Ty Gregorak did not want to leave the University of Montana. Montana State’s new defensive coordinator will be the first to tell you that. But the 37-year-old knew it was time for a change of scenery after spending 12 of the last 13 years in Missoula.
Gregorak shocked the Treasure State football world last month when he announced that he would leave the place he’s called home since 2003 and head across the Continental Divide to coach at Montana’s fiercest rival. Following Montana’s 37-6 loss to North Dakota State in the second round of the FCS playoffs, new Montana State head coach Jeff Choate called Gregorak and offered him a chance to flip sides of one of the fiercest rivalries in college football. After a few days of deliberation, Gregorak decided to make the radical move.
Gregorak coached linebackers under Bobby Hauck at UM between 2003 and 2009, helping mentor a collection of standouts as Montana won seven straight Big Sky Conference titles and advanced to the FCS national title game in 2004, 2008 and 2009.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak with former UM linebacker Jeremiah Kose
During his 12 seasons at Montana, Gregorak coached on 10 playoff teams and helped more than two dozen players earn All-Big Sky honors. He helped mentor NFL linebackers like Jordan Tripp, Brock Coyle and Caleb McSurdy. Under his watch as defensive coordinator, Gregorak saw defensive ends Zack Wagenmann and Tyrone Holmes climb Montana’s all-time sacks and tackles for loss lists.
“I’m extremely excited to hire a coach with Ty’s reputation for coordinating defenses and coaching young men,” Choate said in an MSU press release. “His ability to communicate and motivate players is one of his strong suits, and that was one of my top priorities in a defensive coordinator. His record of leading outstanding defenses speaks for itself. His familiarity with our conference and his credibility in Montana are great assets. This is a home run hire for the Bobcats, and I’m very happy to welcome Ty.”
Gregorak takes over a defense coordinated by Kane Ioane last season. Ioane will still coach linebackers and serve as Montana State’s assistant head coach after being retained by Choate. Last season, MSU gave up nearly 35 points per game and 487 yards of total offense. Despite leading the Big Sky with nearly 43 points per game, the Bobcats finished 5-6, leading to Rob Ash’s firing.
Gregorak’s defense returns defensive linemen seniors Jessie Clark and Robert Wilcox, junior Tyrone Fa’anono and sophomore Tucker Yates, linebackers juniors Mac Bignell and Blake Braun and sophomore Grant Collins and defensive backs juniors Khari Garcia, Bryson McCabe and Bryce Alley and sophomore Tre’Von Strong all with starting experience.
During the first week of January, Montana State hosted press conferences with each of Choate’s nine new assistant coaches. Last Thursday, Gregorak and new MSU director of high school relations B.J. Robertson sat down with Skyline Sports and media from around Montana.
Ted Dawson, KBZK: Ty, why did you want to leave Montana and come here?
Gregorak: “I didn’t want to leave Montana. I love Montana. I had a great time in my 12 years there. It’s a fantastic program, a wonderful community, great fanbase. I got to coach a lot of wonderful kids, get to know their families. It was a great experience. I loved my 12 years in Missoula, Montana.
“When Jeff Choate was hired to be the Montana State Bobcat football coach, things changed I guess. I’m really excited to work with Jeff. I think I will get to love this side of the state. I already love this side of the state. My in-laws are on the east side in Billings. My wife (Kandice Kelly) played volleyball here at MSU. That’s not why we came. But we have a lot of friends and family over here. I have a first cousin in Bozeman. She’s an attorney. We are fired up about the change. It’s going to be a fun challenge. I’m excited about the group that Coach Choate is putting together. I’m really, really excited to meet the players and get to know this football team.
“That’s another thing I really respect and know about Jeff is it’s all about the players. I think the personalities that he has hired and is hiring with his personality and his leadership, I think the players will enjoy the coaching staff they will get to work with.”
Dawson: What can fans expect from your defense?
Gregorak: “We will play fast. Something that I will tell the defense from Day 1 is I will expect us to be nasty on the field and gentleman off the field.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak
“We will probably tweak some things and Coach Choate is coming from a program that had the No. 1 defense in the Pac 12 (Washington) and he was with a great group of coaches for the last few years (including former MSU and current UW defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski). He’s coached with some of the best defensive coaches in the country. The guy worked with Will Muschamp (at Florida). I mean, come on. He will have some ideas and some suggestions. I’m sure we will do a lot of the same things as at Montana that we had some success with and I know that in my four years as coordinator, going on fifth, there are things I need to improve on. I’m fired up to keep working on getting better. I’m never satisfied. I’m excited to work with Jeff and work with (new defensive line coach) Byron (Hout) and B.J., who I know you guys just talked with.
