On Saturday May 21, 2022, former Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere signed a contract with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League.
That prompted us to think about updating our archive of all the football connections between the Big Sky Conference and professional football, whether it’s the NFL, the USFL or the Canadian Football League.
Barriere, who received the Walter Payton Award after his final season with the Eagles, had previously been invited to the Denver Broncos’ minicamp before signing with the Panthers. Currently, 12 former Eagles are roaming the professional ranks, including five on NFL rosters. That’s the most in the Big Sky Conference. Montana State has eight players currently on NFL rosters, four of which were signed as undrafted free agents following the most recent NFL Draft.
In terms of NFL coaches with Big Sky ties, Northern Arizona and Montana State each have eight men who either played, coached or both at the respective university.
Here’s a look at the rest of the Big Sky connections currently in throughout the ranks of professional football.
Former Big Sky Conference players in the NFL
| Name | Position | Big Sky Conference school | NFL Team | Year entered NFL |
| Troy Andersen | Linebacker | Montana State | Atlanta Falcons – 2nd Round | 2022 |
| Braxton Jones | Offensive line | Southern Utah | Chicago Bears – 5th round | 2022 |
| Daron Bland | Defensive back | Sac State/Fresno State | Dallas Cowboys – 5th round | 2022 |
| Daniel Hardy | Defensive end | Montana State | LA Rams – 7th Round | 2022 |
| Samori Toure | Wide receiver | Montana/Nebraska | Green Bay Packers – 7th round | 2022 |
| UDFA | ||||
| Dylan Cook | Offensive tackle | Montana | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2022 |
| Lewis Kidd | Offensive line | Montana State | New Orleans Saints | 2022 |
| Tre Webb | Safety | Montana State | Atlanta Falcons | 2022 |
| Tanner Conner | Wide receiver | Idaho State | Miami Dolphins | 2022 |
| Noah Elliss | Defensive tackle | Idaho | Philadelphia Eagles | 2022 |
| Christian Elliss | Linebacker | Idaho | Philadelphia Eagles | 2022 |
| Tre Walker | Linebacker | Idaho | Washington Commanders | 2022 |
| Lance McCutcheon | Wide receiver | Montana State | Los Angeles Rams | 2022 |
| Carson Taylor | Linebacker | Northern Arizona | Chicago Bears | 2022 |
| Seth Vernon | Punter | Portland State | Atlanta Falcons | 2022 |
| Talolo Limu-Jones | Wide Receiver | Eastern Washington | Carolina Panthers | 2022 |
| Rashid Shaheed | Wide receiver/KR | Weber State | New Orleans Saints | 2022 |
| Daniel Whelan | Punter | UC Davis | New Orleans Saints | 2022 |
| Jeff Cotton | Wide receiver | Jacksonville Jaguars | Idaho | 2021 |
| J.J. Koski | Wide receiver | Cal Poly | Los Angeles Rams | 2021 |
| Jonah Williams | Defensive end | Weber State | Los Angeles Rams | 2021 |
| Travis Jonsen | Wide receiver | Montana State | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2021 |
| Kevin Kassis | Wide receiver | Montana State | Seattle Seahawks | 2019 |
| Kaden Elliss | Linebacker | Idaho | New Orleans Saints | 2019 |
| Nsimba Webster | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington | Chicago Bears | 2019 |
| Taron Johnson | Cornerback | Weber State | Buffalo Bills | 2018 |
| Cooper Kupp | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington | Los Angles Rams | 2017 |
| Kendrick Bourne | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington | New England Patriots | 2017 |
| Samson Ebukam | Linebacker | Eastern Washington | San Francisco 49ers | 2017 |
| Kenny Golladay | Wide receiver | North Dakota | New York Giants | 2017 |
