Kevin Kassis had no idea what Montana might hold and admittedly was somewhat hesitant when the Bobcats first reached out.
In less than a week’s time, Kassis held a scholarship offer from Montana State, made a trip to Bozeman and decided he wanted to become a Bobcat. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound wide receiver from El Dorado Hills, California made his official visit to Montana State the weekend of January 24. He verbally committed to the Bobcat coaching staff before returning home.
[restrict paid=”true”]“I really liked the coaching staff and they were the ones that showed the most interest and seemed like they really wanted me,” Kassis said. “That’s one of the things I was really looking for, a school that really acted like they wanted me and could really see me having an impact on their program.
“Since the coaching staff has changed up, a lot of guys said even in the short time they’ve been there, a lot of things have changed. After a disappointing season — I don’t know what their record was but I think they were close to .500 — but the players said they think they can get back to what it was a couple of years ago and really compete for championships.”
Montana State posted a 5-6 record in 2015, its first losing season since 2001. The result triggered Rob Ash’s firing after nine seasons at the helm. Jeff Choate took over the first week of December, sparking a whirlwind few months to finish up MSU’s 2016 recruiting class.
Kassis is the second wide receiver to verbally commit to Montana State, joining Karl Tucker II of C.M. Russell High in Great Falls. Kassis was part of a group of six prospects who made official visits to MSU last week. The two-star receiver from Northern California power Oak Ridge High loved his visit enough to commit before leaving.
“I really liked it. Coming from California, it definitely exceeded my expectations and really played an influence in my decision,” Kassis said. “I kind of had the impression in Montana of a one-highway town but it was something a little different. It was a lot like where I come from. A lot of little shops in a cool town. It felt like home to me.
“My parents came with me and I think at first, they were a little hesitant having not been to Montana before but once they got up there, they really liked it and they were almost kind of pushing me toward it because of how we felt about it. They loved it right away.”
El Dorado Hills is a town of roughly 42,000 about 22 miles east of Sacramento. The affluent community has one of the highest median household incomes in the country with an average of $115,000.
During the visit, Kassis and the group visited MSU’s athletic facilities and toured campus. Kassis, who is interested in studying marketing, checked out MSU’s new business school and was very impressed. He said academics and the attention MSU paid to that aspect was a factor in his decision. MSU junior wide receiver Mitchell Herbert, a third-team All-Big Sky selection in 2015, served as Kassis’ player host.
Kassis also said the quick relationship he forged with new Montana State wide receivers coach Matt Miller was a key factor in committing.
“I really liked that he’s been pretty up front with me, really cool to me and he played a big influence on why I decided to pick Montana State,” Kassis said. “I can definitely see myself playing for him.”
After touring campus, Kassis and his fellow prospects got a chance to see Bobcat Stadium. The Bobcats averaged more than 19,000 fans in the 17,777-seat venue last fall.
“I thought it was awesome,” Kassis said. “It was kind of interesting and cool to hear how packed those games are. They were saying they overfill. I thought that was something that was really cool. It almost seems like you are on a pro team there since there isn’t really too many local pro teams. That was really cool.”
During his senior year at Oak Ridge, Kassis caught 72 passes for 923 yards and 10 touchdowns, all from Ian Book, one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. Book threw for more than 3,000 yards, rushed for nearly 800 yards and totaled 42 touchdowns. He is committed to Notre Dame.
“It’s prepared me a lot,” Kassis said. “We play in a pretty tough league down here. It’s a tough league with a couple of kids going to some pretty big schools. The competition week in and week out is pretty tough.
“We ran a spread. My junior year, we kind of ran a pro-style offense. With the personnel we had my senior year, we switched it around to a spread look. The slot is what I excel at and what I played all last year.”
Kassis, who has been timed as fast at 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has notched a 33-inch vertical leap, received interest from Boise State, San Jose State, UC Davis, Eastern Washington and West Point. He held an offer from San Diego before committing to MSU.
“It’s honestly a dream come true,” Kassis said. “I’ve been playing football since a young age and I always dreamed to be able to play college football. I’m really excited to get back out to Bozeman and play some football and further my education. I’m really pumped.”
[/restrict]