Montana ranks No. 7 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Grizzlies finished 9-5 last year, losing 35-18 at South Dakota State in the FCS second round.
Here’s a look at the 2025 Montana football squad.
Returning 2024 FCS All-Conference Players (4)
First Team
AP Michael Wortham (transfer from EWU)
2nd Team
RB Eli Gillman
LB Peyton Wing (transfer from Portland State)
Special Teams TJ Rausch
D1 Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (6)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Elijawah Tolbert | LB | Eastern Illinois |
| Michael Wortham | AP | Eastern Washington |
| Diezel Wilkinson | DB | Idaho |
| Peyton Wing | LB | Portland State |
| Josh Gale | TE | UC Davis |
| Cole Muilenburg | DE | Valpo |
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (15)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Styles Goodman | LB | Air Force |
| Korbin Hendrix | WR | Arizona State |
| Caleb Moran | LB | Army |
| Micah Harper | DB | BYU |
| Dylan Jemtegaard | OL | Cal |
| Blake Bohannon | WR | Kennesaw |
| Jose Balver-Mendoza | OL | Kennesaw |
| Hayden Schwartz | DL | Minnesota |
| Patrick Matan | OL | NC State |
| Titus Rohrer | TE | Tennessee |
| Jake Jensen | QB | USC |
| DJ Peevy | DE | USC |
| Solomon Tuliaupupu | DE | USC |
| Jeilani Davis | S | Utah |
| Braydon Bailey | DT | Utah State |
Transfers Lost To The FCS (1)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| RB Wilson V | DL | Texas Southern |
Transfers Lost To The FBS (4)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Riley Wilson | LB | Arizona |
| Logan Fife | QB | New Mexico State |
| Sawyer Racanelli | WR | Wake Forest |
| Grant Glasgow | K | New Mexico |
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Offensive Outlook
Montana’s offense returns its All-American running back, a quarterback who split reps last year, three of its top five offensive linemen, and it adds a 2024 All-Purpose FCS All-American. The Griz lose their top five pass-catchers.
In reps, Montana returns seven players who played 390 or more snaps.
Keali’i Ah Yat returns at quarterback, entering his redshirt sophomore season after splitting time last year. He played around 400 snaps compared to Logan Fife’s 576. Fife transferred to New Mexico State this offseason. Ah Yat finished 112/189 passing (59.3%) for 1,121 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 159 yards and seven scores. Montana brought in USC transfer QB Jake Jensen, a redshirt senior, to push for the starting job. Jensen saw limited playing time for the Trojans.
A strong running back room and experienced offensive line should help ease the quarterback in as the Griz have to replace their top five pass-catchers from last year.
Eli Gillman returns as a top FCS running back and an early candidate for the Walter Payton Award. He’s been fantastic in his first two seasons in Missoula. In 2023, he rushed for 968 yards and 12 TDs, getting named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and winning the Jerry Rice Award as the best FCS freshman. Last season, he rushed 167 times for 1,104 yards (6.6 YPC) and 15 TDs. Gillman was PFF’s No. 12-graded FCS running back and earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Second Team. Malae Fonoti and Stevie Rocker Jr. add solid depth after showing flashes last season.
Three full-time starters return on the o-line. Cade Klimczak (6’1″ 286 lbs) and Liam Brown (6’5″ 317 lbs) return after logging more than 900 snaps last fall. Cannon Panfiloff (6’6″ 293 lbs) added more than 600 snaps. Dillon Botner (6’6″ 290 lbs) provides valuable experience, playing nearly 400 snaps in 2024 with a few starts.
Tight end Evan Shafer is also back after recording 450+ snaps. The 6-foot-5 and 273-pounder is a key cog in the run game while adding six catches for 61 yards.
Montana added two great FCS transfers with strong Big Sky accolades.
Michael Wortham was a 2024 multi-time All-American and All-Big Sky First Team selection for Eastern Washington at the all-purpose position. He was listed as a quarterback at EWU last year, but he’s listed as a wide receiver on Montana’s 2025 roster. In 2024, Wortham threw for 88 yards and two TDs, rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 209 yards and a score, and returned 38 kicks for 1,093 yards and one touchdown. Expect him to be Montana’s next special teams ace.
Tight end Josh Gale comes in after productive seasons at UC Davis. In 2022, he had seven receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns. The next year, Gale caught 26 passes for 335 yards and another four touchdowns. Last fall, he totaled 16 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive Outlook
Montana loses its top 10 tacklers and 13 of its top 15 from last fall. In snaps, the Griz lose their top 13 players in reps and return only four of their top 20. Montana added two FCS transfers with All-Conference accolades and an FBS transfer who earned Freshman All-American honors.
Linebacker Caleb Otlewski is Montana’s top returning tackler after finishing 11th on last year’s team, totaling 33 stops with 3.5 TFLs while playing 250+ snaps. He was a redshirt freshman in 2024 after transferring from San Diego State. Another LB to keep an eye on is Clay Oven, who was recently named the recipient of Montana’s legacy No. 37. The redshirt sophomore has just two career tackles, but he had a standout spring.
TJ Rausch looks to be a leader on the defense from his safety spot. He played nearly 300 snaps last season and totaled 29 tackles. Kyon Loud is a promising young cornerback after logging more than 300 snaps and 18 tackles with two pass breakups as a true freshman and 3-star recruit.
Jareb Ramos (6’4″ 285 lbs) will have to step up on the interior of the defensive line. Last year, he recorded 310+ snaps and had 19 tackles.
The Griz added eight FBS transfers and four FCS transfers on the defensive side. Three stand out as immediate splash additions.
Linebacker Elijawah Tolbert is a two-time All-Conference performer from Eastern Illinois. He had 87 tackles in 2023, including seven TFLs. In 2022, he totaled 70 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and three interceptions. Tolbert played in only four games at EIU last fall.
Linebacker Peyton Wing was an All-Big Sky Second Team selection last year at Portland State, notching 93 stops with 7.5 TFLs.
Safety Micah Harper comes from BYU, where he was an FBS Honorable Mention Freshman All-American in 2022 after tallying 62 tackles. He used a medical redshirt in 2023 and played in seven games with 11 tackles last year.
Linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu is an intriguing addition from USC. He was a 4-star recruit and the No. 3 inside linebacker recruit in the country in the class of 2018. Tuliaupupu had an injury-plagued time at USC. If he can stay healthy, he could thrive in Montana’s defense.
2025 Preseason Preview Central
Montana Football Schedule
9/6 vs Central Washington
9/13 vs RV North Dakota
9/20 vs Indiana State
9/27 vs No. 10 Idaho
10/4 at Idaho State
10/11 vs Cal Poly
10/18 vs Sacred Heart
10/24 at No. 12 Sacramento State
11/1 at Weber State
11/8 vs Eastern Washington
11/15 at Portland State
11/22 vs No. 2 Montana State
Bold indicates Big Sky games
HERO Sports’ rankings
RV = Receiving Votes
