Instate Recruiting

[HelenaHandBasket]

I would certainly hope they weren’t recruiting him based on how many stars he had.

The problem with Young isn’t that he transferred, it’s that he wasn’t very good.

Here in lies the crapshoot that is recruiting.

 

[BelierPeaux]

Schmidt also makes the point that Bozeman recruits report a similar approach of feeling welcomed and part of a family. Then he says UM takes more of a “lucky to be offered and have a chance to play here” approach. I’m sure he’s oversimplified the sentiment but it’s also fair to question approaches if legacy kids from Missoula are choosing to go east.

This has probably been brought up, but there are certainly a lot of recruits who comment on how the coaches make them feel like family when they commit. So it's weird for them to focus on that when clearly it isn't the case for everyone.

 

[PTGrizzly]

You assume Jones had real interest in Montana. I don't think you should assume that.

I’m sure a kid who grew up in Missoula as a Griz fans and going to the games didn’t want to actually go play for his favorite team growing up. It’s a pretty safe assumption. Doesn’t matter though, what’s done is done.

 

[PTGrizzly]

Here in lies the crapshoot that is recruiting.

To a point. Some are better at evaluating and developing talent than others.

 

[PTGrizzly]

This has probably been brought up, but there are certainly a lot of recruits who comment on how the coaches make them feel like family when they commit. So it's weird for them to focus on that when clearly it isn't the case for everyone.

I yearn for the day when a recruit commits somewhere just to say the coaches treated him like crap.

In all seriousness, there’s just way too many factors and unknowns for us fans to definitively say one thing or another with recruiting. I’m learning I need to step back and just enjoy it, I don’t know enough to be critical.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

I’m sure a kid who grew up in Missoula as a Griz fans and going to the games didn’t want to actually go play for his favorite team growing up. It’s a pretty safe assumption. Doesn’t matter though, what’s done is done.

And I will tell you that there was a near zero chance he was going to Montana no matter what you assume.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

To a point. Some are better at evaluating and developing talent than others.

Or no matter how well you evaluate a kid just doesn't work out. It happens, more times than it doesn't.

 

[Paytonlives]

Seems like every year I have to repeat this.
NO ONE KNOWS FOR 3 YEARS how these in-state classes end up.

1- UM and the kittens recruit differently
2- Needs for each team are different
3- Would you rather have the top 5 (by someone) in-state recruits that don't pan out or 2 Walk-ons that end up as starters?
4- Coaches look at different things, there isn't a magic bullet.
5- Vim does a great job, but he is human and his list is well... his opinion.
6- It takes 3 to 4 years to develop most in-state players, less for out of state that play better competition.
7- A few years ago I looked at this and 75% of the in-state players for both teams did not finish out their senior year. Some transferred, some got hurt, some retired and some just disappeared off the roster.
8- Usually there are only 2 maybe 3 in-state recruits each year that are difference makers.
9- I really don't care where they come from, Once in Missoula they are a Grizzly.

 

[Mavman]

Listen….i hate the Cats as much as the next person but out of the former cat players I mentioned that were big contributors to their best team in program history: Grebe, Mellott, Jones, Ortt, Wehr, Dowler bris., even Brott and Eiden IV….as a Griz fan are you satisfied that we didn’t get any of these Montana guys?. We are the Griz, not Weber State or Northern Colorado. The expectation is that we should get the best in state dudes every year. When did the mentality of making excuses for not getting the job done with in-state recruits become acceptable?

Best team in program history and still could not win the chipper.
Don't forget some of the guys listed above were projects, no one knew what Mellot was capable of and would not have been QB at Montana. Dowler has had a good season however it has taken until his junior year to shine, and they have zero receivers beside him that stand out this year.
Ortt and Wehr hell yeah take them in a minute.
Point is it is not fair to say we lost out on a kid after they have had a successful career none of them were sure fire all Americans coming out of highschool.
From the high line to Hawaii, Frenchtown to Florida I don't care where a kid comes from once a Griz always a Griz

 

[BrownBear9501]

Last year we went 9-5 with an early playoff exit while the cats went 15-1 and made a national championship appearance. This, just one year removed from going to the chipper and seemingly having the momentum in state. What went wrong? Well I would start with all of the Montana guys the cats had on their team last year that played a huge role in the result of their season. We had a chance to get any and all of those guys and we didn’t. Plain and simple. Yeah if an in-state guy isn’t as good as an out of state recruit then you definitely don’t give the scholarship to the in-state guy just because he’s from Montana. But it’s tough to argue that Grebe, or Mellott, or Ortt wouldn’t have been an upgrade for the ‘24 Griz team and helped them not only be better than 9-5 but beat the cats. If we found recruits over them that we signed and thought were better then we really missed the mark recruiting wise.

 

[Counter Assault]

Schmidt also makes the point that Bozeman recruits report a similar approach of feeling welcomed and part of a family. Then he says UM takes more of a “lucky to be offered and have a chance to play here” approach. I’m sure he’s oversimplified the sentiment but it’s also fair to question approaches if legacy kids from Missoula are choosing to go east.

