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Hot Take - Lose/Lose Situation

get'em_griz said:
We shouldn't be knocking BK being the 2nd pick. After all, MSU found their unicorn with pick #6.
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Very fair point - I would be extremely happy if it turned out that way! But we're also comparing apples to oranges. BK was second pick on staff. BV was 6th, in a significantly larger pool.

Again, I'd be very happy if BK is successful. He seems to be charismatic and energetic. A players coach. However, the standard is the standard (win championships).
 
JeepinMT said:
In listening to Colter's Podcast, I believe Kent mentioned that he talked to Pease first. While he didn't explicitly say it, this implies that Pease was likely the #1 choice on staff, and BK was likely #2. BK was a position coach, with a hell of a resume. No doubt. But he was likely the second choice on staff. A program like MT can and will draw more qualified candidates.
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Not necessarily. A conversation with Pease was a show of respect for the longest tenured assistant. His importance to the record-setting Griz offense and the continued development of QB Ah Yat was a very high priority for him and for Griz program. They needed to ensure he was good with the BK choice and that his role would be largely. unchanged. BK has a better HC personality than Pease.

The evolving offensive strength of the Griz program does not deserve your blanket program negativity. Montana was a top 3 program in the nation, 13 wins and semi appearance with leading offensive numbers. Your claim of total dominance by MSU is flawed by the two total beatdowns in Missoula in '21 and '23. The '25 loss in Missoula was not a domination in any way. Everyone recognizes that game could have gone either way and was decided by a deflected pass pick 6. Even in the Bozeman game Montana was ahead in the third quarter before being dominated in 4Q.

You are the classic Chicken Little.
 
JeepinMT said:
A college football coach who refused to leverage social media in 2025 is considered evolving with the changing landscape? He was hit and miss in the portal (as are most coaches). How would you say he faired with in-state recruiting?

Please explain how the MSU football program has not surpassed UM in every way? They're dominating in-state recruiting, the rivalry, and are reigning national champs. That's just football. Doesn't even take into consideration enrollment, etc.

#3 in the country, with two losses to your rival, in a diluted FCS playoff pool.

We preach that the expectation is championships. Bobby won exactly one Big Sky Title in his second stint. One. By definition, that is falling short of expectations.
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The whole dept did social media. Prove your assertion that Hauck didn’t and prove how he needed to. Adapting to changing times is much more than social media.

You made the in-state recruiting statement. Not me. You prove your statement. Don’t use stats from Cats. You don’t know who Griz wanted and didn’t. And what I said was Hauck was terrific in Portal in recents years and that offset any in/state disadvantage The Cats got little in Portal, except nice qb’s. Griz have done very well. Portal has not been hit and miss. Mainly hit. Apparently terrific this year.

Don’t think you said football program in your initial post. Not in every way. Not portal, not all-conference players in 2025. Not conf mvp and first team qb. Not attendance. Not season tickets. Not quality of stadium. Not stadium and game day atmosphere. Not in revenue from football. Not grades and graduation rate. Not in lack of off-field problems by players and coaches. Not in fan behavior. My god, what planet are you from.

No. 3 in nation with losses only to national champ is terrific. The top of FCS is very good and not diluted.

No. 2 and no. 3 in nation in 3 years offsets conf championships, in my view. My goals are deep playoff runs and high national rankings.

You have a narrative and are biased. Saying Cats have surpassed Griz in “every respect” is just plain stupid.
 
kemajic said:
Not necessarily. A conversation with Pease was a show of respect for the longest tenured assistant. His importance to the record-setting Griz offense and the continued development of QB Ah Yat was a very high priority for him and for Griz program. They needed to ensure he was good with the BK choice and that his role would be largely. unchanged. BK has a better HC personality than Pease.

The evolving offensive strength of the Griz program does not deserve your blanket program negativity. Montana was a top 3 program in the nation, 13 wins and semi appearance with leading offensive numbers. Your claim of total dominance by MSU is flawed by the two total beatdowns in Missoula in '21 and '23. The '25 loss in Missoula was not a domination in any way. Everyone recognizes that game could have gone either way and was decided by a deflected pass pick 6. Even in the Bozeman game Montana was ahead in the third quarter before being dominated in 4Q.

You are the classic Chicken Little.
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A supposed first time poster thinks he has a “hot take”? That’s pretty funny.
 
mthoopsfan said:
The whole dept did social media. Prove your assertion that Hauck didn’t and prove how he needed to. Adapting to changing times is much more than social media.

You made the in-state recruiting statement. Not me. You prove your statement. Don’t use stats from Cats. You don’t know who Griz wanted and didn’t. And what I said was Hauck was terrific in Portal in recents years and that offset any in/state disadvantage The Cats got little in Portal, except nice qb’s. Griz have done very well. Portal has not been hit and miss. Mainly hit. Apparently terrific this year.

