Four Griz named Preseason All-Big Sky

Last week, Montana standouts Eli Gillman, Michael Wortham, and Peyton Wing each earned tip of the hat with a place on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America squad.

On Sunday they each added more early accolades to their resumes along with Grizzly long snapper Grayson Pibal as the Big Sky announced its Preseason All-Conference Team at the annual football kickoff event in Spokane.

Gillman, a two-time All-Big Sky running back, was named to the preseason all-league team for a second-straight season.

The 2023 Jerry Rice Award winner for FCS Freshman of the Year is now a junior and already one of the top five running backs in Grizzly history. He currently ranks No. 7 in UM history with 2,137 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns, and No. 5 with 28 rushing touchdowns.

He's the leading returning rusher in the Big Sky in 2025 after averaging 78.9 yards per game and 1,104 total yards in UM's two-back offensive system as a sophomore.

Wortham, a 2024 All-American and a two-time All-Big Sky pick at Eastern Washington, earned two spots on the league's preseason team as an all-purpose player and a kick returner.

The uber-versatile athlete has done a little bit of everything in his college career. He averaged 134.6 yards of total offense per game to rank 11th in the FCS while slotting in at QB and receiver for the Eagles. He also led the Big Sky and set a program record with 1,093 kickoff return yards.

He scored seven total touchdowns in 2024 - five rushing and one receiving. Primarily a receiver, he caught 25 passes for 209 yards. He was also a dual threat under center, rushing for 313 yards on 36 attempts with a 109-yard day against Idaho State and completing seven of nine passes for 88 yards and two TD on the season.

Wing was a breakout star at Portland State at linebacker as a sophomore. He was a second-team all-conference in 2024 with a team-high 93 tackles and 7.5 TFLs. His 8.5 average tackles per game was the fourth-most in the league.

He comes to UM having made 23 total appearances at PSU with 113 career stops, 9.5 TFLs, a sack and a pass deflection.

Pibal is a three-year starter at long snapper for the Griz having made 42 consecutive appearances heading into his senior season. In that time he's been deadly accurate, riding a streak of 31 consecutive games and 293 consecutive attempts (P/FG/PAT) without a bad snap. He's also logged 2 career tackles and recovered a fumble.

Montana will host an FCS record eight regular season home games in 2025. Season ticket packages and single game tickets are on sale now at GrizTix.com and GoGriz.com/Tickets.

2025 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team

QB: Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona
RB: Adam Jones, Montana State
RB: Eli Gillman, Montana
FB: Colter May, Weber State
WR: Sam Gbatu, Jr., UC Davis
WR: Taco Dowler, Montana State
WR: Michael Briscoe, Cal Poly
TE: Winston Williams, UC Davis
TE: Tanner Beaman, Portland State
OL: Titan Fleischmann, Montana State
OL: Gavin Ortega, Weber State
OL: Stryker Rashid, Idaho State
OL: Nate Azzopardi, Idaho
OL: Ernesto Nava, UC Davis
OL: Eli Simonson, UC Davis

DL: Paul Brott, Montana State
DL: Kenneth Eiden IV, Montana State
DL: Ethan Rodriguez, Cal Poly
DL: Micah Carreon, Northern Arizona
DL: Tylin Jackson, Eastern Washington
DL: Zach Krotzer, Idaho
LB: Peyton Wing, Montana
LB: Porter Connors, UC Davis
LB: Isiah King, Idaho
LB: Brandon Wong, Northern Arizona
LB: Nathan Reynolds, Idaho State
DB: Rex Connors, UC Davis
DB: Mason Rivera, Cal Poly
DB: Cam Chapa, Northern Colorado
DB: DaJean Wells, Eastern Washington
DB: Isaiah Green, Portland State
DB: Mason Young, Idaho State

PK: Hunter Ridley, UC Davis
P: Ben D'Aquila, Northern Arizona
KR: Michael Wortham, Montana
PR: Taco Dowler, Montana State
LS: Grayson Pibal, Montana
ST: Trevor Thurman, Eastern Washington
AP: Michael Wortham, Montana

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Eli Gillman

Grayson Pibal

Peyton Wing

Michael Wortham

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