Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana
Griz add six to roster on first day of fall camp
7/31/2026 5:25:00 PM | Football
MISSOULA – Montana head coach Bobby Kennedy announced Friday the addition of six new players to the Grizzly roster as the team reported for the first day of fall training camp.
The six players – three transfers with college experience and three high school prospects – joined the program over the summer, adding to the class that signed during February's Signing Period. UM has now added 50 new players since the end of last season: 23 from high school and 27 transfers.
Kennedy and his staff focused on adding size up front with the recent additions, bringing in two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman who average 305 pounds. A pair of freshman safeties round out the group, along with Montana's first Australian punter, who adds another weapon on special teams.
Manase Tupou and Zaiden Wallace bring FBS experience and size to the defensive line. Tupou began his career at Utah State before spending last season at MSU Northern in Havre. Wallace, a native of Hawaii, spent two seasons at Nevada before coming to Missoula.
All-Frontier Conference offensive lineman Wyatt Sandford arrives from Carroll College, continuing a recent pipeline of Saints who have finished their careers as Grizzlies.
The freshman safeties are Nohi Casco, a state champion from Maui who also set the Hawaii high school pole vault record, and Hudson Schrader, a California native who drew multiple FBS offers. Everett O'Donnell comes to Montana from Melbourne as an experienced Australian rules football player competing for a starting punter role, with two years of eligibility remaining.
Montana opened the Kennedy era Friday with the first day of fall training camp, beginning a three-week practice period leading up to the season opener against Southern Utah on Aug. 29 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The first official practice of the year is Monday, Aug. 3, at Dornblaser Field on UM's South Campus.
New season ticket packages, mini plans, and single game tickets are on sale now at GrizTix.com or GoGriz.com/Tickets.
Signee Bios
1: Nohi Casco, Fr., CB, 5-11, 195, Lahaina, Hawaii/Kamehameha HS
2026 (Fr.): Was a walk-on with the team in the spring semester and earned a spot on the fall roster… Enrolled at UM in the fall of 2025
High School: Helped Kamehameha Maui win its first of two-straight Hawaii D-II state championships in 2024… Was a 4-year defensive captain… Played both safety and cornerback… Was a four-time MIL All-Star… Broke the Hawai'i state high school pole vault record with a jump of 15' 4", a record that had stood for 28 years
Personal: Full first name is Kaʻōnohiokalāikapikookeānuenue
Quoting CB Coach Kim McCloud: "Nohi is a good kid and comes with a good football background in Maui. He was with us in the spring and did a good job. He'll provide some competitive depth for us this fall."
2: Everett O'Donnell, Jr., P, 6-2, 220, Melbourne, Aus. / Prokick Australia
Prior to UM: Began punting with Prokick Australia… Played Australian Rules football with the Fitzroy Football Club in Melbourne… Will have 2 years of eligibility remaining after spending two years in school in Australia.
Quoting ST Coach Chris White: "I've had two punters from the same program as Everett and they can do some phenomenal things with the ball. They can kick Australian punts end-over-end, American spiral punts, rollout punts, they can place it where they want to. I'm looking forward to seeing him execute in fall camp."
3: Wyatt Sandford, 5th, OL, 6-4, 290, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene HS/Carroll
2026 (5th – Montana): Transferred to Montana in time for summer workouts and will add a veteran presence to the O-Line… A returning Academic All-American that carries a 3.79 GPA
2025 (Sr. – Carroll):
• First Team All-Frontier Conference-West
• CSC NAIA Academic All-American
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Was a standout at right tackle for the Saints, anchoring an offensive line that helped account for 1,357 rush yards, 3,020 passing yards, and just 31 sacks allowed on the season… Individually, Sandford allowed just two sacks as a starter in all 12 games in a season that saw Carroll return to the postseason for the first time since 2022, winning their first postseason game since 2014… Earned First Team All-Conference honors after starting all 10 games and helping the Carroll offense record its best passing numbers in the last six seasons.
2024 (Jr. – Carroll):
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Earned a starting job at guard before switching to right tackle.
