Gerald Alexander might be gone but it is still not difficult to locate Montana State’s secondary no matter where the Bobcat defensive backs are on the practice field.
“Even if you don’t see those guys, you will hear them because they never stop talking,” MSU second-year defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said. “Ever.”
Alexander, a boisterous, charismatic former second-round NFL Draft pick, made an instant impact on MSU’s struggling secondary a season ago. The Bobcats went from a team that gave up huge gains on passing plays prevalently to a strong unit that made opponents work for yards and points. Alexander himself was hard to miss, from his bravado to his constant demand for improvement.
In the off-season, the fast-rising coaching star took a job on Justin Wilcox’s staff at Cal after just one season on Jeff Choate’s staff at Montana State. Choate hired Mark Orphey, most recently a graduate assistant on Will Muschamp’s staff at South Carolina.
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The former Texas Southern defensive back does not have the playing resume of Alexander or the in-your-face presence of the man the Bobcats called GA. But Orphey’s tempered, deliberate style is already resonating with his players as Montana State wraps up its second week of spring drills this week.
“The good news is we are not changing a whole lot,” Choate said earlier this week. “One of the reasons Mark was an attractive candidate for me was he is going to understand a lot of what we are doing. There’s a lot of familiarity with our post safety concepts and what they did at South Carolina. He’s a good young coach who has played in a number of systems and coached in a number of systems.”
“Coach Orphey is a really good coach,” added sophomore safety Brayden Konkol. “He was at the SEC level and he was under some good coaches. Same technique, so that makes it a smooth transition.”
Montana State’s secondary returns All-Big Sky safety Bryson McCabe for his senior year. Senior Khari Garcia, who is out for spring ball after off-season shoulder surgery, and sophomore Brayden Konkol split time at the other safety spot last season with Konkol finishing the year strong.
“This is my third year, third position coach, so I’m getting used to that but the continuity with the players is great,” said McCabe, who made stops at South Dakota State and Iowa Western before coming to MSU before the 2015 season.
“Each coach brings new things. Coach (Choate) calls it the tool belt, trying to take in different techniques from each coach.”
At cornerback, Montana State loses fiery competitor John Walker, an honorable mention All-Big Sky selection after graduate transferring from Colorado. The Bobcats have a slew of bodies, most of them unproven, vying for time on the outside.
“Talent, I would say, we have enough talent to win here,” Orphey said. “I think it’s more so harping on the details, the technique, that’s what is going to be our advantage. I don’t think we are the fastest group. But we weren’t that fast when I was at South Carolina so that doesn’t concern me at all. As long as our guys play with technique, core fundamentals, we have enough talent to be productive.”
The standout cornerback so far in spring drills is a talented transfer who is ineligible to play in 2017. Darren Gardenhire, a three-year contributor at Washington, transferred to Montana State after being released by UW head coach Chris Petersen in the off-season.
Gardenhire started 11 games in three years in Seattle, including nine as a true sophomore in 2015. He started two games last season before leaving the program. Because he played as a true freshman, his transfer to MSU means he has to redshirt in 2017 to play his final season in 2018.
“(Gardenhire) brings the energy every day, gets in the wide receivers’ heads,” McCabe said. “I wish he could play this year and look forward to watching him next year.”
So far during spring football, Gardenhire has been noticeable both for his elite cornerback skills and for his ability to lead the charge in trash talk.
“We have what we call verbal combat. There’s some other popular names for that but we call it verbal combat,” Choate said. “He is a master of verbal combat. I love it because it challenges everyone’s energy level to go up. It challenges everyone’s intensity level to go up. You can see there’s a little more edge to both of those sides right now. The wide receivers and defensive backs have been very, very competitive early on.”
During the second spring practice of a 15-session, five-week set of practices, Gardenhire had a sweet interception that ignited Gregorak’s praises. On the first day wearing pads, Gardenhire showed his exceptional ability to get in and out of his breaks with a great break on a ball for another near-interception.
“I knew the type of guy he was when he first got here but seeing it first hand and seeing how he not only cares to get himself better, but he challenges the other corners, the safeties, he’s been a great addition,” Orphey said. “I’m eager to see when he is able to help us.”
Gardenhire has not been made available for interviews. But his impact has already been felt, both in his ability to set the tone with his brash practice habits as well as his ability to teach his new teammates.
“His role is player/assistant coach so when he is not in, he’s coaching someone else,” Orphey said. “When he’s not in, you will see him talking, whether it’s talking to the receivers or the safeties or the corners. I’m really impressed with that kid.”
The running joke in Alexander’s office last season was that you could drop off an application each week if you wanted to earn the job at the cornerback spot opposite Walker. Tre’Von Strong started MSU’s first four games before falling out of favor and not playing at all down the stretch. The two-year standout transferred to Utah in the off-season.
Chris Harris, an intriguing athlete at 6-foot-3, started against Northern Arizona and Weber State before having his spot taken by Naijiel Hale, formerly a Washington transfer himself. Hale struggled to get into shape and with an ailing knee during the first 12 weeks of the season but earned his first start at Southern Utah. He missed MSU’s second-to-last game against UC Davis but returned in MSU’s 24-17 win at Montana.
Hale had that knee operated on in the off-season and will miss all of spring. Harris has not practiced yet because of an undisclosed injury. Bryce Alley, a contributor since his true freshman season three years ago, has been in and out of the starting lineup his whole career. He started three games last season and is battling for a starting spot again.
His main competition will be Hale when he is healthy along with sophomore Damien Washington, MSU’s primary nickelback as a true freshman last season. Braelan Evans, a talented but injury-prone fourth-year junior, is also in the mix.
“Damien Washington, I told Coach Choate after Day 1, I think he’s going to be a special kid,” Orphey said. “I know he was young last year. We get him in the weight room, get him stronger, faster, he’s going to be a good player.”
Washington, a 6-foot, 180-pounder out of Charter Oak High in Covina, California, played in 10 games as a true freshman. He notched 12 tackles and broke up five passes.
“I feel like there’s always an opportunity,” Washington said. “There’s always room to grow and keep being able to learn. If I take that opportunity, I think I have a good chance to start.”
To earn that starting position, Washington will have to beat out a veteran in Alley, a talented transfer in Hale and a pair of highly touted incoming freshmen Jalen Cole and Tyrel Thomas.
Many consider Cole, a 3-star recruit out of California powerhouse Mater Dei, to be one of the top prospects in the entire Big Sky Conference or FCS. Thomas, a two-star recruit from St. John Bosco Prep (Hale’s high school alma mater) could challenge for playing time too.
“I’m always on high alert because anyone can come for your spot,” Washington said. “You have to keep your head on a swivel.”
Orphey’s group may be short-handed right now with Hale on the shelf and the talented freshmen yet to arrive on campus. But he is challenging his players to challenge themselves daily regardless.
“That’s what we want to emphasize every day: competitive, competitive, competitive,” Orphey said. “Don’t take anything personal. It’s all about getting work in and challenging the guy in front of you. Obviously, we are going to win some some days and lose some some days but it’s all about how we are going to respond.”
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Photos by Colter Nuanez and Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