“I have got to tell you, something I told you guys when this first happened, one of my first calls was Kane Ioane. Kane and I have been work friends for the last dozen years and now we get a chance to work together. I’m fired up to work with Kane. Like I’ve told a couple of players that have popped into my office — I know most of them are still on break and still coming back — but I’m here to try to get back to playing great defense, which wasn’t that long ago. It really wasn’t. We have multiple Buck Buchanan Award winners on that wall out there. We only had one (Kroy Biermann, 2007) at Montana and he’s a good one who’s still playing (for the Atlanta Falcons). It wasn’t that long ago that these guys were playing great defense and I expect us to get back to that really quickly.”
Jon Maletz, Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Can you talk a little bit more about how this process unfolded and the conversation with Jeff went, what his selling points were, all of that?
Gregorak: “Yeah. We lost if you want to call it a loss to North Dakota State. It was a butt kicking in Fargo. I believe it was about 7 a.m. the next morning we spoke. I initially just sent him a text when I found out. I think it was announced on a Friday or the word got out anyway the way the word can get out in this profession. I think I was in Fargo with the team when I heard he was going to be the coach and I just shot him a text saying congratulations, I’m happy for you. Jeff and I are kind of from the same hood (Gregorak is from Spokane) and he texted me back saying, ‘Thanks, let’s talk soon.’ I said cool and thought whatever.
“Then we went and played the best team in the country, the hopefully soon to be five-time defending champion. And we talked the next morning. He said he was really interested and in his own way offered me a job on that Sunday morning. And then we spoke a little bit more throughout the week. I had some other stuff going actually. I’ve never been one to look at other places. But some other people had reached out to me. It was an interesting week to say the least. And then I shook Jeff’s hand, which was enough for the two of us and gave him my word and that following Monday, I went in and spoke with the Grizzlies.”
Skyline Sports: What was it like putting on that Bobcat pullover for the first time?
Gregorak: “I’ve been working my way into the blue. I started out with white. It’s been a transition. I’ve literally retired all blues for the last dozen years of my life. It’s good, it’s real good. I’m excited to be here. Jeff is awesome in that he’s the type of coach that will tell you that even if it’s nine months or nine years that we work our butts off and do something special with this football team. I have no plans to look elsewhere. I want to work my butt off for the Montana State Bobcats and I want to work my butt off for Jeff Choate. I expect to be wearing this blue for a while until y’all tell me to get out of here.”
Skyline Sports: Your transition here has caused quite a stir around the state. What has that been like? A lot of positive and a lot of vitriol. What has that been like dealing with it?
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak with former UM head coach Mick Delaney
Gregorak: “As Mick Delaney told me, this type of thing happens every year in the SEC where SEC teams are trying to poach coaches. We are not the SEC but I think our fans are as passionate up here in Montana to a certain extend. The problem is I had been there a long time. I’d been at Montana for 12 out of 13 years and really got to coach a lot of fantastic kids and football teams. Three national championship appearances, eight Big Sky Conference championships. We’ve had some good success. Our media people at our department did a deal toward the end of the season and it said my 120th win as an assistant coach. That’s kind of cool when you are 12 years in and I think I got to 123 or something at Montana. It was a great run. I got to coach with a lot of great coaches and I saw a lot of coaches come and go.
“People always ask me and I think people are trying to read between the lines and I think everyone wants to know why. I’m really excited to be on the front end of a staff for the first time in awhile if that makes sense. I was the holdover four times. I worked for four head coaches at Montana, which was awesome. I learned so much from Bobby Hauck, Mick Delaney, Robin Pflugrad and Bob Stitt.
“I will always…I know I said some things to our local media in Missoula about wanting to be the next head coach there and stuff. My heart and passion will be for Montana State but I did love my opportunity and time at Montana. I did. I guess when I was talking to Bill Speltz (of the Missoulian) who was our local guy, I think that I was trying to portray to him what my goals were. I would like to be a head football coach. I respect what Jeff’s done. What Jeff has done hasn’t been easy because he’s had to move his family around the country for the last decade of his life and his kids’ life. I really don’t want that. I do like stability and as I always say to you guys, I didn’t grow up in Montana but I really consider myself a Montana type guy. I love the mountains. I love our big lakes and rivers. I love riding my Harley. I can’t wait to ride my motorcycle on this side of the state. I keep hearing the Red Lodge area and coming through the pass and Yellowstone. Some guys fish and I would rather jump on my motorcycle. Montana is a wonderful and special place to me.
