Cole Sain might have ended up a Grizzly whether he grew up in his rural Montana hometown or prepped at one of the nation’s top high school football programs.
But work the Darby native put in at St. John Bosco Prep in Bellflower, California as a senior helped turn him into a coveted mid-major offensive line prospect.
Sain lived in Darby until he was nine years before his family moved to Riverside. Sain remembers going to Montana football games in Missoula an hour from home. He has always had UM on his mind when it comes to a college choice.
After spending the first three years of his high school career at Riverside King, Sain attended a camp at St. John Bosco. He instantly fell in love with the competition. He said he was “looking to go somewhere where I could grow more as a player and play at a higher level so I could get better and get myself prepared for the next level.”
He found it at the nationally ranked Trinity League powerhouse. Bosco had 28 players on its roster last season with Division I offers. Four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey is going to Florida State. Four-star safety Stephan Blaylock is headed to UCLA, where Bosco alum Josh Rosen, the potential No. 1 pick in last season’s NFL Draft, started for three years. The powerhouse also has players headed to Iowa State, Arizona State, Washington State, Northwestern and now Montana.
“When we went out to Washington D.C. and played against St. John’s, I played against a Virginia Tech commit,” Sain said. “When we played in Florida, I played against a 6-foot-5, 375 pounds (Dejmi Dumervil Jean – Louisville). And then the Trinity league. I’ve played some of the top guys in the country this year and it’s prepared me for sure.”
Sain’s development in his one year as a starting guard helped him earn a 3-star rating and offers from Air Force, Portland State, Northern Colorado, Holy Cross, Howard, Dixie State, Azusa Pacific and the Griz. He also has a preferred walk-on offer at Washington and USC. Sain committed to Montana on Thursday, giving himself an opportunity to return to his roots.
“Ever since I was a little kid, that was the first college football game I’ve gone to growing up, the first football team I knew about,” Sain said. “I used to always go to the Griz games back when Coach Hauck was coaching his first time around. I grew up going to the stadium so they have always been on my radar. I’ve always had interest in them. I’ve imagined myself one day playing for them.”
“It’s definitely meant to be. That’s good. It leaves me with no doubt.”
The 6-foot-4, 286-pound interior offensive lineman helped the Braves to a 14-3 record that included a loss to Trinity League rival Mater Dei in the California Division I state championship game. Former Montana cornerbacks’ coach J.B. Hall came to a St. John Bosco spring practices last spring.
Former UM head coach Bob Stitt, who was not renewed after the season but landed at Oklahoma State as an offensive analyst for head coach Mike Gundy, offered Sain a scholarship on June 12.
Sain made his official visit to to Missoula in October to watch UM’s 41-17 homecoming win over North Dakota. He loved the atmosphere at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and the proximity to his dad’s side of the family, most of who live in Western Montana.
Stitt was fired two days after UM’s 31-23 loss to rival Montana State. Portland State offered Sain the next day. Northern Colorado offered on January 11. Holy Cross offered earlier this week, while UM’s Big Sky rivals Cal Poly and UC Davis also tried to get into the mix with Sain. But after an in-home visit from Hauck, hired for the second time at UM on Dec. 1, and recruiting coordinator Justin Green, Sain gave his promise to sign on February 7 to Hauck.
“I am kind of open and I wanted to meet Hauck but I grew up watching him and I remember they were killing it so I knew he would be awesome,” Sain said. “A lot of my family knows most of what’s going on and the were excited so I knew (Hauck) would be a good thing for this program.
“And then the next step is to see how I like him. When he stopped by the school yesterday, we had a great talk. He’s a great guy. That was the deal closer.”
Sain plans on majoring in business with an emphasis in computer science. Despite seeing Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly walking the halls at St. John Bosco in recent weeks, Sain is thrilled to be a Griz.
“It’s everything,” Sain said. “It was enjoyable to be recruited but sometimes stressful so it’s nice to get that out of the way. Now it’s about continuing my off-season training and going in ready to play college football.
“It’s definitely cool and I’m excited to be a Griz.”
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