2023 (So. – Carroll):
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Made one appearance for the Saints
2022 (Fr. – Carroll): Was a redshirt and did not see action.
High School: Sandford was a three-year varsity letter winner, first team all-conference, and second team all-state offensive lineman at Coeur d'Alene… He was a team captain, a two-star prospect, and named preseason All-State…. Earned the Distinguished Team Scholastic Award.
Personal: The son of Toby and Don Sandford and has one brother (Davon)… Plans to pursue a degree in Education
Quoting Coach Brent Myers: "Wyatt was an all-conference performer at Carroll at tackle, but he's played all three positions. He's really versatile. He's been with us all summer learning our system and has done a fantastic job. He's a really good athlete and will add competitive depth for us. I expect he'll be in the mix to play quite quickly."
4: Hudson Schrader, Fr., S, 6-2, 190, Los Gatos, Calif. / Los Gatos HS
High School: Named the Peninsula Athletic League's Bay Area Defensive Back of the Year in 2025… Earned first-team all-conference honors… Team defensive MVP… Played safety and linebacker… Totaled 84 tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 INTs, and pick-six, recovered two fumbles, forced one fumble, and one pass breakup… Also a standout baseball player at catcher…. Also received offers from UNLV and San Jose St.
Quoting Safeties Coach Wes Nurse: "Hudson is a guy we were going to bring in as a greyshirt but the opportunity arose for him to join us at fall camp, which is awesome. He comes from a very good program in the Bay Area in Los Gatos. He's a very good young player in the post and does a great job coming downhill and making plays."
5: Manase Tupou, Jr., DL, 6-1, 340, Logan, Utah/Logan HS/Utah St./MSU Northern
2025 (So. – MSU Northern):
• All-Frontier Conference Honorable Mention
Played in all 11 games for the Lights… Logged 35 tackles (20 solo) on the interior D-Line… Also posted 3.6 TFLs and 1 sack… Led the team with 2 forced fumbles… Also broke up a pass… Had a season high 8 tackles against Mayville State… Earned an All-Frontier Honorable Mention as a sophomore.
2024 (Fr. – Utah St.): Only appearance on the season was against Hawai'i (11/16), recording one tackle.
High School: Earned Utah Class 4A Region 11 first team honors and was named to the Herald Journal All-Valley team following his senior season at Logan (Utah) High School ... recorded 53 tackles during his senior season in 2020, which included 4.5 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss, while adding two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery ... had a career high eight tackles, including a career best 6.0 tackles for loss, against Green Canyon HS ... had a season high 2.0 sacks against Cyprus HS.
Personal: Son of Folaupouli and Lavinia Tupou... Has five siblings... Undeclared on a college major... Name is pronounced Muh-nah-say Two-poe
Quoting DL Coach Jaylen Johnson: "Manase is a big body and a hard worker. Coach Sandau worked with him at Northern and could attest to his character and work ethic. So I'm fired up about him as a person and his abilities on the football field. I've seen his tape and he's further along than some guys as far as technique, so I'm excited to develop him. He's still young, but I'm excited to see what he can do this year.
6: Zaiden Wallace, Jr., DL, 6-4, 285, Ewa Beach, Hawaii/James Campbell HS/Nevada
2026 (Jr. – Montana): Joined the program in time for summer workouts… Expected to add a veteran presence on the D-Line.
2025 (So. – Nevada): Did not make an appearance.
2024 (Fr. - Nevada): Redshirt season... Appeared in one game, making his debut Oct. 26 in his home state of Hawai'i… Did not log any stats
High School: Rated as a three-star recruit, and the No. 4-rated prospect from Hawaii, as rated by 247Sports… Selected as a 2024 Polynesian Bowl All-Star… Named All-OIA Honorable Mention by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as a senior… Helped lead Campbell High School to the HHSAA Division I Open semifinals in 2023… Played his high school ball for head coach Darren Johnson
Personal: Parents are Bobby Wallace Jr. and Chayna Wallace.
Quoting DL Coach Jaylen Johnson: "Zayden is a great kid with a good personality. I'm excited about him. He's hungry, he played behind some good players at Nevada the last two years, and he's ready to prove himself and ready to do it on a big stage. I'm excited to get him around our guys who know how to win and hopefully they rub off on each other."
