Like I said a couple weeks ago, you win some and you lose some. Some kids have family connections or education programs that weigh heavily on their decisions to choose either MSU or UM. There was some talk that we are losing the recruiting battle for the in state kids to the Cats. I disagree. Here was a good article in the Missoulian on the Polson boys and how UM gained their commitment in the end. It pointed very favorably to our coaching staff and how these kids felt like family. I'd say our coaches are doing just fine. That is 5 in state commits, so far, and all are top players and very worthy of their offers. Oh, one more thing, if you aren't on Twitter yet you should be just for the sole purpose of following our coaches and the HILARIOUS tweets they make when they land another recruit. Their Twitter game is as good as it gets. It's almost a competition on who can come up with the most hilarious tweet on it. Social media is huge in recruiting and in these kids' daily lives. Glad to see our coaching staff doing it very well!
As the sons of Polson football coaches, Matthew Rensvold and Tanner Wilson have been running around the Pirates' football field as long as they can remember. They were once ball boys and water boys before developing into all-state talents recruited by colleges across Montana.
"Me and Tanner have always talked since we were little about going to play big-time college football," Rensvold said Tuesday. "We just never knew where."
Turns out they didn't have to look far.
On Tuesday morning, Wilson called the Montana coaching staff to pledge his commitment to the Grizzlies. In doing so, he joined his long-time friend who committed to Montana on July 1.
"I thought it was really cool to have my best friend come play with me in college," Rensvold said.
Montana's coaching staff is prohibited from commenting on the two Polson products until after they sign their scholarship papers on National Signing Day, set for Feb. 1. Rensvold is receiving a partial scholarship; Wilson's scholarship situation was unclear, his dad, Scott, said Tuesday.
The two Pirates are set to become the first members of the Montana football program to call Polson home since Kirk Murphy suited up in copper and gold from 1988 to 1991. The history of their decision wasn't lost on Rensvold.
"Being so close to home is awesome too because I know our community is excited and I’m sure once they find out about Tanner today they’ll be even more excited," said the 6-foot-4, 210 pound Rensvold, recruited to play H-receiver.
The addition of the two Polson products strengthened Montana's haul of in-state recruits and added steam to an in-state recruiting battle between Montana and Montana State that has picked up momentum in recent weeks.
Montana has also received commitments from Sydney athlete Michael McGinnis and Braydon and Bryson Deming of Billings West to bring the Grizzlies' in-state count to five. On the other side of the divide, Montana State earned commits from the Kalispell Glacier duo of Taden Gilman and Jaxen Hashley and another from Troy Andersen, a highly sought after athlete from Dillon, in the span of a few days.
Rensvold and Wilson were pulled in both directions, but were won over by the Montana coaching staff during their time in Missoula for the Grizzlies' small-school 7-on-7 competition. Rensvold played the entire camp at H-receiver, catching balls from his longtime friend and quarterback, Wilson.
"I think there was something that sparked the interest," said Scott Wilson, who is entering his 16th season as Polson's coach. "A lot of people looked at him as a safety. He threw the ball very well this summer and there must have been something they liked."
Added Rensvold, "(Montana head coach Bob) Stitt was really impressed. He was talking to me about it for a little while and he was impressed with Tanner."
After tripping with Rensvold to North Dakota for the Fighting Hawks' 1-day camp, and a three-day stay at North Dakota State, Wilson returned to Missoula on Saturday to give the Grizzlies one final look.
Wilson was also a Class A all-state safety for the 3-6 Pirates and many thought that's where he would play in college. He and Rensvold, an all-state linebacker, were recruited by North Dakota and a few Frontier Conference schools. But the relationship they built with the Grizzlies' coaching staff settled any doubts the two may have had.
"They did a great job and they made me feel like family right away," Rensvold said. "They were sending me letters; I probably have 30 letters here from the coaches. That’s what pretty much made me pick Montana."