| Miles Killebrew | Safety | Southern Utah | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2016 |
| LeShaun Sims | Cornerback | Southern Utah | Free Agent (not retired) | 2016 |
| Alex Singleton | Linebacker | Montana State | Philadelphia Eagles | 2015 |
| Jake Rodgers | Offensive line | Eastern Washington | Free Agent (not retired) | 2015 |
| DeAndre Carter | Wide receiver | Sacramento State | Houston Texans | 2015 |
| Trumaine Johnson | Cornerback | Montana | Free Agent (not retired) | 2012 |
| Taiwan Jones | Running back | Eastern Washington | Buffalo Bills | 2011 |
Trumaine Johnson 
Sac State wide receiver DeAndre Carter 
Former MSU linebacker Alex Singleton 
EWU DE Samson Ebukam chases down Richmond QB Kevin Johnson/ by Jason Bacaj 
Former Montana State linebacker Alex Singleton (43) in 2015/by Brooks Nuanez 
Southern Utah cornerback LeShaun Simms tackles Montana State running back Gunnar Brekke at the line of scrimmage/by Brooks Nuanez 
Eastern Washington senior Samson Ebukam/ by Jason Bacaj 
Former Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew was drafted in the 4th round of the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions/by NFL.com 
Eastern Washington senior DE Samson Ebukam (3), pictured here after forcing a fumble against Montana State/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Former SUU cornerback LeShaun Sims/SUU Media Relations 
Former Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson was selected in the 5th round of the NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills/ by Brooks Nuanez 
SUU safety Mile Killebrew makes a tackles against MSU/by Brooks Nuanez 
EWU wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (11) and Shaq Hill (1) celebrate/by Jason Bacaj 
Former Idaho star Kaden Elliss was drafted by the New Orleans Saints/ by Brooks Nuanez 
EWU wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (11) in 2015/by Evan Frost for Skyline Sports 
Former EWU receivers Cooper Kupp, left, and Kendrick Bourne, play in the NFL now/ by Jason Bacaj 
Kaden Ellis 
Nsimba Webster, a first-team All-Big Sky selection, now has 72 catches for 1,245 yards and 10 touchdowns this season/ by Jason Bacaj 
Travis Jonsen 
Taron Johnson/ Brooks Nuanez 
JJ Koski 
Montana State quarterback Troy Andersen (15) evades Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss (3)/by Brooks Nuanez 
Weber State senior defensive end Jonah Williams/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Travis Jonsen 
Montana State wide receiver Travis Jonsen (10) catches a would be touchdown vs. Sacramento State that is called back due to a penalty/by Brooks Nuanez 
Montana State senior wide receiver Kevin Kassis/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Samori Toure 
Cal Poly wide receiver J.J. Koski/ Photo by Alexander Bohlen, Cal Poly athletics 
Nsimba Webster 
Weber State All-American returner Rashid Shaheed/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Idaho’s Jeff Cotton 
Montana State wide receiver Kevin Kassis (85) scores a -yard touchdown/by Jason Bacaj 
Idaho wide receiver Jeff Cotton (88) in 2018/by Brooks Nuanez 
Travis Jonsen 
Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen (15) in 2021/by Jason Bacaj-Skyline Sports 
Troy Andersen 
Daniel Hardy 
Samori Toure 
Daniel Hardy 
Sacramento State cornerback Daron Bland/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Montana State senior Troy Andersen against Weber State/ Garrett Becker, Montana State athletics 
Cooper Kupp/by Brooks Nuanez
Former Big Sky Conference coaches in the NFL
| Name | Former Big Sky Conference school | Current position | NFL Franchise |