The six players – three transfers with college experience and three high school prospects – joined the program over the summer, adding to the class that signed during February's Signing Period. UM has now added 50 new players since the end of last season: 23 from high school and 27 transfers.
Kennedy and his staff focused on adding size up front with the recent additions, bringing in two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman who average 305 pounds. A pair of freshman safeties round out the group, along with Montana's first Australian punter, who adds another weapon on special teams.
Manase Tupou and Zaiden Wallace bring FBS experience and size to the defensive line. Tupou began his career at Utah State before spending last season at MSU Northern in Havre. Wallace, a native of Hawaii, spent two seasons at Nevada before coming to Missoula.
All-Frontier Conference offensive lineman Wyatt Sandford arrives from Carroll College, continuing a recent pipeline of Saints who have finished their careers as Grizzlies.
The freshman safeties are Nohi Casco, a state champion from Maui who also set the Hawaii high school pole vault record, and Hudson Schrader, a California native who drew multiple FBS offers. Everett O'Donnell comes to Montana from Melbourne as an experienced Australian rules football player competing for a starting punter role, with two years of eligibility remaining.
Montana opened the Kennedy era Friday with the first day of fall training camp, beginning a three-week practice period leading up to the season opener against Southern Utah on Aug. 29 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The first official practice of the year is Monday, Aug. 3, at Dornblaser Field on UM's South Campus.
New season ticket packages, mini plans, and single game tickets are on sale now at GrizTix.com or GoGriz.com/Tickets.
Signee Bios
1: Nohi Casco, Fr., CB, 5-11, 195, Lahaina, Hawaii/Kamehameha HS
2026 (Fr.): Was a walk-on with the team in the spring semester and earned a spot on the fall roster… Enrolled at UM in the fall of 2025
High School: Helped Kamehameha Maui win its first of two-straight Hawaii D-II state championships in 2024… Was a 4-year defensive captain… Played both safety and cornerback… Was a four-time MIL All-Star… Broke the Hawai'i state high school pole vault record with a jump of 15' 4", a record that had stood for 28 years
Personal: Full first name is Kaʻōnohiokalāikapikookeānuenue
Quoting CB Coach Kim McCloud: "Nohi is a good kid and comes with a good football background in Maui. He was with us in the spring and did a good job. He'll provide some competitive depth for us this fall."
2: Everett O'Donnell, Jr., P, 6-2, 220, Melbourne, Aus. / Prokick Australia
Prior to UM: Began punting with Prokick Australia… Played Australian Rules football with the Fitzroy Football Club in Melbourne… Will have 2 years of eligibility remaining after spending two years in school in Australia.
Quoting ST Coach Chris White: "I've had two punters from the same program as Everett and they can do some phenomenal things with the ball. They can kick Australian punts end-over-end, American spiral punts, rollout punts, they can place it where they want to. I'm looking forward to seeing him execute in fall camp."
3: Wyatt Sandford, 5th, OL, 6-4, 290, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene HS/Carroll
2026 (5th – Montana): Transferred to Montana in time for summer workouts and will add a veteran presence to the O-Line… A returning Academic All-American that carries a 3.79 GPA
2025 (Sr. – Carroll):
• First Team All-Frontier Conference-West
• CSC NAIA Academic All-American
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Was a standout at right tackle for the Saints, anchoring an offensive line that helped account for 1,357 rush yards, 3,020 passing yards, and just 31 sacks allowed on the season… Individually, Sandford allowed just two sacks as a starter in all 12 games in a season that saw Carroll return to the postseason for the first time since 2022, winning their first postseason game since 2014… Earned First Team All-Conference honors after starting all 10 games and helping the Carroll offense record its best passing numbers in the last six seasons.
2024 (Jr. – Carroll):
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Earned a starting job at guard before switching to right tackle.
2023 (So. – Carroll):
• NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
• Academic all-conference
Made one appearance for the Saints
2022 (Fr. – Carroll): Was a redshirt and did not see action.