Like is any of this a newsflash? Bobby is arrogant and 2000-and-late. It’s the same exact reason why he treats reporters like trash. This is not rocket science why they e lost the in-state recurring. MSU has won a little more often and welcomes the kids. Bobby and the staff are d*cks and parents don’t like them.

 

[HookedonGriz]

Don’t remember anyone saying that they disagreed with giving Eli Gillman a scholarship. Or that anyone else should have been prioritized over him.

Well, that’s the whole point if you give all these Montana kids scholarships just because they’re a Montana kid your ability to go get an Eli Gilman from out of state is insanely limited. That’s why Bobby tries to get a lot of Montana kids to walk on or give them partial scholarships and that’s exactly why many of them go other places.

 

[HookedonGriz]

Well we can argue about in state vs out of state, but we have one of the highest GPA’s on record for our football players, something we pride ourselves on and report on. 13 straight semesters over 3.0 and continues to climb. That team across the divide doesn’t even report their football team GPA, just makes blanket statements.

When was the last time we had a player in trouble off the field? Le Texier? 5 years ago and the charges were dropped. Never became a prominent player and transferred to Idaho. In that time we’ve seen multiple bobcats arrested for domestic abuse and kicked off the team and found guilty. We’ve seen multiple bobcat assistant coaches arrested in connection with DUI’s and later plead or were found guilty. When was the last Griz football assistant that got in trouble? 2 decades ago?

Schmidt stated that he’s a baiter just like Haley. He’s reaching and though they may be upset this isn’t the glory days of the 2000’s, many aspects of the program are better now than they ever have been.

Everyone is mad about Jones, we had Iverson Young at the time who was our highest rated recruit ever. Maybe if it was an in state kid he wouldn’t have left, but can you imagine had he have stuck it out? We need to find the best player period. Pretending that all of MSDUI’s starters are Montana kids and that we have none is disingenuous. Do they have more, sure. We can be mad about legacy players, wasn’t RO suspended d/t a banned substance?

They’re also mad about Zack Crews. It was his own actions that took away his shot playing here. Remember that. You can be mad that they drug his path to redemption along then didn’t bring him on, but if it weren’t for his part in it, he would be here today. Has it had an effect on recruiting guys at Sentinel, sure. Maybe having higher standards now isn’t the worst thing in the world.

We were in the title game 2 years ago. Something we hadn’t seen in 15 years. We have the best record since that same period of the 08-09 teams to this point in the season. Maybe this isn’t a team equivalent to those, maybe it is. Yet to be determined.

I’ve been critical of BH 2.0 many times, but he’s adjusted more than he ever did in the past. The portal wasn’t a thing back then. You couldn’t just take off if wanted to because you’d gave to sit a year. It’s a whole different world now. He’s learning to recruit it like everyone else. He’s moved on from good friends/assistants like Germer and Rosenbach which none of us thought he would do. He’s continually brought in quality coaches and assistants and analysts d/t his connections and continues to bring in guys you would never expect to come in like Kennedy, Price, Bradford, and Linehan.

Now we get mad about middle runs, but it sure seems like he has taken the handcuffs off of the offense for the most part and we’ve seen much more parity in the play calling.

I’m fine with where Bobby has us as a program and with recruits. Pretending that a Montana kid from 6 hours away is anymore local than a kid from ID or Wa that is 3-4 hours away is dumb. Recruit the best players, put together the best team each year. We will see if having a single window helps our coaches focus their efforts in recruiting without killing themselves as well.

Mic drop post

 

[AZGrizFan]

Well we can argue about in state vs out of state, but we have one of the highest GPA’s on record for our football players, something we pride ourselves on and report on. 13 straight semesters over 3.0 and continues to climb. That team across the divide doesn’t even report their football team GPA, just makes blanket statements.

When was the last time we had a player in trouble off the field? Le Texier? 5 years ago and the charges were dropped. Never became a prominent player and transferred to Idaho. In that time we’ve seen multiple bobcats arrested for domestic abuse and kicked off the team and found guilty. We’ve seen multiple bobcat assistant coaches arrested in connection with DUI’s and later plead or were found guilty. When was the last Griz football assistant that got in trouble? 2 decades ago?

Schmidt stated that he’s a baiter just like Haley. He’s reaching and though they may be upset this isn’t the glory days of the 2000’s, many aspects of the program are better now than they ever have been.

Everyone is mad about Jones, we had Iverson Young at the time who was our highest rated recruit ever. Maybe if it was an in state kid he wouldn’t have left, but can you imagine had he have stuck it out? We need to find the best player period. Pretending that all of MSDUI’s starters are Montana kids and that we have none is disingenuous. Do they have more, sure. We can be mad about legacy players, wasn’t RO suspended d/t a banned substance?

They’re also mad about Zack Crews. It was his own actions that took away his shot playing here. Remember that. You can be mad that they drug his path to redemption along then didn’t bring him on, but if it weren’t for his part in it, he would be here today. Has it had an effect on recruiting guys at Sentinel, sure. Maybe having higher standards now isn’t the worst thing in the world.

