Rush Reimer first fell in love with Southwest Montana during a spring break road trip about a year ago.
Once the standout offensive lineman from Camas High in Western Washington figured out his family’s love of kite boarding, his acumen in mathematics and his 6-foot-6, 295-pound frame could all be put to good use at Montana State, Reimer knew he wanted to play football for Jeff Choate’s Bobcats.
“I just loved it there. The state of Montana has always been a place I wanted to be,” Reimer said in an interview in February. “The coaching, the lifestyle, the school, the campus, the town, it spoke to me.
“My family is super outdoorsy and my family is totally into kite boarding. I don’t know if they ever thought they were going to be a football player but they love the idea of free college. But it’s like a package deal for them. It’s such a great place, town and football program and there’s even kite boarding down there so they love it.”
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During his senior year in high school, Reimer helped the Papermakers roll to 14 consecutive wins, including a 35-14 victory over Bothell in the Washington Class 4A state championship game. Reimer was a two-time first-team all-conference pick and a first-team all-state selection as a senior in 2019.
Rush Reimer highlights
Reimer’s standout junior year first earned him a 3-star recruiting ranking. In April of last year, Reimer and a teammate embarked on a spring break road trip to check out campuses across the Rocky Mountain West. They made stops at Eastern Washington, Idaho and Idaho State, Montana and Montana State, Utah State and Weber State.
In Bozeman, Reimer was struck by the continuity of Choate and his staff as the head coach prepares for his fifth season at Montana State. That combined with MSU’s top-notch engineering school (“Math is my strong suit,” he said), the fact the Gallatin Valley is an outdoor mecca and the upward trajectory of the football program sold Reimer on moving to Bozeman.
“The coaches are all great,” Reimer said. “They are all phenomenal. A lot of places I’ve been to, there’s coaches you like and some you just wouldn’t talk to because you are not their position. Everyone there is super helpful and really nice, great coaches.”
That impression lasted for Reimer as his recruitment picked up. In February of 2019, Reimer took a visit to Berkley, California to visit the Bears. Cal assistant Peter Sirmon, the uncle of former University of Montana offensive lineman Cy Sirmon (a 2019 senior), set up the tour of campus.
Reimer also visited Oregon State in early March of last season. Both schools stayed interested and picked up recruiting leading up to the opening of the early signing period on December 18 of last year. But neither one came forward with a solid scholarship offer.
On the spring break road trip, Reimer visited Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State, Idaho State, Utah State and Weber State. Following that tour, the offers started pouring in. Northern Colorado was first, followed by Idaho, Eastern Washington and Montana State. In the mean time, he went on another visit to Oregon State in early June, this time to attend a camp.
On July 17, Reimer announced his verbal commitment to Montana State. And he stuck with that commitment for six months and a day before signing with MSU.
“He got some sway here and there from some different folks, stayed the course and was true to his commitment to us,” Choate said in December. “Great family and Rush will be very involved in our campus community. Another high academic kid.
“Some guys are going to play earlier than others and this guy might be one of them. He’s a tough, physical guy who loves to run block, will embrace the pass blocking game and is a good athlete.”
Reimer signed with Montana State before making his official visit. He made his official visit to campus in late January, and he served as a recruiter himself as an already signed prospect — “I think I also pressured some other kid who were there who didn’t sign to sign,” he said. “I think we are all going to be good friends.”
MSU director of high school operations B.J. Robertson, who also serves as Montana State’s special teams coordinator, was the first Bobcat coach to make contact with Reimer and his primary recruiter. Robertson also helped the Bobcats lure punter Bryce Leighton from Camas to Bozeman. Leighton earned a national ranking as the No. 2 punter in the country after getting invited to the Under Armor All-American game following the Papermakers’ state title run.
During his official visit, Reimer remembers meeting Connor Wood, MSU’s all-league right tackle who will enter his third year as a starter as a junior in 2020. Wood is MSU’s incumbent at right tackle, although he might shift from right to left tackle as an upper classman, much like Dylan Mahoney and Mitch Brott did before him. Either way, Reimer comes to Montana State as a tackle with most of his experience playing on the right side.
“MSU’s offense is a run-first offense and I love doing that as a right tackle,” Reimer said. “But what I will have to adapt to is their pulling. They have that weird shimmy step but it seems to work.”
Reimer, who doesn’t know if he wants to pursue civil or construction engineering, has lost a little bit of weight this winter, but completely unintentionally. He said he “lost 10 or 15 pounds” after battling food poisoning. But he said he was back up around 280 by mid-February.
This winter, he also suffered his first significant athletic injury. He tried out cheerleading this winter so he can engage with the Camas student body while working on his strength and supporting fellow Papermaker athletes.
“You are just lifting girls up in the air and having fun,” Reimer said. “It’s also hard, too. I’ve never really gotten hurt playing football or anything but I got a concussion. Some girl came down and TKO’d me. Came down with her elbow. I’m fine, though (laughs).)
Reimer was one of 23 new Bobcats who signed in December and one of 32 overall following the second signing day the first Wednesday in February. He is one of four offensive linemen, a testament to Choate’s continued dedication recruiting plenty of bodies to his fronts.
So far, Reimer has lived a charmed football life. During his time playing for revered head coach Jon Eagle, Camas has worked its way to plenty of victories.
The last two seasons, Montana State has followed one of the best offensive lines in the Big Sky Conference to a total of 19 victories, including three total wins in the FCS Playoffs and a berth in the semifinals last season. Now Reimer gets a chance to join that offensive front at a school he feels is the perfect fit all the way around.
“I’ve been playing football my entire life and it’s finally paying off,” Reimer said. “It’s a lot of good feelings coming to my head. I just get the tingles. I’m stoked.”
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Photos contributed by Reimer family. All Rights Reserved.
