Kennedy announces three defensive staff additions
3/2/2026 4:49:00 PM | Football
The University of Montana has filled out its defensive football staff with the addition of three new coaches to the Grizzly roster, head coach Bobby Kennedy announced Monday.
Eric Sanders, who brings nearly two decades of NFL, Power Five, and Big Sky Conference defensive coaching experience, has been named Montana's next defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.
Joining Sanders are two veteran position coaches with lengthy experience in the Big Sky and FCS levels, along with playing experience at the FBS level. Jaylen Johnson has joined the staff as UM's defensive line coach, and Wes Nurse will coach the Grizzly safeties.
All three coaches come to Missoula most recently from Eastern Washington where Sanders served as D-coordinator for the last three seasons. Johnson coached the Eagles' D-line, while Nurse coached the cornerbacks under Sanders.
Sanders coached linebackers alongside Kennedy at Stanford from 2020-2022 after four seasons in the NFL. It was his second stint in Palo Alto under head coach David Shaw after serving as a defensive assistant for the Cardinal in 2015. Surrounding those two appointments he spent a total of nine years in the NFL on staff with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets.
"I got to know Coach Sanders at Standford and was really impressed during his time there. He coached a number of really great linebackers. But when you look deeper into his background with the Raiders, Browns, and Jets, he's also worked with some great NFL defensive minds like Gregg Williams. You can see why he's become an outstanding defensive coordinator," said Kennedy.
"He wanted the opportunity to coordinate at Standford and got it at Eastern Washington. The first thing we noticed when we played them last year was his defense presented a lot of problems. I like that he can be multiple in what he does in terms of front and coverage, and after seeing him coach at Stanford, I know his guys will play hard and play hard for him."
Sanders comes to Montana after spending the last three seasons at Eastern Washington where his defenses consistently had one of the top takeaway rates in the Big Sky Conference.
"I'm grateful to Coach Kennedy for the opportunity to join a tradition-rich program like Montana. I remember coaching here with UC Davis in 2008. The crowd completely took over the game, and we couldn't execute a snap from center. So, I've known about the stadium, the environment, and the support here for a long time," said Sanders.
"I didn't know the full depth of the program until I walked in and started working with Coach Kennedy. Now I'm more excited to be here, but even more excited now that I've learned about the kids. Every single guy is excited to buy in to the direction we're heading and to learn the details of our defense."
Nurse joins the program as UM's new safeties coach after four seasons at Eastern Washington where he coached cornerbacks.
During his time with the Eagles, he mentored first team All-Big Sky picks Jaylon Jenkins and Drew Carter, among others. He also helped EWU produced the third-most interceptions in the conference in 2025.
Nurse now returns to the state of Montana after having served as Defensive Coordinator at Carroll College in Helena before his time at EWU. There he led the Fighting Saints to a Spring 2021 Frontier Conference Championship and NAIA Playoffs appearance, their first since 2014. Carroll led the Frontier Conference with six interceptions in four games while six players earned All-Conference recognition.
Before his time in Helena he coached two stints at UC Davis, and the University of North Dakota, as well as spending time at Houston. For the Cougars, he was a quality control assistant working with both the defense and special teams. While in Texas, the Cougars climbed to as high as No. 12 in the FBS polls (2009) and the 2008 and 2009 UH squads appeared in the Armed Forces Bowl.
"Coach Nurse has coached a number of positions on defense, and it was important for me to hire someone with that experience, but someone also has experience at a high level. He's coached at Houston, EWU, and made numerous stops around the west, including in Montana. He loves this state and wanted to come back, and it was apparent to me he'd be a great fit here. He's demanding, but will have a great relationship with the players," said Kennedy.
Nurse played at Boise State where he was a three-year starting safety, twice earning All-Western Athletic Conference first-team honors and team MVP accolades in 2003, helping BSU win four conference titles. The Broncos compiled a 52-11 record during his four years on the field and won all four bowl games the team appeared in.
He was later a graduate assistant on the Bronco coaching staff from 2005-07 under Dan Hawkins and Chris Petersen for two years and worked alongside current UM offensive coordinator Brent Pease in 2006-07. Three of the defensive backs Nurse worked with during this stint went on to be drafted in the NFL (Gerald Alexander, 2nd round; 2006, Orlando Scandrick, 4th round; 2008 and Kyle Wilson, 1st round; 2010). In his final season with the Broncos, he helped Boise State coaching staff defeat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
"Thank you to Coach Kennedy for affording me the opportunity to be a part of this great program. It's an excellent opportunity to be around a great group of players and coaches, and to be a part of a tradition-rich program at Montana," said Nurse.
