got what we needed,” Hauck said. “I thought we did well in the state of Montana, maybe exceedingly well. I’m really excited about those guys. That’s the thing that is near and dear to my heart in terms of who we recruit every year.
“But the guys who we recruited from outside the borders of our state are tremendous young men. I really like these guys personally as well as on their film. We will be excited to get them here in August.”
UM got official confirmation from Hamilton High quarterback Carson Rostad, the 2018 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior, along with six other promising players from the Treasure State.
In-state recruiting has been and will continue to be the priority for the Griz, Hauck said.
“I’m excited about any kid we ever get out of Montana,” Hauck said. “I consider them all local. It’s a big neighborhood. I think that’s what this state is.
“The one thing they all have in common is they love Montana, they love the Grizzlies and they are all tough.”
Rostad, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder who lit up Class A for four straight years, and Jaxon Lee, a Missoula Sentinel product who spent his first three years playing for the Class C Flint Creek co-op between Phillipsburg and Drummond, highlighted the in-state recruits.
Each standout was considered one of the top prospects in Montana. Rostad, who is the cousin of former Griz All-Big Sky Conference linebacker Jordan Tripp, was the first player to commit from Montana to UM. His commitment led to the commitment of Lee and UM signee Drew Deck, a wide receiver out of Kalispell Glacier, the same week last summer.
“With the way social media is today, (Rostad) becomes a mouthpiece, a vital recruiter, your queen so to speak in chess, your focal point in-state,” Montana recruiting coordinator Justin Green said. “The position he plays also speaks loud. To be able to have a guy commit to you as early as he did and be excited about being here says a lot.”
A total of 17 prospects from Montana signed with Division I schools on Wednesday, including 10 who made it official with Montana State. But the Griz got their fair share of the in-state haul, including Bozeman High running back turned linebacker Asher Croy (6-0, 206), high ceiling defensive lineman Journey Grimsrud (6-3, 245) of Huntley Project, Kalispell Glacier defensive lineman Henry Nuce (6-4, 235) and Butte Central wide receiver Guido Ossello (6-3, 195).
“That’s our No. 1 goal,” Green said when asked about prioritizing Montana players. “If we took all Montana guys, we’d be fine with that. We are going to take every Montana kid that we think can help us win the national championship. If there are 30 guys in the state, we would take them. Being an out of state recruiter along with having my area in Montana, we will only supplement out of state. That is a good problem to have. It may not be stars on paper. But there is no measurement for toughness and grit that we get in-state.”
Croy rushed for 333 yards in the Class AA state championship, helping lead Bozeman to its fourth state title this decade. The son of former Griz defensive back Guy Croy played the first three years of his high school career for his dad, the longtime head coach at Huntley Project. But Croy finished his career in Montana’s biggest classification.
His signing is the third Bozeman Hawk by Hauck. Montana signed former Bozeman High quarterback Kris Brown and former Hawk receiver Ryan Simpson last year.
“Well it’s been easy,” Hauck said when asked about recruiting out of rival Montana Sttae’s backyard. “We’ve signed three the last two years. That’s the most in the nation.”
The Griz filled out the rest of the class with 10 players from out of state, including a few from the same high school, a few from Utah and a few who came down to the wire.
Brandon Casey, a 6-foot-5, 265-pounder from Sandpoint, Idaho, received heavy interest from Power 5 schools, specifically Oregon State, before the early signing period opened. But the son of Idaho alums stuck with Montana. He also received offers from Montana State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and the Vandals.
“We can say we beat those schools year and year out on kids and that’s not factual very often,” Hauck said. “If they want them, they get them. A guy has to really love this place and think it’s the place for him. He’s certainly that guy. He’s like the Montana kids: he grew up wanting to play here and he grew up around it.”
UM also received National Letters of Intent from the Oxnard (California) skill position pair of wide receiver Aaron Fontes (6-1, 170) and running back Xavier Harris (5-10, 185), the latter a 3-star recruit.
