Fifteen former Griz return for Pro Day

Montana wide receiver Michael Wortham has been beating the odds his entire college career.

Underrecruited out of high school in Northern California as a quarterback, he first stopped at Sierra College where in two years he was named section MVP and became a Ju-Co All-American. From there it was two years at Eastern Washington where he became one of the most versatile players in the Big Sky Conference.

Then in one year at Montana he burst on the national scene, breaking longstanding UM records while electrifying the Grizzly offense and special teams units as a do-it-all unicorn of raw football ability, eventually becoming a consensus All-American and a Walter Payton Award Finalist.

This week, he and 14 other former Grizzlies, have the ability to beat the odds again as they get their shot at the next level, running through the paces for talent scouts at UM's annual Pro Day, set for the morning of April 3 at Washington-Grizzly Champions Center and the Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility.

Wortham, who has spent the last three months training for this day in Nashville and now has one of the top PFF ratings for a wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft Class, says he's looking forward to proving it's all in the preparation.

"I'm excited, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. Not many people get this opportunity, so I'm excited to put on for my family. Emotions are going to be high, but God has a plan for me," Wortham said.

"Training was amazing. I had a detailed schedule each week and we'd work on specific things – a lot of 40 prep work and some shuttle work, but there's always room for growth. I just hope I run exactly how I did when I was training. Hoping I'm around a 4.3, low 4.4 in the 40, and just tear up the other events."

Wortham is one of 15 total former Grizzlies returning for this year's Pro Day, with players from both the graduating class of 2024 and '25 set to participate. Three other players from around the state of Montana will also be in Missoula to compete, bringing the total number of participants to 18.

Grizzlies returning from last year's 13-2 team include Liam Brown (OL), Kellen Detrick (DL), Prince Ford (CB), Kenzel Lawler (CB), Ty Morrison (K/P), Cannon Panfiloff (OL), Hunter Peck (DL), Grayson Pibal (LS), Stevie Rocker Jr. (RB), Evan Shafer (TE), Elijawah Tolbert (LB), and Wortham. Previous year players include those unable to perform last year like Aaron Fontes (WR), Cole Grossman (TE), and Vai Kaho (LB).

Pro Day Gets underway at roughly 8 a.m. with check-in, weigh-in, and measurements before moving to the testing phase for vertical jump, and the 225-pound bench press in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center.

Testing then moves into the Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility for the broad jump and speed and agility portions at roughly 10 a.m. until approximately 11 a.m.

Testing inside the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center is closed to the public. Testing at the indoor facility is open to family, agents, and media only.

The 2026 NFL Draft gets underway on April 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Follow the Griz on social media @MontanaGrizFB and check back to GoGriz.com for official times and results.

MONTANA PARTICIPANTS
1.     Liam Brown – OL
2.     Kellen Detrick - DL
3.     Aaron Fontes - WR
4.     Prince Ford - CB
5.     Cole Grossman - TE
6.     Vai Kaho - LB
7.     Kenzel Lawler - CB
8.     Ty Morrison – P/K
9.     Cannon Panfiloff – OL
10. Hunter Peck – DL
11. Grayson Pibal – LS
12. Stevie Rocker – RB
13. Evan Shafer – TE
14. Elijawah Tolbert – LB
15. Michael Wortham – WR

OTHER PARTICIPANTS
1.     Carson Ochoa – TE – Carroll College
2.     Brett Tommasini – LB – Carroll College
3.     Michael Palandri – QB – Montana Western

GRIZ PRO DAY SCHEDULE

8-9 AM: Player check-in – Washington-Grizzly Champions Center (Closed to public)

9 AM: Body Measurements – height, weight, hand, wing – Washington-Grizzly Champions Center (Closed to public)

9:15-10 AM: Testing – vertical jump, 225-pound bench – Washington-Grizzly Champions Center (Closed to public)

10-11 AM: Agility testing – broad jump, 40-yard sprint, pro agility, 3-cone L drill, 60-yard shuttle, position specific drills – Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility (open to media on sideline, closed to general public)

*Schedule tentative and subject to change
** Media invited to observe from the upper deck of the Champions Center and the running track of the Indoor Practice Facility

THE PROSPECTS

Liam Brown: A staple on the Grizzly offensive line as a four-year starter, Brown was a 2^nd team All-Big Sky pick in 2025 and made 44 career starts for the Griz. He already got the opportunity to perform for pro scouts as one of 50 players at the inaugural AFCA FCS Showcase, an NFL Combine-style event held in conjunction with the FCS national championship game in Nashville in January. Brown has been in Nashville ever since training for Montana's Pro Day. Brown was a leader up front on some of the most prolific offenses in Grizzly history during his career, opening holes for a record-breaking rushing attack that averaged just under 2,500 yards per season during his four years, and passed for the third-most yards in program history as a senior. Also part of an O-line that gave up just 23 sacks in 2025, the second fewest in the last decade. That equals just over 1.5 per game, allowing UM to rack-up over 457 yards of offense per game.