Johnson comes to Missoula with three years coaching in the Big Sky Conference following two seasons at Eastern Washington and one season at Weber State.
Prior to that he spent three years at his alma mater, the University of Washington, working as the defensive line graduate assistant. There he helped prepare and run position meeting groups. He prepared the game plans for both the opponents' pass protection and run game. Johnson also assisted in the planning practices for individual student-athletes, along with assisting in the recruiting efforts.
The Huskies ranked third in the Pac-12 in total defense in 2021 and the team improved to 10-2 in the 2022 season. Washington's run defense improved to allowing only 127 yards per game in '21 from 197 yards the previous season.
Johnson played for the Huskies from 2014 to 2018, and saw the field for UW in their win over Montana in 2017. He was a All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention in the '18 season, with 34 total tackles and one sack. He played in 50 career games with 35 starts, making 73 total tackles - 12 for a loss. He totaled 6.5 sacks and had a forced fumble. Johnson earned the Huskies Academic achievement award during his playing career.
While in Seattle, Washington had back-to-back 10-win seasons (2016-17). The Huskies won the Pac-12 Championship in 2016 and followed up with another title in 2018. The class that Johnson was apart of set a program record for wins in their tenure. He also went on to earn NFL experience after signing with the Denver Broncos in 2019.
"As I researched coaches for this position Jaylen was a guy that kept coming up, and is regarded as a bright young coach. Plus, his personality and his presence I think will give our defensive line a real good push. He's a rising star in this business and an excellent recruiter with ties in Southern California and Washington. He's also played the position at a high level, so I'm excited to have him here," said Kennedy.
Johnson graduated from Washington with his bachelor's degree in political science in 2018 and his master's degree in education in 2023.
"Coach Kennedy is an awesome guy, a great recruiter, and I'm thankful for this awesome opportunity. I'm here to help dominate the line of scrimmage," said Johnson.
Montana opened its 2026 spring practice schedule on Monday. The season concludes on April 10 with the annual Griz Spring Game, set for 6 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Eric Sanders, who brings nearly two decades of NFL, Power Five, and Big Sky Conference defensive coaching experience, has been named Montana's next defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.
Joining Sanders are two veteran position coaches with lengthy experience in the Big Sky and FCS levels, along with playing experience at the FBS level. Jaylen Johnson has joined the staff as UM's defensive line coach, and Wes Nurse will coach the Grizzly safeties.
All three coaches come to Missoula most recently from Eastern Washington where Sanders served as D-coordinator for the last three seasons. Johnson coached the Eagles' D-line, while Nurse coached the cornerbacks under Sanders.
Sanders coached linebackers alongside Kennedy at Stanford from 2020-2022 after four seasons in the NFL. It was his second stint in Palo Alto under head coach David Shaw after serving as a defensive assistant for the Cardinal in 2015. Surrounding those two appointments he spent a total of nine years in the NFL on staff with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets.
"I got to know Coach Sanders at Standford and was really impressed during his time there. He coached a number of really great linebackers. But when you look deeper into his background with the Raiders, Browns, and Jets, he's also worked with some great NFL defensive minds like Gregg Williams. You can see why he's become an outstanding defensive coordinator," said Kennedy.
"He wanted the opportunity to coordinate at Standford and got it at Eastern Washington. The first thing we noticed when we played them last year was his defense presented a lot of problems. I like that he can be multiple in what he does in terms of front and coverage, and after seeing him coach at Stanford, I know his guys will play hard and play hard for him."
Sanders comes to Montana after spending the last three seasons at Eastern Washington where his defenses consistently had one of the top takeaway rates in the Big Sky Conference.
"I'm grateful to Coach Kennedy for the opportunity to join a tradition-rich program like Montana. I remember coaching here with UC Davis in 2008. The crowd completely took over the game, and we couldn't execute a snap from center. So, I've known about the stadium, the environment, and the support here for a long time," said Sanders.
"I didn't know the full depth of the program until I walked in and started working with Coach Kennedy. Now I'm more excited to be here, but even more excited now that I've learned about the kids. Every single guy is excited to buy in to the direction we're heading and to learn the details of our defense."
Nurse joins the program as UM's new safeties coach after four seasons at Eastern Washington where he coached cornerbacks.
