Montana State was nowhere close to Lewis Kidd’s radar a few months ago. Ty Gregorak flipped sides in one of the fiercest rivalries in college football and lured the towering defensive end to Bozeman with him.
The 6-foot-6, 257-pounder from Minneapolis powerhouse Totino-Grace High School held offers from New Mexico, South Dakota and Montana during his senior year for the perennial Minnesota AAAAA contender. He visited Montana and met Gregorak in person.
[restrict paid=”true”]Gregorak, Montana’s defensive coordinator for the last four years and its linebackers coach for 12 of the last 13, left Missoula to join new Montana State head coach Jeff Choate’s staff last month. Kidd received an offer from Montana State on January 6 and visited the MSU campus the weekend of January 15. He gave his verbal commitment to Choate, Gregorak and the MSU coaching staff before heading back to the Twin Cities.
“Montana State has only been recruiting me for a short time and they’ve only had this coaching staff for a short time,” Kidd said. “This is pretty much all I’ve known about them. Coach Ty Gregorak who came from Montana was actually my recruiter at Montana so when he switched schools, he still continued to recruit me. That’s how I got to know about Montana State. He’s a great coach.”
Kidd made his official visit to Montana on October 24, watching the Grizzlies destroy North Dakota, 42-16. “Great official visit to Montana this weekend!,” Kidd tweeted the next day. “Thanks to all the coaches and staff members who made it great.”
But after visiting Montana State, he knew Bozeman was the place he wanted to spent his college career.
“When I went there, I really loved it and it gave off a really good vibe,” Kidd said. “It seemed like a Midwest town and city. I really loved the players, the people and the coaches and you could tell it was a great staff that Coach Choate has brought together.
“They are tight knit like a family and they have the will to win. I’m really excited to come out there and be a part of that.”
Montana, like South Dakota, wanted Kidd as an offensive tackle. The Bobcats will begin with Kidd at defensive end.
“When I was at Montana, it gave off a different vibe,” Kidd said. “The two, I felt more at home when I was more at Montana State. Being there, it felt like a better fit. I don’t know how to explain it more than it was just what my gut told me.”
“I prefer defense but like I told the coaches, I’m just trying to play as soon as I can for whatever position best helps out the team,” Kidd said.
In two years as a varsity starter, Kidd piled up 105 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, five hurries and two forced fumbles. Totino-Grace is one of Minnesota’s best football programs. The school has claimed 21 conference championships, including one in Kidd’s senior year last fall. The Catholic school also claimed its 21st sectional championship and advanced to its 25th state tournament. The school has claimed eight AAAA state championships and one AAAAA in 2012. The Eagles have two state runner-ups, including in 2014 when Kidd was a junior.
The Eagles lost by a single point in the state title game to perennially powerhouse Eden Prairie High two seasons ago. The Eagles opened the 2015 season with a 38-20 home loss to Eden Prairie, only to rally and earn redemption by eliminating the fellow Eagles in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, something kid called “special, my best memory.”
The private school has produced six Division I players since 2010, including former North Dakota State and current Green Bay Packers running back John Crockett. Crockett’s little brother, Shadeed, was a walk-on receiver at Montana State earlier this decade.
“We have a great high school program that plays at the top level in our state even though we are a small school,” Kidd said. “We are kind of always the underdogs and that helps us work harder, play smarter. Our coaches have really drilled that into our brains over the years, being loyal, being a brotherhood. I think our coaches have definitely prepared me to play.”
MSU linebacker Sam Plucker hosted Kidd during his visit. Plucker, a native of Kimberly, Wisconsin, just finished his redshirt season for the Bobcats.
During his visit, Kidd toured the MSU athletic facilities and checked out campus housing. He received information on the programs pertaining to a career in sports medicine. He had a chance to meet with Gregorak, Choate and new defensive line coach Byron Hout, a Boise State linebacker as recently as 2011.
“He’s great, has a lot of energy and is young, so he recently played,” Kidd said. “I know all the coaches have done what they’ve coached but it’s fresh on his brain. He is a good young guy with a lot of energy. I like that kind of coach.”
Kidd made officials visits to UConn in Storrs, Connecticut and Missoula. He had a visit to New Mexico planned before the Lobos pulled their scholarship offer late. Although Montana State courted him the least of any of his potential suitors, he felt comfortable with the Bobcats right away.
“It’s kind of surreal because it’s kind of all over,” Kidd said. “It’s weird knowing my high school career is pretty much over and I only have a few months left. But it’s also really relieving because the process is a little bit stressful. It’s a game and you have to play everything right. It is a relief and I love knowing I have a school and am ready to go onto the next step.”
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