Montana currently has one player — sophomore defensive tackle Eli Alford — on its roster from the state of Utah. Wednesday, UM added two more with the signing of Autjoe Soe, a 6-foot-1, 161-pound corner from Murray and Chase Johansen, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker from Park City.
Along with Casey, a few other Griz jumped in the recruiting boat recently. Rishi Daniels, a 6-foot-11, 175-pound safety from Seattle Prep, committed earlier this week. Kukila Lincoln, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive lineman from Kamuela, Hawaii, had an offer from the Griz for exactly seven days before signing.
Rocklin, California native Kevin Good, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman, continued UM’s prioritization on refortifying the offensive and defensive fronts. Erik Barker, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end from Keizer, Oregon, fits the same mold.
“Coach Hauck, one of the things he’s always said when recruiting a class is he always wants to improve the stature of a class,” said Green, a standout running back at UM last decade. “Where we can do that is always on our fronts. The length and how big this class is is important, both this year and last year. That will always be a priority when recruiting this year and beyond.”
“I’m always amazed by how big our fronts are.”
The class includes one transfer who will join the team for winter conditioning and the spring semester starting in January: Saddleback College quarterback Robby Patterson. He threw for 2,575 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.
“Right now, we don’t have – (redshirt freshman Garrett) Graves has been playing a bunch of different positions and we don’t want to go freshman to senior at any position, let alone quarterback, so it fills in nicely in the order of things,” Hauck said.
“He runs it pretty well, he’s competitive and he throws it pretty well. Watch the tape. You’ll see.”
Hauck said the Class of 2020 is still awaiting a transfer cornerback and will also add a few other preferred walk-ons from in-state. But by and large, despite its first playoff run since the existence of the early signing day, the Griz are finished with their recruiting class.
“I’m excited about moving forward with the next group and continuing to build our football team and our football program back into a team that will be a team to be reckoned with each and every fall. Part of that is signing good recruiting classes and I think we did that today.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
2020 Montana Griz Football Signees
| NAME | YEAR | Pos. | Height | Weight | HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Barker | Freshman | TE | 6-4 | 225 | Keizer, Ore. / McNary HS | |
| Brandon Casey | Freshman | OL | 6-5 | 265 | Sandpoint, Idaho / Sandpoint HS | |
| Asher Croy | Freshman | LB | 6-0 | 206 | Bozeman, Mont. / Bozeman Senior HS | |
| Rishi Daniels | Freshman | S | 5-11 | 175 | Seattle, Wash. / Seattle Prep | |
| Drew Deck | Freshman | WR | 5-9 | 150 | Kalispell, Mont. / Glacier HS | |
| Aaron Fontes | Freshman | WR | 6-1 | 170 | Oxnard, Calif. / Oxnard HS | |
| Kevin Good | Freshman | OL | 6-4 | 270 | Rocklin, Calif. / Whitney HS | |
| Journey Grimsrud | Freshman | DL | 6-3 | 240 | Huntley, Mont. / Huntley Project HS | |
| Xavier Harris | Freshman | RB | 5-10 | 185 | Oxnard, Calif. / Oxnard HS | |
| Chase Johansen | Freshman | LB | 6-1 | 215 | Park City, Utah / Park City HS | |
| Jaxon Lee | Freshman | RB | 6-1 | 183 | Missoula, Mont. / Sentinel HS | |
| Kukila Lincoln | Freshman | OL | 6-5 | 250 | Kamuela, Hawaii / Hawaii Prep Academy | |
| Henry Nuce | Freshman | DL | 6-4 | 235 | Kalispell, Mont. / Glacier HS | |
| Guido Ossello | Freshman | WR | 6-3 | 195 | Butte, Mont. / Butte Central Catholic | |
| Robbie Patterson | Redshirt Soph | QB | 5-11 | 200 | Medford, Ore. / South Medford HS | |
| Carson Rostad | Freshman | QB | 6-3 | 215 | Hamilton, Mont. / Hamilton HS | |
| Autjoe Soe | Freshman | CB | 6-1 | 161 | Murray, Utah / Murray HS |
