Football, like all sports, is loaded with cliches and adages that are repeated so often that a person’s mind can become numb to them. However, some are so true, and time has proven that there’s no denying them.
That being the case, Montana State’s defense might be in for a big season. After all, “it all starts up front,” “a good pass rush leads to good things,” “a good defense is the best offense,” and “defense wins championships.”
If it all starts up, then the Bobcats must be salivating. MSU arguably returns more talent on its defensive line than any team in the Big Sky Conference and is among the most primed in the country when it comes to returning players in that unit.
The Bobcats bring back six players in the trenches with heavy playing experience in starters Kenneth Eiden IV at defensive end, and tackles Paul Brott and Alec Eckert, all three seniors. That trio started 48 games between them in 2024 with Eiden IV and Brott garnering postseason All-Big Sky honors.
MSU utilizes anywhere from 8 to 10 players along the D-line througout a given season, with unheralded Hunter Parsons, Zac Crews and Zack Black each participating in about half of the defense’s downs. Crews was arguably the best non-starting lineman in the BSC a year ago and is expected to move into a starter spot this year with the graduation of the Big Sky’s Defensive Player of the Year Brody Grebe, a three-time All-American.
“Knowing we are returning the most guys, we know on defense it starts up front by owning that line of scrimmage and stopping the run,” Crews said. “That way our back-end guys (linebackers and secondary) can go to work.”
The sky’s the limit for MSU and the players have a good grasp on the expectations.
“I really don’t think we have a ceiling,” Parsons said. “We talk about how the national championship teams always have a really good D-line. Our confidence is at an all-time high right now. We know, especially at the end positions – me, Kenny, Zach, Dom (Solano), Seth Brock – that we got guys that can really be trusted to play.”
“It’s good, but it’s always striving to get better,” defensive line coach Nick Jean-Baptiste said. “That’s one thing with Paul and Kenny. Even though they’re getting all those accolades the thing is at the end of the day you can always be better than you were last year.”
Brott and Eiden IV were selected to the Big Sky’s preseason All-Conference team. Brott was a second team All-BSC player last season and has been named to several preseason All-America teams, including the Watch List for the Buch Buchanan Award given to the best defensive player in the FCS.
“We call it taco truck, because you can have a special up there one day and then they just wipe it off,” Brott said not-so-affectionately about the awards. “I try not to think about it and just focus on my game because if I get too caught up in that and I play bad, I’m not gonna get any of them.”
Shawn Howe is the new defensive coordinator with the departure of Bobby Daly. Howe was in charge of the defensive line in 2023 and 2024 and still keeps a close eye on his charges.
“I coached (former MSU defensive tackle) Chase Benson,” Howe said. “To me to even say you were around Chase Benson is a really cool thing. I think Paul Brott could be that same type of player. Chase Benson could’ve been an NFL guy if he wouldn’t have been injured.”
Howe says Brott wants to be as good as anyone in MSU’s program. Not just the players, but the coaches, trainers and nutritionists as well.
“When you talk about a man being possessed, he’s been a man possessed,” Howe said. “He’s been a lot of fun to be around. I think he could be as good as anybody.”
Brott took his game to another level in 2023. Eiden peaked toward the end of the season, rolling up eight of his nine sacks and 9.5 of his 11 tackles for loss from November 9 on. He had 4.5 sacks in Montana State’s four playoff games. Now that duo’s turn to anchor the group
“The experience is great when you get in the room and watch the film,” Jean-Baptiste said. “You can see those guys coaching up the young guys. They’re talking to them as much as I am and it creates a really, really good environment for these young guys.”
“Experience brings a level of trust,” Parsons added. “When it comes to game time, they’re going to be able to trust the D-line.”
With large leads in most of their games last season, MSU was able to insert another trio of players that made some noise. Young tackles Talon Marsh, the 2023 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year, and Hunter Sharbono (of Fairview) have made gains, along with end Dominic Solano, giving the Bobcats at least nine players that will rotate into action this season.
Marsh in particular has shown big gains from a season ago.
“He really struggled, which is to be expected when you’re younger,” Howe said. “But he never let it get him down. He kept working and then he came out this spring and Hunter Sharbono was probably the next guy up last year and he was ahead of Talon, but after spring you would’ve said it the opposite way. Talon really hasn’t slowed down since. He’s got all the talent in the world; he was one of the best players in the state. He broke the (Capital High) record for sacks and then broke his own record the next year.”
If it all starts up front, then MSU appears to be coming out of the gate hot in 2025. And its support units at linebacker and in the secondary will also have an added edge. Why? Because “a good pass rush leads to good things,” especially in the secondary.
While Brody Grebe is a big loss for MSU, it’s no secret that the Bobcats are one of the best teams in the nation at developing talent. Considering at least six of their top nine defensive linemen were already among the top in the conference and now have another offseason of development under their belts, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see them performing at the same level or better as last year’s unit.
“Brody being gone is going to be a huge opportunity for all of us to step up and be out there competing to make plays every Saturday,” Crews said.
A year ago, MSU led the BSC through the regular season in points allowed, sacks, sacks per game, total defense, rush defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense. The Bobcats did that despite allowing its third-string to take over late in games most weeks.
Eiden IV finished the season strong and is expected to pick up where he left off.
“Kenny obviously did a lot of good things last year,” Crews said. “He’s very confident in himself and we’re all confident in him. He’s obviously gonna be a big part of our defense this year. It’s really cool to see a Bozeman kid like him come up the ranks.”
With so many good players rotating through the defensive line over the past three seasons one player that has caught in the shuffle is Parsons. The senior has been traveling with the team since his freshman season, got a lot of playing time in 2023 and 2024 despite not cracking the starting lineup.
“Hunter has been Mr. Consistency,” Jean-Baptiste said. “He’s grown, but he’s been behind the spotlight. He’s one of those guys that I’ve been able to lean on because he’s so consistent when it comes to technique and timing.”
Parsons will be part of a three-headed group at defensive end with Crews and Eiden IV.
“Any of those three guys can be out there and I’m fine,” Jean-Baptiste said. “They could go rock-paper-scissors and whatever two were out there, I’m good.”
Montana State has a long lineage of defensive linemen. MSU has had an All-American in each decade since the Big Sky Conference was founded in 1963. The school boasts alums like former first-round NFL draft pick Bill Kollar, sack-champion Mark Fellows of the 1984 national champion Bobcats and Buck Buchanan Award winners Caleb Schreibeis (2012) and Brad Daly (2013). Grebe was the latest multiple-time All-American for the Bobcat defensive front, but don’t expect the group to take a dip.
“We have this foundation and we have to get through the things that get us great, but the end goal is the national championship,” Eckert said. “We know the defensive line sets the tone for the whole team. So we are not going to be happy with anything less than that.”
The Bobcats continue to prep for the season opener at the University of Oregon against the No. 7 ranked Ducks on August 30.