Kellen Detrick: A native of Havre, Detrick earned the team's Tony Barbour Award for the player "who best exemplifies outstanding practice habits and makes an unselfish contribution to the betterment of the Grizzly Football Team" after working his way into a starting job at D-End as a senior, starting all 15 games in 2025 and putting in 34 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, and four sacks. He finished his career with 27 career appearances, totaling 45 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, and five sacks. He was also an Academic All-Big Sky pick as a senior.

Aaron Fontes: After pulling out of the 2025 Griz Pro Day with injury, Fontes returns in 2026 to showcase his talents for pro scouts. One of Montana's most electric receivers, Fontes finished his career in 2024 with 1,418 receiving yards, just outside of Montana's all-time top 30. He also logged 126 career catches in 43 games played with eight career TDs. Averaged 11.3 yards per catch and 33 yards per game and scored a rushing TD as a senior for nine total scores in his career. He was utilized in the return game as well with 142 career kickoff return yards on 5 attempts for an average of 8.4 per return and a long of 42. He also returned 9 punts for 56 total yards.

Prince Ford: A consistent presence in the Grizzly defensive backfield, Ford made seven starts and appeared in all 15 games as a senior. In two seasons of action he saw time in 21 games, making 33 tackles (25 solo) at cornerback, logging one interception his senior season and four pass breakups to go along with one sack.

Cole Grossman: Another player who sat out the 2025 Pro Day with injury, Grossman returns to Missoula for another shot at the NFL in 2026. A versatile and dangerous tight end, he earned several preseason accolades as a senior and a place on the Senior Bowl Watch List as one of the top tight ends in the FCS… He capped his career with 33 appearances for the Griz… He logged 897 yards on 69 career catches with 10 total TDs, and a long catch of 57 yards to averaged 13 yards per catch and 27.2 yards per game receiving.

Vai Kaho: After spending one season at Montana in 2024 Kaho also returns for Pro Day after missing 2025 with injury. He started all 14 games at linebacker for UM in 2024. In that time, he logged 63 tackles (15 solo) with five TFLs and one sack. He also logged a pass breakup and a QB hurry… Helped UM produce the 3^rd best total defense in the Big Sky in 2024, giving up an average of just 358 yards and 25.9 points per game.

Kenzel Lawler: Lawler started all 15 games at corner for the Griz as a senior and made 28 appearances in two seasons of action in Missoula. In those two years he logged 69 total tackles (43 solo). He saw the bulk of his minutes as a senior, posting 58 stops (36 solo) with 2.5 TFLs, 15 PBUs, two INTs, and one fumble recovery. His 15 passes defended led the Big Sky, as did his 13 total breakups. 15 passes defended was also the seventh-most in FCS football that year and 13 PBUs were tied for fourth-most in the subdivision. He was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 of his senior season after scoring on a 21-yard pick six against Cal Poly, one of four UM picks on the day. Lawler was also an Academic All-Big Sky pick as a senior.

Ty Morrison: Handling both the kicking and punting duties for the bulk of his career at UM, Morrison quietly finished as one of the best to do it at UM. His career average of 43.2 yards per punt is the second-best in program history. He only missed one PAT in his career going 107/108, and his career field goal percentage of 67.75 (23/34) ranks in UM's all-time top 10. As a senior he went 6-for-11 in field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards, averaged 43.6 yards per punt on 55 attempts with a long of 65 yards, and totaled 5,585 yards on 90 kickoffs with just two out of bounds and 52 touchbacks. He also completed a 28-yard pass at Sacramento State to pick up a key first down. Morrison also earned back-to-back Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week honors after drilling a 42-yard field goal in the closing minutes against North Dakota and going 7 for 7 on extra point attempts while dropping two punts inside the 20-yard line against Indiana State. As a senior earned an All-Big Sky honorable mention and was a two-time Academic All-Big Sky pick as well.