| Colt Anderson | Montana | Assistant special teams | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Andre Patterson | Montana | Defensive line | New York Giants |
| Marty Mornhinweg | Montana – played 1980-1984; coached WR receivers 1985; RB coach NAU 1988 | OC & quarterbacks coach (not retired) | Green Bay, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Baltimore |
| Ken Flajole | Montana – offensive coordinator 1980-1985 | Outside linebackers | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Doug Nussmeier | Idaho – 1993 Walter Payton Award winner | Quarterbacks coach | Dallas Cowboys |
| Ed Donatell | Idaho – secondary coach 1986-88 | Defensive coordinator | Defensive coordinator |
| Eric Yarber | Idaho – Big Sky offensive MVP 1985 | Wide receivers | Los Angeles Rams |
| Greg Olson | Idaho – offensive coordinator 1994-96 | Senior offensive assistant | Los Angeles Rams |
| Mike Person | Montana State – All-American 2010 | Assistant offensive line | Miami Dolphins |
| Michael Pitre | Montana State – coached 2014-2017 | Running backs | Atlanta Falcons |
| Jody Owens | Montana State – Big Sky MVP 2012; coached 2017-2018 | Assistant running backs | Carolina Panthers |
| Marc Lubick | Montana State – played 1997-1999 | Assistant wide receivers | Buffalo Bills |
| Kerry Dixon | Montana State – coached 2011-12 | Assistant quarterbacks | Baltimore Ravens |
| DeNarius McGhee | Montana State – Big Sky MVP 2010, 2012; Coached 2017-2019 | Offensive assistant | Houston Texans |
| Bill Kollar | Montana State – All-American, MVP of Senior Bowl 1974 | Defensive assistant | Denver Broncos |
| Robert Prince | Montana State – graduate assistant 1991; Sacramento State WRs 1992-1994; Portland State WR 1998-2000 | Wide receivers | Dallas Cowboys |
| Gerald Alexander | Montana State – secondary coach in 2016 | Secondary | Miami Dolphins (2020-21, not retired) |
| Andy Reid | Northern Arizona – Offensive line coach 1986 | Head Coach | Kansas City Chiefs (2013-present) |
| Frank Pollack | Northern Arizona – played 1986-1990; coached 2005-2006 | Offensive line/run game coordinator | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Bill Callahan | Northern Arizona – coached OL 1987-88 | Offensive line | Cleveland Browns |
| Tom Melvin | Northern Arizona – RB, TE, OL 1986-87 | Tight ends | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Rayna Stewart | Northern Arizona – Safety, 5th round pick in 1996 | Assistant special teams | Dallas Cowboys |
| Ken Zampese | Northern Arizona – OC 1992-1995 | Quarterbacks | Washington Commanders |
| Adam Stenavich | Northern Arizona – offensive line, 2014 | Offensive coordinator | Green Bay Packers |
| Joe Barry | Northern Arizona – linebackers/DL 1996-98 | Defensive coordinator | Green Bay Packers |
| Klayton Adams | Sacramento State – coached 2009-10 | Tight ends | Indianapolis Colts |
| Chris Strausser | Portland State – coached 1993-94, 2000 | Offensive line | Indianapolis Colts |
| DeShawn Shead | Portland State – First-team All-Big Sky in 2011 | Assistant secondary | Seattle Seahawks |
| Nathaniel Hackett | UC Davis – Alum (didn’t play), coached for father, Paul Hackett, in 2003 | Head coach | Denver Broncos |
| Ejiro Evero | UC Davis – played 2004, coached 2005-2006 | Defensive coordinator | Denver Broncos |
| Joe Cullen | Idaho State – Defensive line 2009 | Defensive line | Kansas City Chiefs |
| John Fassel | Weber State – wide receiver 1995-1999 Idaho State – Graduate assistant 2009 | Special teams coordinator | Dallas Cowboys |
| Brian Natkin | Northern Colorado – assistant 2006 | Assistant offensive line | Arizona Cardinals |