During his time with the Eagles, he mentored first team All-Big Sky picks Jaylon Jenkins and Drew Carter, among others. He also helped EWU produced the third-most interceptions in the conference in 2025.
Nurse now returns to the state of Montana after having served as Defensive Coordinator at Carroll College in Helena before his time at EWU. There he led the Fighting Saints to a Spring 2021 Frontier Conference Championship and NAIA Playoffs appearance, their first since 2014. Carroll led the Frontier Conference with six interceptions in four games while six players earned All-Conference recognition.
Before his time in Helena he coached two stints at UC Davis, and the University of North Dakota, as well as spending time at Houston. For the Cougars, he was a quality control assistant working with both the defense and special teams. While in Texas, the Cougars climbed to as high as No. 12 in the FBS polls (2009) and the 2008 and 2009 UH squads appeared in the Armed Forces Bowl.
"Coach Nurse has coached a number of positions on defense, and it was important for me to hire someone with that experience, but someone also has experience at a high level. He's coached at Houston, EWU, and made numerous stops around the west, including in Montana. He loves this state and wanted to come back, and it was apparent to me he'd be a great fit here. He's demanding, but will have a great relationship with the players," said Kennedy.
Nurse played at Boise State where he was a three-year starting safety, twice earning All-Western Athletic Conference first-team honors and team MVP accolades in 2003, helping BSU win four conference titles. The Broncos compiled a 52-11 record during his four years on the field and won all four bowl games the team appeared in.
He was later a graduate assistant on the Bronco coaching staff from 2005-07 under Dan Hawkins and Chris Petersen for two years and worked alongside current UM offensive coordinator Brent Pease in 2006-07. Three of the defensive backs Nurse worked with during this stint went on to be drafted in the NFL (Gerald Alexander, 2nd round; 2006, Orlando Scandrick, 4th round; 2008 and Kyle Wilson, 1st round; 2010). In his final season with the Broncos, he helped Boise State coaching staff defeat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
"Thank you to Coach Kennedy for affording me the opportunity to be a part of this great program. It's an excellent opportunity to be around a great group of players and coaches, and to be a part of a tradition-rich program at Montana," said Nurse.
Johnson comes to Missoula with three years coaching in the Big Sky Conference following two seasons at Eastern Washington and one season at Weber State.
Prior to that he spent three years at his alma mater, the University of Washington, working as the defensive line graduate assistant. There he helped prepare and run position meeting groups. He prepared the game plans for both the opponents' pass protection and run game. Johnson also assisted in the planning practices for individual student-athletes, along with assisting in the recruiting efforts.
The Huskies ranked third in the Pac-12 in total defense in 2021 and the team improved to 10-2 in the 2022 season. Washington's run defense improved to allowing only 127 yards per game in '21 from 197 yards the previous season.
Johnson played for the Huskies from 2014 to 2018, and saw the field for UW in their win over Montana in 2017. He was a All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention in the '18 season, with 34 total tackles and one sack. He played in 50 career games with 35 starts, making 73 total tackles - 12 for a loss. He totaled 6.5 sacks and had a forced fumble. Johnson earned the Huskies Academic achievement award during his playing career.
While in Seattle, Washington had back-to-back 10-win seasons (2016-17). The Huskies won the Pac-12 Championship in 2016 and followed up with another title in 2018. The class that Johnson was apart of set a program record for wins in their tenure. He also went on to earn NFL experience after signing with the Denver Broncos in 2019.
"As I researched coaches for this position Jaylen was a guy that kept coming up, and is regarded as a bright young coach. Plus, his personality and his presence I think will give our defensive line a real good push. He's a rising star in this business and an excellent recruiter with ties in Southern California and Washington. He's also played the position at a high level, so I'm excited to have him here," said Kennedy.
Johnson graduated from Washington with his bachelor's degree in political science in 2018 and his master's degree in education in 2023.
"Coach Kennedy is an awesome guy, a great recruiter, and I'm thankful for this awesome opportunity. I'm here to help dominate the line of scrimmage," said Johnson.
Montana opened its 2026 spring practice schedule on Monday. The season concludes on April 10 with the annual Griz Spring Game, set for 6 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Griz Football Spring Preview Press Conference
Wednesday, February 25
Griz Spring Football Preview
Wednesday, February 25
Griz Football Coach Bobby Kennedy Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, February 05
Bobby Kennedy Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, February 05