Cannon Panfiloff: Another staple on UM's offensive line, Panfiloff started 30 games and appeared in 41 total contests as a Grizzly. He was named to three different All-American teams after his senior season, landing on the Stats Perform second team, the FCS Central/Sports Illustrated third team, and earning an honorable mention from the Associated Press. He earned the team's Paul Weskamp Award for outstanding offensive lineman in 2025. He was a first team all-conference pick on an O-line that gave up just 23 sacks this year, the second fewest in the last decade. That equals just over. 1.5 per game, allowing UM to rack-up over 457 yards of offense per game. Was also a leader up front on some of the most prolific offenses in Grizzly history during his career, opening holes for a record-breaking rushing attack that averaged just under 2,500 yards per season during his four years, and passed for the third-most yards in program history as a senior. Panfiloff was a three-time Academic All-Big Sky pick as well.

Hunter Peck: In one year at Montana, Peck was a first-team All-Big Sky pick on the D-Line and won Montana's Sims-Miller Award for the team's top D-lineman. He led the Grizzly defense in sacks (4.5), was second in QB hurries (4) and was third in TFLs (8) in 2025, was top 10 on the team in tackles with 40 and forced a fumble as well. He earned first team all-conference honors at UM and was a two-time All-American and the Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Carroll before that. He was named Academic All-American for the second time in his career in 2025, maintaining a 3.70 GPA with a degree in biology, a minor in chemistry, and graduate certificate in business with an eye toward med school.

Grayson Pibal: Montana's go-to choice at long snapper for three-years running, Pibal made 46 career appearances on Montana's special teams unit and was nearly flawless in each one. He delivered 441 consecutive clean snaps across UM's punt, field goal, and PAT teams, dating back to his freshman year in 2022. He totaled 185 punt snaps, 68 field goal, and 188 PAT snaps without an errant delivery among them. Piblal earned second-team All-Big Sky honors as a senior and was a two-time Academic All-Big Sky pick as well.

Stevie Rocker Jr.: Versatile and dependable, Rocker contributed on offense, the return game and kickoff coverage as a senior and totaled 29 appearances in two years at UM. In 2025 he carried the ball 45 times for 209 yards and 4 TDs to average 4.6 yards per tote. He also caught 27 passes for 271 yards and three more scores to average 10 yards per catch. In the return game he brought back five kickoffs for 84 yards as well. Capped his two years career at UM with 73 carries for 335 yards and four TDs, and 34 catches for 361 yards.

Evan Shafer: After an injury in the final game of the season, Shafter returns for a limited Pro Day. The first team All-Big Sky pick and Associated Press All-America honorable mention tight end caught 14 passes for 137 yards and two TDs as a senior and made 22 career starts on a record-setting Grizzly offense. He finished his three year UM career with 44 appearances, 30 catches for 287 yards, and five total TDs.

Elijawah Tolbert: In one season at Montana started six games at linebacker and played in 13 contests. He logged 67 tackles (25 solo) with five games tallying 7-plus stops to be UM's fifth-leading tackler in 2025. He also logged 3 TFLs and a half-sack to go with four pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Michael Wortham: A record-breaking receiver, Wortham re-wrote UM record books in his one season at UM. A consensus All-American, an All-Big Sky pick twice-over, and Payton Award finalist, he set a new single-season school record with 2,431 all-purpose yards, finishing only 90 yards shy of the single-season Big Sky record. He caught 85 passes for 1,224 yards, the second-most catches in a season ever at UM (by just two catches) and the sixth-most total yards receiving. His 782 yards of kickoff returns are also the third most ever at UM and making him one of just five players with more than 700 in a year. Wortham was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January and was the only receiver named to the East squad's All-Practice team at the end of the week. He also participated in the inaugural AFCA FCS Showcase, an NFL Combine-style event held in conjunction with the FCS national championship in Nashville. Returns to Missoula for Pro Day as the second-highest rated college wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft Class by Pro Football Focus with a 91.7 offensive grade.

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Liam Brown

Kellen Detrick

Prince Ford

Kenzel Lawler

Ty Morrison

Cannon Panfiloff

Hunter Peck

Grayson Pibal

Stevie Rocker Jr.

Evan Shafer

Elijawah Tolbert

Michael Wortham

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