| Tom McMahon | Carroll College (Montana)- played 1987-1991, coached secondary 1992-1994 | Special teams coordinators | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Todd Wash | North Dakota State (from Miles City, Montana) | Defensive line | Detroit Lions |
Former Montana State offensive lineman Mike Person/ contributed 
Former Griz quarterback Marty Morninweg/ by Baltimore Ravens 
Montana State 
Jody Owens 
Montana State Hall of Fame defensive lineman and Denver Broncos defensive line coach Bill Kollar in 2018/by Brooks Nuanez 
Former Montana State offensive tackle Mike Person/ contributed 
Bill Kollar Super Bowl Ring 
Montana State quarterbacks coach DeNarius McGhee/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Former MSU quarterback DeNarius McGhee and former UM linebacker Jordan Tripp in 2013 
Montana State running back Logan Jones (28) with running backs coach DeNarius MCGhee/by Brooks Nuanez
Former Big Sky Conference & coaches in the CFL
| Players | ||||
| Name | Position | Former Big Sky Conference school | CFL Franchise | Year entered CFL |
| Davis Alexander | Quarterback | Portland State | Montreal Alouettes | 2022 |
| Mike Beadry | Quarterback | Idaho | Edmonton Elks | 2022 |
| Caleb Lightbourn | Punter | Idaho | Edmonton Elks | 2022 |
| Andrew Boston | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 2022 |
| Omar Hicks-Onu | Cornerback | Montana | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 2022 |
| Kevin Thomson | Quarterback | Sacramento State | B.C. Lions | 2021 |
| Kooper Richardson | Offensive line | Sacramento State | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 2021 |
| Sirgeo Hoffman | Running back | Portland State | Ottawa Redblacks | 2021 |
| Jake Maier | Quarterback | UC Davis | Calgary Stampeders | 2020 |
| George Obinna | Defensive end | Sacramento State | Calgary Stampeders | 2020 |
| David Ungerer | Wide receiver | Idaho | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 2020 |
| Mason Bennett | Defensive end | North Dakota | Hamilton Tiger Cats | 2020 |
| Wes Sutton | Safety | Northern Arizona | Montreal Alouettes | 2020 |
| Brian Fineanganofo | Offensive line | Idaho State | Montreal Alouettes | 2020 |
| Emmanuel Butler | Wide receiver | Northern Arizona | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 2019 (NFL 2019-20) |
| Siupeli Anau | Defensive end | Northern Arizona | B.C. Lions | 2019 |
| Trey Hoskins | Cornerback | Weber State | Edmonton Elks | 2019 |
| Brady Oliveira | Running back | North Dakota | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 2019 |
| Deion Harris | Cornerback | North Dakota | Toronto Argonauts | 2019 |
| Tyron Vrede | Linebacker | North Dakota | Ottawa Redblacks | 2019 |
| Taylor Tappin | Offensive line | Sacramento State | Montreal Alouettes | 2019 |
| Victor Gamboa | Defensive back | Eastern Washington | B.C. Lions | 2018 |
| Josh Thornton | Defensive back | Southern Utah | B.C. Lions | 2017 |
| Dakota Prukop | Quarterback | Montana State | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 2017 |
| Darnell Sankey | Linebacker | Sacramento State | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 2016 (NFL 2016-2020) |
| Khalil Bass | Linebacker | Portland State | Toronto Argonauts | 2015 |
| T.J. Lee | Defensive back | Eastern Washington | B.C. Lions | 2014 |
| Vernon Adams | Quarterback | Eastern Washington | Montreal Alouettes | 2014 |
| Aaron Grymes | Defensive back | Idaho | Edmonton Elks | 2013 |
| Bo Levi Mitchell | Quarterback | Eastern Washington | Calgary Stampeders | 2012 |
| McLeod Bethel-Thompson | Quarterback | Sacramento State | Toronto Argonauts | 2011 (NFL 2011-2017) |