High School: Sandford was a three-year varsity letter winner, first team all-conference, and second team all-state offensive lineman at Coeur d'Alene… He was a team captain, a two-star prospect, and named preseason All-State…. Earned the Distinguished Team Scholastic Award.
Personal: The son of Toby and Don Sandford and has one brother (Davon)… Plans to pursue a degree in Education
Quoting Coach Brent Myers: "Wyatt was an all-conference performer at Carroll at tackle, but he's played all three positions. He's really versatile. He's been with us all summer learning our system and has done a fantastic job. He's a really good athlete and will add competitive depth for us. I expect he'll be in the mix to play quite quickly."
4: Hudson Schrader, Fr., S, 6-2, 190, Los Gatos, Calif. / Los Gatos HS
High School: Named the Peninsula Athletic League's Bay Area Defensive Back of the Year in 2025… Earned first-team all-conference honors… Team defensive MVP… Played safety and linebacker… Totaled 84 tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 INTs, and pick-six, recovered two fumbles, forced one fumble, and one pass breakup… Also a standout baseball player at catcher…. Also received offers from UNLV and San Jose St.
Quoting Safeties Coach Wes Nurse: "Hudson is a guy we were going to bring in as a greyshirt but the opportunity arose for him to join us at fall camp, which is awesome. He comes from a very good program in the Bay Area in Los Gatos. He's a very good young player in the post and does a great job coming downhill and making plays."
5: Manase Tupou, Jr., DL, 6-1, 340, Logan, Utah/Logan HS/Utah St./MSU Northern
2025 (So. – MSU Northern):
• All-Frontier Conference Honorable Mention
Played in all 11 games for the Lights… Logged 35 tackles (20 solo) on the interior D-Line… Also posted 3.6 TFLs and 1 sack… Led the team with 2 forced fumbles… Also broke up a pass… Had a season high 8 tackles against Mayville State… Earned an All-Frontier Honorable Mention as a sophomore.
2024 (Fr. – Utah St.): Only appearance on the season was against Hawai'i (11/16), recording one tackle.
High School: Earned Utah Class 4A Region 11 first team honors and was named to the Herald Journal All-Valley team following his senior season at Logan (Utah) High School ... recorded 53 tackles during his senior season in 2020, which included 4.5 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss, while adding two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery ... had a career high eight tackles, including a career best 6.0 tackles for loss, against Green Canyon HS ... had a season high 2.0 sacks against Cyprus HS.
Personal: Son of Folaupouli and Lavinia Tupou... Has five siblings... Undeclared on a college major... Name is pronounced Muh-nah-say Two-poe
Quoting DL Coach Jaylen Johnson: "Manase is a big body and a hard worker. Coach Sandau worked with him at Northern and could attest to his character and work ethic. So I'm fired up about him as a person and his abilities on the football field. I've seen his tape and he's further along than some guys as far as technique, so I'm excited to develop him. He's still young, but I'm excited to see what he can do this year.
6: Zaiden Wallace, Jr., DL, 6-4, 285, Ewa Beach, Hawaii/James Campbell HS/Nevada
2026 (Jr. – Montana): Joined the program in time for summer workouts… Expected to add a veteran presence on the D-Line.
2025 (So. – Nevada): Did not make an appearance.
2024 (Fr. - Nevada): Redshirt season... Appeared in one game, making his debut Oct. 26 in his home state of Hawai'i… Did not log any stats
High School: Rated as a three-star recruit, and the No. 4-rated prospect from Hawaii, as rated by 247Sports… Selected as a 2024 Polynesian Bowl All-Star… Named All-OIA Honorable Mention by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as a senior… Helped lead Campbell High School to the HHSAA Division I Open semifinals in 2023… Played his high school ball for head coach Darren Johnson
Personal: Parents are Bobby Wallace Jr. and Chayna Wallace.
Quoting DL Coach Jaylen Johnson: "Zayden is a great kid with a good personality. I'm excited about him. He's hungry, he played behind some good players at Nevada the last two years, and he's ready to prove himself and ready to do it on a big stage. I'm excited to get him around our guys who know how to win and hopefully they rub off on each other."
Players Mentioned
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