Grizzly linebackers seek next rising star

7/31/2019 5:04:00 PM | Football

By: Montana Sports Information

Note: In the seven days before Montana's first fall camp practice, GoGriz.com will bring you seven stories previewing seven different position groups. Next up: the linebackers.

Returners (2018 Statistics)
Tyler Flink (N/A)
Jace Lewis (62 T, 7.5 TFL, 2.5 SACK, 2 PD, 1 QBH)
Michael Matthews (5 T)
Jed Nagler (10 T, 1 SACK)
Patrick O'Connell (N/A)
Dante Olson (151 T, 11 TFL, 6 SACK, 2 INT, 3 FF, 5 PD, 5 QBH)
Marcus Welnel (16 T, 3.5 TFL, 2 SACK, 2 QBH, 2 FF, 1 Blk Kick)

Additions
Kale Edwards
Cole Grossman
Braxton Hill
Ryan Tirrell
Soane Vaohea
Mason Vinyard

Losses
Josh Buss (75 T, 9 TFL, 5.5 SACK, 1 INT, 3 PD, 5 QBH, 3 FF, 2FR)
Shayne Cochran (11 T)

When Bobby Hauck was making the preseason media rounds in 2018, no one asked him about a little-known linebacker who would be competing for a starting job that season.

Everyone was asking about Josh Buss, and rightly so after being named Big Sky Preseason Defensive MVP following a stellar junior year.

This year, all the questions and all the headlines include a different name: Dante Olson. And rightly so following one of the greatest defensive seasons in Montana and Big Sky history.

But while Olson basks in the limelight, the challenge for Hauck the 2019 Grizzlies will be keeping that tradition of NFL caliber linebacker play (guys like Jordan Tripp and Brock Coyle, to name a few) up in a position group that is still relatively young.

"Dante kind of personifies what we want to see in our players. He is great in the community, gets all "A"s in the classroom, he was a national award finalist, and will hopefully win it this year. He came out of nowhere a year ago for the most part and was a dominant player." says Hauck.

"If he is simply as productive as he was a year ago, then he is going to have a big year. We kind of expect that to happen, so it is really about the other guys. We all know about Dante. Hopefully, we can build upon that with the guys around him."

This year's corps of backers lost only two players to graduation: Buss and Shayne Cochran, who combined for 86 tackles last season. With only three upperclassmen in the 2019 group who have ever taken a snap for the Griz, replacing those players will be a top priority.

As UM prepares to open fall camp next week, junior Jace Lewis appears to be on the verge of a breakout season after garnering Preseason All-Big Sky honors for his in 2018 on Special Teams. The Townsend, Mont., native is the Grizzlies third-leading returning tackler with 62 total stops, 7.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks, and holds the block-shedding and blitzing skills to be a rising star.

But after Lewis, the next great Grizzly linebacker is a relative unknown.

"Buss was a great player here, and even struggling through last year with injuries is a great player. So, we need to replicate that productivity with the other guys in our depth. Jace has played quite a bit, but some other guys need a significant number of snaps, and they need to keep improving," said Hauck.

Converted receiver Jed Nagler will be looking to put his hand up as an outside backer during fall camp. The Whitefish native played in 10 games last season and picked up two starts in 2018 while contributing 10 tackles and a sack his sophomore year.

Junior transfer Soane Vaohea joins the team after two seasons at Merced Junior College where he was a two-time all-conference linebacker. At 6-0, 225-pounds, Vaohea has the physical tools to compete and experience to give him a leg up as he takes his first D-I snaps in fall camp.

Mason Vinyard is another junior transfer that brings Pac-12 experience from Washington State to the linebacker fold this season. At 6-5, 230-pounds, Vinyard also brings impressive physical stature to the rush backer slot, and with three appearances for the Cougars should factor into Montana's depth immediately.

Montana's sophomore class of backers could turn some heads in 2019 as well, with the emergence of Marcus Welnel, Michael Matthews, and Patrick O'Connell during the spring season.

Welnel saw the most action as a freshman, picking up an impressive 16 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Matthews had five tackles in the spring game this year to match the five he posted as a freshman last season. O'Connell, a native of Kalispell who transferred to UM from the University of Mary last year, was named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year in 2018 and put in six tackles for the Silver team at the spring game as well.

No matter the age, Hauck says the competition amongst the younger classes will be fierce for playing time when camp opens as the Griz look to solidify the depth chart.

"They are all important. Especially in a place where, philosophically, we like to play into our depth some," says Hauck.

"The more productive those guys can be the more playing time they will get. It's a results-oriented business. You earn everything you get and those guys are working their tails off to get some playing time."

No one better to preview the #GrizD than the #BigSkyFB Preseason MVP @danteolson25 & the @VoiceoftheGriz! #GoGriz #RTD #UpWithMontana pic.twitter.com/hlsl2DBA5S
— Montana Griz FB (@MontanaGrizFB) July 16, 2019