| COACHES | ||||
| Dave Dickenson | Head coach | Montana | Calgary Stampeders | |
| Craig Dickenson | Head coach | Montana | Saskatchewan Roughriders | |
Former Montana State quarterback Dakota Prukop (5)/by Brooks Nuanez 
Portland State quarterback Davis Alexander (6) throws vs. Montana/by Brooks Nuanez 
Former EWU quarterback Vernon Adams hands off to former Eagle running back Quincy Forte in 2014/by Brooks Nuanez 
Darnell Sankey 
Sac State linebacker Darnell Sankey (44) pre-snap vs. MSU 
SUU defensive end James Cowser gets the edge against MSU/by Brooks Nuanez 
MSU left tackle John Weidenaar and quarterback Dakota Prukop celebrate a touchdown 
MSU quarterback Dakota Prukop/by Brooks Nuanez 
North Dakota cornerback Deion Harris/by Brooks Nuanez 
UC Davis junior quarterback Jake Maier/ by UC Davis athletics 
UND senior Deion Harris, pictured here returning an interception for a touchdown last season, suffered a season-ending injury on Wednesday morning/ by Tyler Ingham, UND athletics 
North Dakota running back Brady Oliveria (5) in 2016/UND athletics 
MSU quarterback Dakota Prukop motivates his team on the sideliens 
North Dakota sophomore running back Brady Oliveira/ by Brooks Nuanez 
NAU defensive end Siupeli Anau (90)/by Brooks Nuanez 
Sac State defensive end George Obinna (99)/by Sac State Athletics 
Sacramento State defensive end George Obinna (99) gets the edge on Montana State tackle Connor Wood (63) in 2019/by Brooks Nuanez 
Jake Maier 
Sacramento State junior defensive end George Obinna/ by Jason Bacaj 
Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson (5) vs Montana State in 2019/by Brooks Nuanez 
Northern Arizona junior wide receiver Emmanuel Butler 8) in 2016/ by Brooks Nuanez 
Sac State Kevin Thomson (5)/by Brooks Nuanez 
MSU wide receiver Emmanuel Butler/by Brooks Nuanez 
Idaho wide receiver David Ungerer (2) evades Montana State safety Shawn Borges (26)/by Brooks Nuanez 
Northern Arizona star receiver Emmanuel Butler (8) leads a talented group of skilled Lumberjacks/by NAU Athletics 
Northern Arizona wide receiver Emmanuel Butler (8) in 2016/by Brooks Nuanez 
Omar Hicks-Onu 
Sac State quarterback Kevin Thomson throws while under pressure from Montana linebacker Dante Olson/ by Jason Bacaj
Former Big Sky players & coaches in USFL
| Players | |||
| Name | Position | Former Big Sky Conference school | Current USFL Franchise |
| Case Cookus | Quarterback | Northern Arizona – 2015-2019 | Philadelphia Stars |
| Brock Miller | Punter | Southern Utah 2009-2013 | New Jersey Generals |
| Woody Brandom | Tight end | Montana State 2015-16/ Sam Houston 2017-19 | New Jersey Generals |
| Adam Rodriguez | Defensive end | Weber State – 2015-2019 | Philadelphia Stars |
| Christian McFarland | Safety | Idaho State – 2018-2019 | Birmingham Stallions |
| Marquez Tucker | Offensive line | Southern Utah – 2017-2018 | Birmingham Stallions |
| Kyle Sloter | Quarterback | Northern Colorado – 2015-2016 | New Orleans Breakers |
| Jason Ferris | Linebacker | Montana Western – 2015-2019 | Birmingham Stallions |
Woody Brandom with a catch during Montana State spring ball in 2016 
MSU defensive end Woody Brandom (46) and Mac Bignell (49) vs. Weber State in 2016 
Case Cookus checking Troy Andersen 
Case Cookus 
Case Cookus 
Montana senior Connor Strahm thanking NAU QB Case Cookus (15) for the hit which lead to his ejection/by Jason Bacaj 
Montana State defensive end Bryce Sterk (37) hurries Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus (15)/by Brooks Nuanez 
Former Northern Colorado quarterback Kyle Sloter / by Rob Trubia, Northern Colorado Athletics 
Eric Barriere 
Eric Barriere 
Eric Barriere