“Shoot Colter, you remember when you interviewed me at Central after I went through a situation down at UNLV. Time heals a lot of things and I’ve got to work myself away from that. But it wasn’t too long ago that I interviewed at Montana Tech and Chuck (Morrell) got the job and Chuck has done a great job. I love football and I hope to coach this game for the rest of my life. I don’t want to do anything else. I don’t know what I would do. I would try to maybe go sell cars or something. But I want to be able to coach football and I hope I’m coaching football in Montana.”
Rob Jesselson, ABC/Fox: Can you talk about what your feelings were for the Bobcats during your time at Montana and now what it’s going to be like being on the other side of things and going up against those guys from Missoula?
Gregorak: “Sure. That’s a really unfair question but a good question (laughs). Bobby Hauck is one of my mentors and he taught me early about growing up in the state and that you are one or the other. There’s no grey. I spent 12 years and was fortunate enough to win nine of the 12 competitions. I’ve been teaching every kid that I could that came to that program to dislike the rival. It’s not just another game. I know I’ve publicly said that. It’s not another game. I will do my best to teach this group of young men what it’s like to play and beat your rival because I can tell you that I remember our losses more than I remember our wins. That’s a fact. It’s not just another game; 2003, 2005, 2012 because I wasn’t there in 2010.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak coaching in Cat-Griz 2015
“As I educated some of our new coaches on the rivalry, 1985, 2015, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2012. And I’m not a media guy. But that’s what I know about these two programs and I’m going to do everything in my power wearing this colors now to get that shift coming back a little bit. The shift has been pretty good over on the West Side. Everything I know about this place though in my four full days here — I got here on Sunday and it’s Thursday — this is a pretty first class place. I’ve been nothing but impressed. I’ve met a lot of people. A lot of people have reached out. Boosters, alums, the administration. Everybody has been awesome from the top down. Meeting the janitors, I’m trying to meet everybody and say hello to everybody I see and everybody has been awesome. This place is doing some good things.
“The two best things in this conference better be in the state of Montana. That’s a fact. It should be between, that last game of the season should be for the conference championship. That’s my opinion. That, going back to your question, is what I’m going to try to teach the young guys on this football team.”
Maletz: What were the issues with this defense from your perspective last year?
Gregorak: “I only got to follow the ‘Cats a couple few times. We’ve been running around with our hair on fire in terms of recruiting, getting everything organized. I think that, I’m getting this underlying theme that I just need to get everybody on the same page, everyone on board with this is the defense, this is how we are going to run it and I’m going to put you in the best situation. But we have to go execute the call too. I will always, always tell you that if we don’t play well, it’s my fault. But the guys on this football team, the guys on this defense need to take some ownership of it too. This is not Ty Gregorak’s defense. This is not Kane Ioane’s defense. This is their defense and they have to take ownership in that. That’s the thing I’m going to try to cultivate here is the brotherhood and the things I know this place had. I watched it. I’m a football fan and I was also the rival. I’m going to try to cultivate a brotherhood and no pointing fingers at each other. It’s not a d-line to secondary thing, it’s a we thing. It’s not an offense, it’s not a defense thing. It’s a brotherhood. And that’s what I’m going to try to cultivate here.
“I’m always going to be a big believer in the front. And I’m always going to be a big believer in the back end. This place has some really, really good linebackers. There’s a lot of linebackers in this program right now. Now I think we just need to give them some help up front and some dudes that can cover just from what I’ve seen so far. Sorry, my answers get a little long.”
Skyline Sports: Aside from the defensive struggles from a year ago, how would you evaluate the overall state of the program?
