With word that Montana starting quarterback Jordan Johnson has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with rape, it makes sense that Griz coach Mick Delaney pursue another prospect to go with the three on his active roster.
More than one blog site has mentioned Stanford freshman Dallas Lloyd as a potential transfer. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound signal caller from Utah has spend the better part of the last two years on an LDS mission in Chile.
Delaney declined to comment on Lloyd when asked Wednesday. Calls to Lloyd’s parents and to the Stanford athletic dept. went unreturned.
Dale Sampson, Lloyd’s high school coach at Pleasant Grove, Utah, believes that his former field general would be a great fit for Montana’s offense. He calls Lloyd a playmaker with a unique knack for making things happen with his scrambling ability. He also showed himself to be an accurate, strong-armed passer in high school.
One challenge for Lloyd will be getting back in playing shape since he hasn’t taken the field since 2010. Plus he has never taken a college snap, so he does not appear to be the quick fix Montana needs.
The odds-on favorite to step in as starter at this point is Shay Smithwick-Hann of Kalispell. The 6-4 redshirt sophomore threw three passes in a reserve role last season.
“This will be his third year with the program,” Delaney noted. “He’s an intelligent young man who understands the offense and has the insight to know exactly what we’re doing.”
Smithwick-Hann, 21, will try to recapture the magic of his high school days when he threw for 1,900 yards and rushed for 722 as a senior at Glacier High. In the process, the business major will try to stay healthy because if not Montana will be forced to depend on a newcomer.
The other two quarterbacks on Montana’s active roster are redshirt freshman Trent McKinney and true freshman Brady Gustafson. Another passer rumored to be looking at Montana is Stanford redshirt junior Robbie Picazo, who has thrown just three passes in his college career.