Don’t think you said football program in your initial post. Not in every way. Not portal, not all-conference players in 2025. Not conf mvp and first team qb. Not attendance. Not season tickets. Not quality of stadium. Not stadium and game day atmosphere. Not in revenue from football. Not grades and graduation rate. Not in lack of off-field problems by players and coaches. Not in fan behavior. My god, what planet are you from.

No. 3 in nation with losses only to national champ is terrific. The top of FCS is very good and not diluted.

No. 2 and no. 3 in nation in 3 years offsets conf championships, in my view. My goals are deep playoff runs and high national rankings.

You have a narrative and are biased. Saying Cats have surpassed Griz in “every respect” is just plain stupid.
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As far as social media Bobby Hauck doesn’t have Instagram. BK in comparison has been posting about the program on his IG story every day since being named head coach. Bob Stitt’s pretty active promoting the CO Mines program on IG as well.
 
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EverettGriz said:
Why give Kennedy the "interim" tag? It's extremely difficult to recruit with that title. But as we all know, in either event, he's on a one year contract, so by definition he's an interim coach. If he succeeds, he'll be back. If not, we'll conduct a search. Who cares if his title says "interim"? That just makes it tougher to recruit.

It was too late in the year to conduct a proper search, and we'd most certainly have lost players. Kent handled the situation just fine.
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Not disagreeing with your comments about the right path by Kent, but I'm curious how he could be hired BK as the "official" head coach without following a University or State of Montana hiring process.
 
My take on a lot of the chatter on eGriz is as follows:
Does eGriz need a reset: No, We have a passionate fan base that wants to see the team/program succeed and evolve with the goal of winning a National Championship. This is a fan board/forum and people can have different views and opinions.

Hauck is no longer the Head Coach: Regardless of opinions on how he left none of that really matters anymore with regards to Griz football. There were people that loved him and others who didn’t. He is no longer the coach. One thing that our neighbors have done that I like is that they got behind Vigen. I am not trying to state that everyone loves, or at least loved him before he won a National Championship, but I did not hear much from the fans being pro or anti against him.
I think all Griz fans should look in the mirror and at each other and come to terms that we all need to support the team moving forward. I am not suggesting that we have to all agree on every single aspect, but we all should be proud and supportive of the team moving forward.

Coaches and players will continue to come and go: The landscape of college athletics, especially Universities like Montana, that are not at the top of the hierarchy, will see turnover every single year. Support all the players and coaches that choose to play and coach for Montana, regardless of how long they represent the Griz.

What determines a successful season for Griz football: I went back and looked at posts from about February of 2025 through the end of spring practices. After the 2024 season many thought that the Griz would have a regular season record of 8-4 or 9-3. Everyone knew that the Griz would have 8 home games, yet there were few predictions of a 10-2 season and a could not find any of an 11-1 season or better prediction.

With our neighbors winning the National Championship I realize that myself and Griz Nation want to see the Griz hoist another championship trophy and that is the ultimate.

My question to all fans of Griz Nation is what do you think/expect/believe will or needs to happen in order to consider the 2026 team to meet or exceed expectations.

It could be a combination of many things/
Big Sky Champions
Semifinal appearance
National Championship appearance
National Champions

I know that whatever happens on the field I will be supporting the Griz.

I hope that they win a National Championship (either this year or very soon as an 80 year old man) I am not sure how many more years I will be alive to see the Griz hoist the Championship trophy.

There are probably flaws and errors in my post. I didn’t get into the X’s and O’s here because it is not necessary. I do understand the game and use to know more than I do now.

I also used paragraphs and sentences, unlike others. My grammar may not be perfect, but when you all turn 80 you will understand that typing is not as easy as it used to be.

Lastly, I want to thank the people that suggested to me to use DuckDuckGo browser. I don’t have to deal with all the ads that made it difficult for this old guy to read and post on eGriz.
 
JeepinMT said:
I'm a long-time lurker, first time poster. Warning - hot take incoming!

It was time for BH to go! While he stabilized the program in the 2.0 era, he failed to evolve and adapt with the everchanging landscape of college football. Just one fan's opinion here, but it all started to go downhill with the #37 fiasco, and apparent nepotism. I'll be the first to admit that BH has forgot more about football than I'll ever know, but there were many failures in the 2.0 era. Perhaps none bigger than in-state recruiting, and the inability to navigate away from the vaunted 3-3-5. Ever since I was a kid, MT has been Linebacker U. What happened?

I see other threads about the timeline, and whether or not he had the new job lined up beforehand. Truth be told, I don't really care about him taking another job, but it sure seems that he couldn't have picked a worse time. The timing ensured an internal promotion for someone on staff (i.e., one of his buddies gets a shot). Doesn't Griz Nation deserve a true National Search?