We were in the title game 2 years ago. Something we hadn’t seen in 15 years. We have the best record since that same period of the 08-09 teams to this point in the season. Maybe this isn’t a team equivalent to those, maybe it is. Yet to be determined.

I’ve been critical of BH 2.0 many times, but he’s adjusted more than he ever did in the past. The portal wasn’t a thing back then. You couldn’t just take off if wanted to because you’d gave to sit a year. It’s a whole different world now. He’s learning to recruit it like everyone else. He’s moved on from good friends/assistants like Germer and Rosenbach which none of us thought he would do. He’s continually brought in quality coaches and assistants and analysts d/t his connections and continues to bring in guys you would never expect to come in like Kennedy, Price, Bradford, and Linehan.

Now we get mad about middle runs, but it sure seems like he has taken the handcuffs off of the offense for the most part and we’ve seen much more parity in the play calling.

I’m fine with where Bobby has us as a program and with recruits. Pretending that a Montana kid from 6 hours away is anymore local than a kid from ID or Wa that is 3-4 hours away is dumb. Recruit the best players, put together the best team each year. We will see if having a single window helps our coaches focus their efforts in recruiting without killing themselves as well.

And just like that, you’re at “Notch Two”. Congratulations.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

Last year we went 9-5 with an early playoff exit while the cats went 15-1 and made a national championship appearance. This, just one year removed from going to the chipper and seemingly having the momentum in state. What went wrong? Well I would start with all of the Montana guys the cats had on their team last year that played a huge role in the result of their season. We had a chance to get any and all of those guys and we didn’t. Plain and simple. Yeah if an in-state guy isn’t as good as an out of state recruit then you definitely don’t give the scholarship to the in-state guy just because he’s from Montana. But it’s tough to argue that Grebe, or Mellott, or Ortt wouldn’t have been an upgrade for the ‘24 Griz team and helped them not only be better than 9-5 but beat the cats. If we found recruits over them that we signed and thought were better then we really missed the mark recruiting wise.

Do you think the earth is flat too?

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

And just like that, you’re at “Notch Two”. Congratulations.

I can hear the heavy breathing.

 

[HookedonGriz]

First or second team all conference players from montana since 2018

2018
Montana State -
Troy Andersen - Dillon
Mitch Brott - Billings
Tucker Yates - Colstrip

Montana
Jace Lewis, Townsend
Jesse Sims - Stevensville

2019
MSU
Mitch Brott
Troy Andersen
Josh Hill - Glacier
Brayden Konkol - Belgrade
Derek Marks - Belgrade
Chase Benson - Helena

UM
Jace Lewis
Jesse Sims
Josh Sandry - Big Fork

2021
MSU
Lance McCutcheon - Bozeman
Chase Benson
Callahan O’Reilly - Bozeman

UM
Patrick O’Connell - Kalispell
Brian Buschini, P - Helena
Trevin Gradney, Billings -
Jace Lewis

2022
MSU
Brody Grebe - Melstone
Tommy Mellott - Butte

UM
O’Connell

2023
MSU
Treyton Pickering - Sunburst
Marcus Wehr - Billings
Brody Grebe
Nolan Askelson- Billings
Tommy Mellott

UM
Junior Bergen - Billings
Braxton Hill - Montana
Trevin Gradney
Levi Janacaro - Missoula

2024
MSU
Tommy Mellott
Brody Grebe
Marcus Wehr
McCade O’Reilly
Rylan Ortt
Adam Jones
Taco Dowler
Paul Brott
Kenneth Eiden

UM
Junior Bergen
Ryan Tirrell

So prior to last year (which seems to be the only outlier) that’s 19 Cats to 14 Griz. Last year is the only year where that was some big separation.

 

[Spanky2]

Well. I’m the first to admit that I don’t look at the world through rose colored glasses. I’ve been here for a long time though, and that’s not changed. Again, if you don’t like what I say, skip over it or mute me. Its not going to hurt my feelings and we can stop wasting our time rehashing this

I think the recruiting is excellent this year. In past years, we signed far too many kids from Montana.

 

[hm.grwn.grizfan]

I think the recruiting is excellent this year. In past years, we signed far too many kids from Montana.

I can’t say I disagree. It looks like the staff Igor on their transfers this season

 

[Buttegrizzle]

We should have recruited a local running back Montana kid and coached him up instead of recruiting Eli Gilman out of Minnesota.

That's how ridiculous of a statement that is. I don't care if we recruit in state more than the Cats. I care about getting good players, and if a kid is from out of state, he is now a "Montanan".

There's a reason why we don't put the state kids are from on the front of their jersey. It says "Montana", not "Hawaii".

The number of all-conference players the Cats have procured from in-state the past few years says you’re very wrong. Of course the state is not going to produce enough D1 talent to fill UMs needs on a given year, but to ignore the talent the Cats have snagged and developed in the past 4-5 years is telling. We are wiffing - whether that is a product of lazy recruiting or reflects what the university itself offers I don’t know.