Gillman named preseason MVP; three Griz earn Big Sky honors

SPOKANE - Eli Gillman, the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, was selected by the league's media members to repeat the honor in 2026, and three Grizzlies earned spots on the preseason all-conference team, the Big Sky Conference announced Sunday from its annual kickoff event in Spokane, Wash.

Gillman earned the preseason offensive Player of the Year honor and a spot on the preseason all-conference team at running back. Defensive end Jake Mason and linebacker Peyton Wing also earned preseason all-conference honors.

Gillman enters his senior season as one of the top returning players in the FCS, having landed on the Walter Payton Award watch list, the Shrine Bowl 1,000 watch list and multiple preseason All-America teams.

The fifth-year standout is on the cusp of becoming Montana's all-time leading rusher for a program that has historically produced some of the top rushing offenses in FCS football. He starts the year with 3,677 rushing yards, fourth on UM's all-time list, needing just 394 more to pass Hall of Famers Yohance Humphrey, Chase Reynolds and Lex Hilliard and claim the top spot in the Grizzly record books.

Gillman also enters the year with 49 rushing touchdowns, third in program history behind Reynolds (52) and Hilliard (50), and 53 total touchdowns, second all-time behind Reynolds' career mark of 59. His 318 career points rank fifth on UM's all-time scoring list, and he needs 95 more to surpass Dan Carpenter's conference-record 413 and claim the program scoring title.

In 2025 Gillman was named Montana's first Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year since quarterback John Edwards won the honor in 2002. He is the seventh Grizzly to win offensive Player of the Year honors and the only non-quarterback in program history to claim the award. Should he repeat in 2026, he'll become the first Grizzly since Brian Ah Yat in 1996 and 1998 to win twice, and the first since Dave Dickenson from 1993-1995 to go back-to-back. He'd also be the first player in the Big Sky since Eastern Washington QB Eric Barriere won in 2020 and 2021.

Gillman is also in a rare group of just 13 running backs around the league to earn Offensive MVP honors since the Big Sky started handing out the award in 1974. He's in elite company as one of just three players to be named Big Sky Freshman of the Year and go on to be named Offensive Player of the Year, joining Troy Andersen and Cooper Kupp in that distinction.

A three-time All-Big Sky honoree, Gillman earned second-team honors at running back in both 2023 and 2024 and was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year and the Jerry Rice Award winner in 2023.

The Dassel, Minn., native rushed for a career-high and Big Sky-best 1,540 yards in 2025 – his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. He led the league in rushing yards per game (102.7), rushing touchdowns (21), total points scored (138) and points per game (9.2), and ranked fifth among all FCS rushers. He posted eight 100-yard games and 11 games with at least 80 rushing yards, excelling as the featured back in a balanced offense that passes as readily as it runs.

Wing enters 2026 as one of the top defensive players in the FCS, landing on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list, multiple preseason All-America teams, and the preseason All-Big Sky team for a second time.

The Sumner, Wash., native is Montana's leading returning tackler and the Big Sky's second-leading returning interception getter heading into 2026. He has established himself as one of the most decorated linebackers in the league after earning all-conference honors for a second consecutive season in 2025. That year, Montana finished plus-14 in turnover differential, fueled by an FCS top-three total of 25 takeaways that included 21 interceptions - the most for the Griz since 2009 - with Wing accounting for four.

As a junior in 2025, Wing recorded 78 tackles, third on the team, and 8.5 tackles for loss, second on the squad. He earned second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated, an All-America honorable mention from the Associated Press, a first-team All-Big Sky selection at linebacker and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording three sacks at Sacramento State.

Mason broke out in 2025, his second season at UM after transferring from Washington in 2023, emerging as one of the top defenders in the Big Sky and earning all-conference honorable mention as a reserve defensive end.

The native of Ferndale, Wash., appeared in all 15 of Montana's games and played a big role in the defense with 26 tackles (14 solo), and was top five on the team in TFLs with 5.5 and logged 2 sacks for a loss of 11 yards. He also blocked 2 passes and had a quarterback hurry.

2026 Big Sky Football Preseason MVPs
Offensive: Eli Gillman, RB, Montana
Defensive: Caden Dowler, DB, Montana State

2026 Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team
QB: Justin Lamson, Montana State%
RB: Eli Gillman, Montana*%
RB: Adam Jones, Montana State*%
WR: Sam Gbatu, Jr., UC Davis*%
WR: Taco Dowler, Montana State*%
WR: Chedon James, Idaho State
TE: Winston Williams, UC Davis*
TE: Jeter Purdy, Northern Arizona
OL: Titan Fleischmann, Montana State*%
OL: Stryker Rashid, Idaho State*%
OL: Zaire Collier, UC Davis%
OL: Jack Ziebell, Northern Colorado%
OL: Braden Zimmer, Montana State
OL: Burke Mastel, Montana State%

DL: Zac Crews, Montana State
DL: Isaiah Perez, Eastern Washington%
DL: Bronson Childs, Idaho State
DL: Jake Mason, Montana%
DL: Ezra Ekuban, Northern Colorado
DL: Rayne Mayo Jr., UC Davis
LB: Mikey D'Amato, Cal Poly%
LB: Peyton Wing, Montana*%
LB: Kenny Olson, Cal Poly%
LB: Cole Taylor, Montana State%
LB: Porter Connors, UC Davis*
DB: Rex Connors, UC Davis*
DB: Caden Dowler, Montana State%
DB: Jaylon Jenkins, Eastern Washington%
DB: Tayden Gray, Montana State%
DB: Drew Cofield, UC Davis%
DB: Shoes Brinkley, Northern Arizona

PK: Myles Sansted, Montana State
P: Ryan Marks, Utah Tech
KR: Jabez Woods, Montana State
PR: Taco Dowler, Montana State*%
LS: Maddox Broughton, Northern Colorado%
ST: Brayden Rice, Idaho%
AP: Taco Dowler, Montana State

* - 2025 Big Sky Football Preseason Honoree
% - 2025 Big Sky Football Postseason All-Conference Honoree

University of Montana Athletics

Gillman named preseason MVP; three Griz earn Big Sky honors

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