Gregorak: “We lost a good quarterback over Christmas (Dakota Prukop transferred to Oregon.) And when I say a good quarterback, I walked off the field here (after Montana’s 54-35 win over MSU) toward the end of November and he made me a believer. I didn’t get to coach against him a year ago (Prukop was hurt for MSU’s 34-7 loss in Missoula) and a year ago, we got after them pretty good at Montana. I will always remember the number seven: seven turnovers forced, seven points allowed. I was ticked we gave up seven at the end.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak
“But that kid is a player. I don’t love the rule myself. But if anybody can do it, I think he can do it. I look at the two quarterbacks in Vernon (Adams who transferred to Oregon from Eastern Washington) in different ways. I’m not going to say they are the same but they do have a lot of similarities. We can talk about who can make what throws and who can do what with their legs. They are both leaders and they are both winners. You saw in that bowl game when Vernon went down (Oregon blew a 31-0 lead in a triple-overtime loss to TCU) and they were not the same team. They need a winner and a competitor. That’s what I know of Dakota. I’ve never met the kid. Well, actually at the end of the game, I went up to him and said, ‘You’re a dude. You’re a real dude because we sent some ponies after him and he slipped through some stuff.’ That mid to end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter, I was throwing stuff. I was not happy at all. I probably looked like (former MSU offensive coordinator Tim) Cramsey on the other sideline. Between the two of us, he’s throwing one thing, I’m throwing the other thing. Dakota did a good job. He’s a player, a real player.”
Russ Reed, NBC Montana: How much of an adjustment is it going to be for the defense — the last years at Montana, you’ve had guys like Zack Wagenmann and Tyrone Holmes — not having that guy up front, that pass rusher who gets those sacks, those numbers?
Gregorak: “And maybe we do have that guy here. I think we have some really good football players on this team. It’s just a matter of putting them in the right place and doing some things with them that will help them have more success. Yes, I’ve been fortunate at Montana, there’s no question about it. But you look around the country and let’s talk about both the FCS and the FBS, there’s a lot of good football players out there who help make the coaches better coaches. That running back for Alabama looks like he could play for the Detroit Lions right now. He’s the real deal.
“I think we have some good football players on this football team. Pass rushers are something I believe in. We lose Wagenmann, Tyrone had equal or a better year in my opinion. Tyrone is so physical and such a good kid. I’m not going to say we don’t have that. I know a couple of guys that will be coming off some surgery and some injury stuff. Spring ball, winter condo, those will be just huge for me. I can’t wait to meet these guys and size them up and see them in person.
“A lot of the Montana kids I’ll know just from recruiting battles and stuff. A lot of the out of state kids I won’t know. My man (Trace) Timmer is gone. I got to coach is brother (Ty). I love the Timmers, I love their parents. I’ve been getting a lot of…all my Bobcat friends, because I have Bobcat friends (laughs), they are all a lot friendlier now. Tom Mahlum, who’s an old Bobcat here (tight end on the 1984 national championship team), he wouldn’t let me leave Missoula without hooking up for a quick cold beer and he gave me a brand new Montana State quarterback club deal. He hadn’t even taken off the tags and he said, ‘Here, Gregorak, you have to wear this your first day of work.’ And I wore it my second day of work. I got to go to a Quarterback Club meeting. That was my white. I started out with nothing, then I went to white and I’ve kind of transitioned into blue.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak coaching on the sidelines
“I do believe in being able to rush the passer. We have to find some and we will. It wasn’t that long ago when we had some of the best in the country (in 2012 Buck Buchanan Award winner Caleb Schreibeis and 2013 Buck winner Brad Daly) who could rush the passer as well as anybody. We will find them. Byron (Hout) is a good, young coach. We are still trying to work out the kinks in the coaching staff.
On December 11, Choate announced Gerald Alexander as his new secondary coach. On January 4, FootballScoop.com reported that Alexander would take the same position at Boise State, his alma mater. Alexander is a finalist for the Boise State job but has not officially been hired according to school officials.
“Gerald Alexander kind of threw us through a loop a little bit. I want to find the best fit for the coaching staff and the program and we will see where that goes. But I’ve known Byron a long time. He’s from Coeur d’Alene in my neck of the woods. He’s awesome, everything you want in a coach and a player. He’s going to do a great job with those guys. He’ll be a good, young energetic…I think what you are going to see and you guys are getting to know Jeff is there is going to be a lot of energy. There’s no question about it. These guys know how I do things at practice.
“To me, there’s the meeting room where you teach and the field where you coach. We are going to be both. We are going to teach our butts off in the classroom and we are going to coach our butts off on the field.
“And there is a lot of field space out there. You guys have more practice space than Central Washington!”
Skyline Sports: A little better than the River Bowl in Missoula (laughs)?
