Football is a game of adjustments and lately that’s been true for the fans as well.
Nationwide fans have been dealing with the transfer portal and how the Covid-19 virus protocols affect their team. Along with those, the Montana State fans have also been adjusting to a relatively new head coach in Brent Vigen, who’s first full year didn’t come about until February of this year.
The first two items have caused rosters across the country to see a lot of turnover. Add in a new coach, who typically needs to adjust the roster to fit their style of play, and you have a perfect storm for many a change.
The Bobcats have seen several relatively well-known players and a few not so familiar players leave the team for various reasons. Starting right tackle TJ Session and left guard Zach Redd, along with starting receiver Jadan Smith are the most noteworthy. Highly touted quarterback Casey Bauman, linebacker and special teams ace Tadan Gilman, and budding running back DeMareus Hosey also headline the list.
Session transferred to the PAC-12’s Cal and Redd graduated and will not play despite having one year of eligibility left. Smith transferred to FCS Tarleton (Texas) State, a program transitioning from the Division II Lone Star Conference to the Division I WAC. Bauman, who had a few starts for the Bobcats early in 2019, transferred to Augustana, a NCAA Division II school in South Dakota. Gilman was entering his senior year as a player, but has graduated and retired from football, and Hosey also went the Division II route as he signed with Texas A&M-Commerce, another transitioning Division II to Division I.
Receivers Charles Brown (transfer to FBS Texas State), Jamahd Monroe (transfer pending) and Lewiston product Tanner Trafton are all gone, as are offensive linemen Conor Reitler of Billings Skyview, Calgary native Cole Snyder (transfer to FCS Delaware), Dylan Porter (former Nevada transfer graduated and Jack Harlow (still attending school at MSU). Running backs Nolan Iverson and Jaalen Rening (transferring) have also left MSU.
Vigen also noted that wide receivers Cam Gardener and Andrew Patterson both are no longer on the roster, but left the door open if they could clear up some academic issues in the future.
Players transferring or leaving programs is nothing new to college athletics. A good majority of all players that sign or walk on to a college football program are no longer with the team they originally signed with by the time their senior year rolls around.
Fans everywhere, meanwhile, have been scrambling throughout the off season to find out who’s left their team and stressing about the effect of those losses. In MSU’s case, the loss of Session and Redd is probably the most noteworthy. The Bobcats also graduate stars Taylor Tuiasosopo and Lewis Kidd, the latter who is vying for a spot with the New Orleans Saints. That leaves sophomore center Justus Perkins as the lone returning offensive lineman starter.
While the wide receiver positions also took a hit from transfers, that area seems to be well covered with Willie Patterson’s return and the signing of Ravi Alston, who has looked more than capable during practices, out of Division III St. John’s (Minnesota). Kentucky graduate transfer Clevan Thomas, former Sac State transfer Marqui Johnson, junior college transfer Malik Mullins and true freshman Christian Anaya should all be in the mix at wide out during fall camp.
The Bobcats also have a full room of running backs returning along with new arrival Kaegun Williams, a transfer from San Diego State who was once ranked the 7th-best dual-threat running back recruit in the country.
Rhedi Short, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound graduate transfer from Arizona, is expected to be a front-runner to start at safety with junior Rylan Ortt ineligible for the first half of the 2022 season. Air Force transfer freshman cornerback Dru Polidore will also be in the mix.
Other transfers expected to contribute entering their second seasons at MSU include senior safety Jeffrey Manning Jr. (Oregon State), junior defensive tackle Blake Hehl (Tarleton State) and junior defensive end David Alston (Nebraska).
Things will likely settle down a bit along the transfer front in coming years as Vigen further settles in with the Bobcats and the effects of COVID19 on scholarships and years of eligibility wane. The transfer portal has become increasingly popular, so it’s unclear just how much it will continue to effect rosters.
