Keenan Curran :: Sophomore :: Football
From the staff that brought you stellar performances last season from Jamaal Jones, Ben Roberts and Ellis Henderson -- 190 combined catches, more than 2,680 yards -- please welcome Keenan Curran.
If your first thought was, Who?, you're excused. After all, Curran caught just four balls last season.
But what you see on the field every Saturday is only a small glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes the rest of the week. Some players are preparing for the here and now, others are working toward future opportunities. And that future is here for Curran, who's expected to be the next big thing.
"He's a completely different receiver, in terms of where he came in last year, on the first day of camp, to where he is today," says UM passing game coordinator and outside receivers coach Nolan Swett.
"And it's 100 percent attributed to his work ethic and the importance he places on making himself and his team better."
Curran, who excelled while playing positions on both sides of the ball during his prep career, hadn't played wide receiver since his freshman year at Federal Way (Wash.) High School when he joined the Grizzlies last season.
He saw the field the final nine games, playing both offense and special teams. He caught just four passes for 55 yards, with a 30-yard reception in Montana's loss at Portland State. But Jones, Roberts and Henderson were getting it done, and then there was everything you didn't see.
"He only had a handful of catches last year, but at practice we saw the improvements he made that gave us the confidence he could do it in a game situation," says Swett. "Because of the guys we had in front of him, we didn't need to throw him into the fire quite yet."
The match gets lit in 36 days. Don't be surprised if it's Curran who's doing the burning.
Catch him: When Montana opens the season against Saint Francis under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Sept. 3.
From the staff that brought you stellar performances last season from Jamaal Jones, Ben Roberts and Ellis Henderson -- 190 combined catches, more than 2,680 yards -- please welcome Keenan Curran.
If your first thought was, Who?, you're excused. After all, Curran caught just four balls last season.
But what you see on the field every Saturday is only a small glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes the rest of the week. Some players are preparing for the here and now, others are working toward future opportunities. And that future is here for Curran, who's expected to be the next big thing.
"He's a completely different receiver, in terms of where he came in last year, on the first day of camp, to where he is today," says UM passing game coordinator and outside receivers coach Nolan Swett.
"And it's 100 percent attributed to his work ethic and the importance he places on making himself and his team better."
Curran, who excelled while playing positions on both sides of the ball during his prep career, hadn't played wide receiver since his freshman year at Federal Way (Wash.) High School when he joined the Grizzlies last season.
He saw the field the final nine games, playing both offense and special teams. He caught just four passes for 55 yards, with a 30-yard reception in Montana's loss at Portland State. But Jones, Roberts and Henderson were getting it done, and then there was everything you didn't see.
"He only had a handful of catches last year, but at practice we saw the improvements he made that gave us the confidence he could do it in a game situation," says Swett. "Because of the guys we had in front of him, we didn't need to throw him into the fire quite yet."
The match gets lit in 36 days. Don't be surprised if it's Curran who's doing the burning.
Catch him: When Montana opens the season against Saint Francis under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Sept. 3.
