Gabe Sulser’s star has shone as brightly as any Treasure State prospect in recent memory. The explosive Billings Senior product has turned heads since his sophomore season with explosive highlights that make those watching forget his slight size.
Sulser, a Class AA first-team All-State selection at wide receiver and cornerback during Senior’s first run to a state title since 1978 last fall, has received interest from across the West. Montana State and Montana were the first to offer the state’s top prospect. Idaho, a former and future Big Sky Conference member, followed shortly after. When MSU offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham took the same position at North Dakota State, the Bison quickly put their name in the mix.
As of the beginning of July, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Sulser also held a scholarship offer from Hawaii and North Dakota and preferred walk-on spots from Washington and Colorado. But Sulser could not ignore his childhood dream.
The No. 1 recruit in the never-ending battle between the Bobcats and the Grizzlies wants to concentrate on his senior season. Capping his career with a third straight Class AA title game appearance and a second straight title could solidify him among the Treasure State prep greats. The Pac 12 is alluring but Sulser has always wanted to be a Griz.
[restrict paid=”true”]“To be honest, there’s no real reason why for today except I thought it was time to pull the trigger on Montana,” Sulser told Skyline Sports on July 13. “It’s always a place I’ve really liked and really felt comfortable with. It just felt right. I thought I would put an end to this recruiting stuff. I thought it would be good to put it aside and focus on this senior season.”
The explosive, lightning-fast wide receiver and slot back is also dangerous in the return games. Some think Sulser could play defensive back at the FCS level as well after he earned firs-team all-state honors at cornerback. Last fall, the blur of quickness caught 81 passes for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns while also scoring seven rushing touchdowns and returning three more for scores.
Sulser’s sister, Morgan Sulser, is a standout hurdler for the UM track team. Gabe also thrives on the track. He won the Class AA title in the 110-hurdles as a sophomore and placed third in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles at last spring’s Class AA meet.
Mark Sulser was a star at Glasgow before playing football for Montana in the 1980s. He also served as Billings Senior’s head football coach for 14 seasons, stepping down in 2012.
“My dad didn’t pressure me at all,” Sulser said. “He was honestly really good about it. He just let me decide and supported me either way. But I think my family and especially my dad are really happy, too.”
“It’s a relief and I enjoyed the recruiting process. All the schools made me feel wanted and treated me right so it was a tough decision. But I couldn’t be more confident in the decision I made. I’m ready to be a Griz.”
Gabe Sulser attended Montana’s Junior Day in the spring. A few months later, he came back to the Garden City for UM’s individual camp. He has spent time in Missoula in the past for prep football and track as well as to watch his sister compete. The more time he spends, the more Sulser enjoys the western Montana environment.
“I love that town,” Sulser said. “I really like the mountains. The rivers are close by. That stuff is super intriguing for me. I love to fish. I’ve been there a lot growing up, been to Griz games, growing up a Grizzly. It was a dream of mine when I was little to play for the Griz. I’ve always loved Missoula and I’ve always loved the Griz.”
A pair of former star Griz from in state helped recruit Sulser to the program. Shann Schillinger, a former All-Big Sky safety who was selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, is now Montana’s secondary coach and primary recruiter in eastern Montana.
Montana wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter was an All-Big Sky wideout himself, helping the Griz to four straight Big Sky titles culminating in an appearance in the 2008 national championship game his senior year. Ferriter will be Sulser’s primary position coach and played a strong hand in garnering his commitment.
“They are both great guys,” Sulser said. “As far as a scheme standpoint, they want me to play wide receiver and come in as a slot. That offense is super intriguing as a wide receiver. They throw it a lot. It’s super exciting to play in.
“As far as recruiting, (Schillinger and Ferriter) are really great guys, really great recruiters and they made it easy.”
In head coach Bob Stitt’s second season at the helm, Montana threw the football more than any team in the Big Sky save co-league champion Eastern Washington. EWU managed more passing attempts overall because of a run to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs, but both teams actually ended up throwing the ball about 45 times per game.
Montana averaged 326.5 yards per game through the air behind senior signal caller Brady Gustafson. Jerry Louie-McGee, the shifty inside receiver who burst onto the scene with a breakout redshirt freshman season, was Gustafson’s favorite target when healthy. Louie-McGee caught 73 passes for 651 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Sulser is sure to be compared to Louie-McGee in upcoming years because of stature (McGee is 5-9, 170 pounds) and electric play-making ability.
“They want me at the same position and that was really cool to hear because Jerry has been super productive and super dynamic as a player,” Sulser said. “It was easy to picture myself in that offense.”
Another key factor to Sulser choosing Montana is his close relationship with Griz signee Nathan Dick, the 2016 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year as Senior’s quarterback. Dick signed with UM in February and will be one of half a dozen quarterbacks in fall camp opening in August.
“Nate is super talented and we really connect well,” Sulser said. “We’ve spent so much time playing together. Even before high school, we played together. We’ve won a lot of games. The seasons we’ve had in the past have been super fun and it’s crazy how fast it goes. I’m really looking forward to this last season, take it slow and really enjoy every bit of it because it will be over before I know it. There’s not a whole lot of opportunities left to play in the orange and black so I’m looking forward to it even though I’m looking forward to playing with Nate again.”
Between 1993 and 2009, Montana’s program had no peer in the FCS. The Grizzlies advanced to the FCS playoffs a record 17 straight seasons and UM won 12 straight Big Sky titles, another D-I record. Although Montana has been to the playoffs four times this decade, UM has not won an official Big Sky title since Bobby Hauck left following the 2009 season.
Sulser has followed and cheered for the Griz for most of his life. He would love nothing more than to help Montana ascend back to the top of the Big Sky once again.
“I really think Coach Stitt is doing a great job getting the right guys,” Sulser said. “They had a great season beating NDSU that first year there. They really had to rebuild last year, lost a lot of talent. But I think they have done a super good job of recruiting the last three classes. They have been super talented and they are all really good guys. Hopefully this class can finish out strong and I think we could have something special starting to build.
“We have the facilities in place, the guys in place. I think we really have a shot to get rolling. I think it’s only a matter of time before the Griz are back on top.”
[/restrict]Photos by Travis Clarke or attributed. All Rights Reserved.