Gregorak: “A little better than the River Bowl. Montana is a cool place over there and you will never say me hear a negative thing. I didn’t know how this was going to go or not but I have nothing but positives to say about that place. It’s a fantastic program and like I said, hopefully at the end of this next November, we are fighting for a conference championship.”
Skyline: Have they talked to you about recruiting territories or anything like that? Will you be in the offices or out on the road?
Gregorak: “It’s a little bit up in the air right now especially because the staff isn’t set right now. There’s three, three and a half weeks with a dead week next week. Right now, we kind of have primary recruiters and secondary recruiters and the coordinators will get out to see certain dudes. But no, we haven’t said here’s the map of the country and started putting thumbtacks onto who is where.
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak
“We have a pretty good idea of where we will go. The thing is Jeff is hiring a really good group of guys from different places. The best thing about recruiting if you can be at a place in terms of recruiting where you can go recruit where you are from or the area you know or where you played ball at, as an example of some of the territory I covered at Montana, I grew up in Spokane so I had Washington and North Idaho. I’ve had Boise in my day. My little boy lives in Minneapolis so I got to recruit the Midwest a little bit. I played at CU (Colorado in Boulder) so I had Colorado for years. I think Jeff is going to do that with this staff.
“You have (new wide receivers coach) Matt Miller, who is from Helena and was a baller at Boise State. You have Byron Hout who is from CDA and balled at Boise. Choate hired B.J. and Army (offensive line coach Brian Armstrong) and those guys have such a pulse of this state at so many levels in terms of what level guys can play at and they know everyone. Today, I asked for a high school coach’s number and boom, give it to me, in state that I needed to contact.
“It’s a very diverse staff just getting to know these guys. The three guys he retained, I knew (former defensive line and new tight ends coach) Bo Beck for years. I’ve known Kane for a long time. And Michael Pitre, I’ve been nothing but impressed with that guys. I had to play his backs the last couple of years. And big Jesse popped a couple on the Griz last year. I would like to get the call back. It was my fault. But Jesse (Chad) Newell is a war daddy. I can’t wait to meet that guy. I would love to steal him to our side of the football because he’s a dude. But I would love to steal him.
“Gunnar Brekke, that was an old recruiting battle. (Brekke committed to Montana as a senior before signing with MSU.) He committed to the Griz. I’m just excited to see some of these guys and go shake hands with them and say hey after a couple, few years I haven’t seen them. It’s going to be good.”
Rachac: I talked to Ryan Burke — this is actually for something else I’m working on — but he said he was very close to you at UM. Can you just talk about his situation and sort of the unfortunate way it ended?
Gregorak: “Ryan Burke is everything that is good about Montana and Montana State football. He is a Billings guy who is going to do amazing things. He is going to get into politics. I would be shocked and I’m just saying this right now on January 7 that Ryan Burke will probably be the governor of Montana some day. The kid just has a way about him that he’s smart, loveable and he’s a good athlete. He’s had some concussion stuff and our country and Will Smith had to…thank you, Will.
But there’s been some issues with concussions and some of the old guys in the old days. The best thing is the awareness is there now. But Ryan had some stuff coming out of high school. You start getting multiple concussions and I think the number is five or six for Ryan. I told him, ‘Listen dude, we all know you would come back. You are a tough guy. You are what’s right about your situation.’
MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak
“He’s the kind of guy who can go play for Montana or Montana State when athletically, he probably wouldn’t be the best dude when you have your recruiting board but he’s a guy you want on your field because he gives you all the other stuff. He grew up with the rivalry. I imagine we are going to talk about the rivalry some more in the next year. He knows about the rivalry.
“You can go to California and you can get some great athletes or in this case, Texas and go get great athletes but they don’t know about the rivalry. You want kids that grow up that know Montana State and Montana football and that’s why I love that guy. And he’s such a good kid. And I mean it with all my heart guys when I say the thing I’m the most excited about is to meet the dudes. I really am. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve met the coaches. They are good. We will spend the next 1,000 hours a week. Now I want to meet the kids. Ryan Burke would be a dude I would fight for here if you went back three, four years ago because he’s everything that is right about Montana kids that come to play for the Griz and the ‘Cats.
“I said that backwards. I apologize. The Cats and the Griz. I have to learn that it’s the Cat-Griz game now and not the Griz-Cat. It always sounds, Cat-Griz versus Griz-Cat, you are over there, you say ‘it just sounds funny’ and over here it sounds terrible. It will be good. I’m fired up to be here. I hope you guys get that impression.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