Here's the Hot Take - the AD should've had a better contingency plan in place. BK should've been given the "Interim" Tag. The AD appears to be hedging bets/kicking the can down the road. The program has underperformed under the AD's leadership, and the neighbors have surpassed us in every way. I hope BK dominates this season, but we all know that's incredibly unlikely. What's more likely is MT has a decent season and wins a playoff game. Then BK earns an extension, if morale in the program is high. And guess what? The program is instantly back where it was at the end of 2025...

This entire situation is lose/lose.
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Solid take thanks for sharing. I agree that UM does not have a visionary when it comes to the AD and it’s hurting the program. I am all ears if somebody wants to share Haslam’s greatest accomplishments. For that matter what was Bodner’s? I’d like to know what Haslam thinks success looks like for UM athletics three to five years from now.
 
701Grizfan said:
Solid take thanks for sharing. I agree that UM does not have a visionary when it comes to the AD and it’s hurting the program. I am all ears if somebody wants to share Haslam’s greatest accomplishments. For that matter what was Bodner’s? I’d like to know what Haslam thinks success looks like for UM athletics three to five years from now.
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Quick search for Haslam's positives. I have been in and expressed concerns to him so I am not an all in supporter or an all in critic.

Key Accomplishments & Milestones​


  • Washington-Grizzly Champions Center: Haslam secured the largest private gift in the department's history to fund this $14 million facility. It serves as a cornerstone for student-athlete development, featuring a massive weight room, nutrition center, and academic spaces.




  • Academic Excellence: Under his leadership, Montana’s 300+ student-athletes have maintained a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA every single semester.




  • Championship Success:
    • Football: Oversaw the return of the Griz to national prominence, including the 2023 Big Sky Championship (the program's first since 2009) and a run to the FCS National Championship game.
    • All-Sports: Since 2012, the Grizzlies have captured conference titles in men’s and women’s basketball, football, soccer, softball, and tennis.
      .
    • NCAA Leadership: Haslam served a six-year term on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee (2018–2024), eventually serving as the Chair during his final year.
    • Modernizing Revenue: In 2025, he led the department through the transition of the "House Settlement," opting into revenue-sharing models with student-athletes and restructuring the department to maximize efficiency and new revenue streams.
    • Facility Revitalization: Beyond the Champions Center, he has spearheaded recent renovations for the Lady Griz locker rooms and the women’s volleyball facilities (completed in 2025–2026).
 
I can't imagine many jobs in the NIL, transfer portal and social media driven world that would be less enjoyable that an Athletic Director at any university. They are trying to manage the chaos that they have little control over. Unreal expectations from fans and aumni who have no idea over budget constraints, NCAA rules etc. I am not here to defend Haslam but what a completely thankless job.
 
701Grizfan said:
Solid take thanks for sharing. I agree that UM does not have a visionary when it comes to the AD and it’s hurting the program. I am all ears if somebody wants to share Haslam’s greatest accomplishments. For that matter what was Bodner’s? I’d like to know what Haslam thinks success looks like for UM athletics three to five years from now.
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Ask him. He'll be happy to take the time to describe his vision for you.
 
Triwest said:
Exactly. Go talk with him. Better face to face.
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No AD is perfect, and Kent is no exception. But two things I truly respect from him are: (1) he truly has a vision (both short and long term) for UM athletics, and (2) he'll answer any questions you have if you simply ask them.

I loved O'Day as a friend, but honestly I don't think he thought longterm about UM athletics and where we needed to be 15, 20, 30 years down the line. And if you were not in his inner circle, it was tough to get much information from him. Kent is the opposite.
 
Triwest said:
Quick search for Haslam's positives. I have been in and expressed concerns to him so I am not an all in supporter or an all in critic.

Key Accomplishments & Milestones​


  • Washington-Grizzly Champions Center: Haslam secured the largest private gift in the department's history to fund this $14 million facility. It serves as a cornerstone for student-athlete development, featuring a massive weight room, nutrition center, and academic spaces.




  • Academic Excellence: Under his leadership, Montana’s 300+ student-athletes have maintained a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA every single semester.




  • Championship Success:
    • Football: Oversaw the return of the Griz to national prominence, including the 2023 Big Sky Championship (the program's first since 2009) and a run to the FCS National Championship game.
    • All-Sports: Since 2012, the Grizzlies have captured conference titles in men’s and women’s basketball, football, soccer, softball, and tennis.
      .
    • NCAA Leadership: Haslam served a six-year term on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee (2018–2024), eventually serving as the Chair during his final year.
    • Modernizing Revenue: In 2025, he led the department through the transition of the "House Settlement," opting into revenue-sharing models with student-athletes and restructuring the department to maximize efficiency and new revenue streams.
    • Facility Revitalization: Beyond the Champions Center, he has spearheaded recent renovations for the Lady Griz locker rooms and the women’s volleyball facilities (completed in 2025–2026).
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This while working in a financially strapped University. Kent has kept the AD moving forward under very difficult situations.
 
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