Two of Montana State’s most physically formidable players are leaving the Bobcat program before leaving much of a footprint on the field.
Last week, Skyline Sports confirmed directly that third-year sophomore Cam Sutton and Air Force Prep transfer defensive lineman Stephen Omorogbe have left the MSU football program. Sutton played in seven games and caught three passes last fall. Omorogbe joined the Bobcats in January with four seasons of eligibility remaining but left after the completion of the spring semester in May.
Former Montana State wide receiver Cam Sutton/ by Colter Nuanez
Sutton, a third-year sophomore wide receiver, confirmed directly to Skyline Sports he will transfer to a junior college next season in hopes of earning an FBS offer. the 6-foot-6, 200-pounder from Norco, California indicated that he wanted to spent next season closer to his home while chasing his Pac 12 dreams
Omorogbe, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive lineman who was in and out of the rotation during spring football, confirmed directly that he will continue his education closer to his home in Woodstock, Georgia and that he will no longer pursue playing college football. The former 3-star recruit held a collection of scholarship offers, ultimately choosing the Air Force before spending the 2016 season in the academy’s prep program.
Sutton came to Montana State as a highly touted prospect who was part of former head coach Rob Ash’s final recruiting class. After earning All-Big 8 honors as a senior at Norco, Sutton held offers from Montana, Idaho and Montana State. He also worked out for assistants from the Washington Huskies. He redshirted in 2015, Ash’s last season at the helm. Last season, Sutton cracked the starting lineup midway through the season. He caught three passes, including a touchdown in the waning seconds of a 45-27 loss to Weber State and a crucial touchdown on a wide receiver reverse pass from Kevin Kassis in MSU’s 27-13 win over UC Davis, the Bobcats’ first of two Big Sky Conference victories last season.
Following MSU’s final practice of the spring, Sutton acknowledged his awareness of the demand from coaches and teammates for an elevated level of production next season as a projected main part of a receiver corps that also includes Kassis, seniors Mitch Herbert and Justin Paige and sophomore Keon Stephens.
“It fuels the fire,” the outgoing Sutton said following MSU’s final spring practice. “We have to dive into the offense and know our job, our 1/11th, so we can not think and just play, just be athletic, make plays with the ball like we can do.”
Former MSU DL Stephen Omorogbe, No. 19/ by Colter Nuanez
Omorogbe did not start playing football until his junior year of high school. By his senior year at River Ridge High, he was a 3-star rated recruit who had multiple FBS offers to play tight end.
Despite only starting to play as a junior, he held offers from Air Force, Army, Colorado State, Florida International, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, Kent State and six of the eight schools in the Ivy League. Omorogbe, who had a 3.9 grade-point average in high school, held offers from schools like Central Arkansas, Chattanooga and James Madison, all three qualifiers for this year’s FCS playoffs.
The long, lanky edge rusher chose the Air Force. He arrived in Colorado Springs and was placed in the Academy’s prep school. The Air Force website states: “Every year, more candidates seek admission to the United States Air Force Academy than there are available appointments. Many applicants with promising potential will not be offered appointment to the Academy. From this pool, Academy admissions will select some applicants who will be offered appointment to the Prep School.”
“I figured I’d give it a shot, have a year, play some games, develop more, get a feel for the whole military thing,” Omorogbe said in January. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t the right fit so I started exploring my options. I went to a military school before so I knew what I was getting myself in to. The more I learned about it, the more I didn’t want to do it. It’s a great program if that’s what you want to do with your life. I just wanted to do something else.”
Stephen Omorogbe, left, at Air Force Prep/ contributed
Omorogbe looked like the raw yet explosive prospect second-year head coach Jeff Choate brought in during Omorogbe’s limited time in spring football. He missed about half of MSU’s 15 practices with an undisclosed injury but still earned Choate’s notice.
“He’s a big kid but he’s very raw,” Choate said. “He didn’t play a lot of football in high school. He’s a big, physical, good looking kid.
“When you show him something, he replicates it immediately. That tells me he has a chance to learn quickly and he flashes and you are like, ‘Ok, that looks pretty good, we are excited if you can do that.’ We are excited not just because of the type of football player but the community of Bozeman and Montana State, this is a first-class young man and we are fortunate to have him.”
Omorogbe seemed to be fitting in nicely with his new teammates as well before making the decision to walk away from the game.
“He’s a good kid, I love him,” MSU All-Big Sky junior defensive tackle Zach Wright said. “When I first met him, I remember seeing him and thinking, ‘Wow, this kid is a freak.’ He’s just built so well, tall, nicest guy ever, real straight forward with you. Having him in here, he’s real strong in the weight room.”
Montana State’s football players are due back in Bozeman on June 19 to begin a six-week summer conditioning program leading up to fall camp in August.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
