Photo by: Ryan Brennecke / University of Montana
‘This is your time’ – Offensive front coming together at Griz fall camp
8/14/2026 3:14:00 PM | Football
At the midpoint of Montana's fall camp, a previously unclear group for the Grizzly offense has come into focus under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Brent Pease and new offensive line coach Brent Myers.
The 2026 Grizzly offensive line will have a new, homegrown look as Montana works to replace all seven players who started at least one game last season. But as-is life in college football, it's a next man up mentality for the Grizzly O-Line as a new group of starters look to carry on the DOLA tradition.
With a room of 17 players that feature 11 upperclassmen and weigh an average of 300 pounds across the board, Montana's offensive line may be short on starts but is long on experience and physical ability. For Pease, it's a group that has all the tools to be successful.
"I think there is great depth. There are some talented kids, and for them, it is a matter of gelling together," Pease said.
"Eli (Gillman) has had a lot of reps at running back, but we need to make sure they understand him and what we are trying to create with the run game. We have found consistency so far in camp, and I think we are able to use a lot of guys."
For Myers, that consistency took root in his first spring with the unit and has blossomed with additional reps over the summer and through the first half of fall camp.
"I think they have done an excellent job over the summer from a conditioning standpoint in OTAs, learning the system more, and obviously more repetitions help," Myers said.
"I think they've really taken well to why we do what we do. I always try to teach them the how to and the why, which is super important. I think they've developed an attitude of knowing exactly what they're seeing and why they're seeing it.
"I think they've really improved over the summer. It's been a really good surprise for a bunch of kids, which is great."
Working their way into potential starting roles are two Montana-born players — Helena native Austin Buehler and Bozeman native Torin Jeske.
Buehler is a senior tackle with a prototypical frame who has been in and out of the two-deep for two seasons. Grizzly football also runs in his family, his father, Eric Buehler, lettered at UM in the late 1990s, and his mother, Gretta (Koss) Buehler, is a Lady Griz Hall of Famer.
Jeske was one of the team's biggest gainers in the weight room this offseason, piling on 24 pounds since 2025 to check in at an imposing 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds heading into his junior year.
The pair have made an impression on the coaching staff and now have an opportunity to grow into Montana's next homegrown heroes on the O-line.
"They are both very smart, very locked in, leaders of the group. Great kids," Myers said.
"Even though they haven't played as starters, every great player has a starting game. And I told them this is your shot. This is your time. Take advantage of it, and they've done an excellent job taking advantage of their opportunity."
They join Lucas Freitas as three of the most experienced returning players on this year's line. Freitas, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound senior from Washington, has been a fixture in the two-deep for two seasons and is also in the mix for a starting role.
The emergence of a youngster from Hawaii has also turned heads in fall camp with sophomore Kaikoa Kanakaole actually dropping weight from his freshman year to return leaner and meaner, allowing him to be a versatile option at both center and guard.
"He's really playing well right now and I've been very impressed with him so far. He's made a big jump, which is encouraging," said Myers.
The interior line also benefits from the return of Dylan Jemtegaard, a graduate transfer from Cal who received an additional year of eligibility, along with fifth-year transfers Wyatt Sandford and Jack D'Ambra, UNLV transfer Dyllan Drummond and South Carolina transfer Campbell Vandiver.
Similarly, Montana has big shoes to fill in the tight end room in 2026. It's a group that has played a versatile role in UM's sizzling offense in recent years, working together with the O-line with physicality in the run game and adding range as receiver equally. This year's room is no different, despite a corps of new faces.
"They're a big group," Pease said. "I think there is depth. I think they're all athletic enough to run and not just block, so they give us the ability to do some great things."
Titus Rohrer is the veteran returner in the group with one year in the program after coming to Missoula from SEC country and Tennessee last season. In his first year at UM, he played in 14 games but made just one catch. Expect a breakout season from him in his final year of eligibility.
"He's going through his second install and he's our most experienced guy. He's really improved his game and that's going to allow us to put more tight ends on the field," said tight ends coach Rob Phenicie.
New to the room is Mariano Birdno, or "Nono" for short, a native of Flagstaff and former rugby player who arrived at UM after two years in Minnesota at St. Thomas prior to the spring season. Standing all of 6-foot-5, the junior has the tools to add more versatility to the offense.
"Nono is the do-it-all guy. The handyman," Phenicie said. "He's Mr. Trustworthy. He can play any position and do anything we're asking."
Also joining the group is Cal Poly transfer Reese Brooks, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who flashed athleticism during spring and into fall camp.
Rounding out the room is another pair of local standouts from down the road at Missoula's Sentinel High School in junior Grady Walker, who made the transition from the defensive side of the ball in the spring and has flourished, and Danny Sirmon, who checks in at an imposing 6-foot-6 and has the physical ability to contribute this season.
"If you ask our strength coach Dan Ryan, Danny is one of our strongest kids in terms of squats and cleans, that stuff. He's taken steps day by day, and he's going to contribute as well. There are some things we need to fix but he's progressing," Phenicie added.
Montana wraps up week two of fall camp on Saturday. The Griz will open the season two weeks later, taking on Southern Utah under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Aug. 29.
The 2026 Grizzly offensive line will have a new, homegrown look as Montana works to replace all seven players who started at least one game last season. But as-is life in college football, it's a next man up mentality for the Grizzly O-Line as a new group of starters look to carry on the DOLA tradition.
With a room of 17 players that feature 11 upperclassmen and weigh an average of 300 pounds across the board, Montana's offensive line may be short on starts but is long on experience and physical ability. For Pease, it's a group that has all the tools to be successful.
"I think there is great depth. There are some talented kids, and for them, it is a matter of gelling together," Pease said.
"Eli (Gillman) has had a lot of reps at running back, but we need to make sure they understand him and what we are trying to create with the run game. We have found consistency so far in camp, and I think we are able to use a lot of guys."
For Myers, that consistency took root in his first spring with the unit and has blossomed with additional reps over the summer and through the first half of fall camp.
"I think they have done an excellent job over the summer from a conditioning standpoint in OTAs, learning the system more, and obviously more repetitions help," Myers said.
"I think they've really taken well to why we do what we do. I always try to teach them the how to and the why, which is super important. I think they've developed an attitude of knowing exactly what they're seeing and why they're seeing it.
"I think they've really improved over the summer. It's been a really good surprise for a bunch of kids, which is great."
Working their way into potential starting roles are two Montana-born players — Helena native Austin Buehler and Bozeman native Torin Jeske.
Buehler is a senior tackle with a prototypical frame who has been in and out of the two-deep for two seasons. Grizzly football also runs in his family, his father, Eric Buehler, lettered at UM in the late 1990s, and his mother, Gretta (Koss) Buehler, is a Lady Griz Hall of Famer.
Jeske was one of the team's biggest gainers in the weight room this offseason, piling on 24 pounds since 2025 to check in at an imposing 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds heading into his junior year.
The pair have made an impression on the coaching staff and now have an opportunity to grow into Montana's next homegrown heroes on the O-line.
"They are both very smart, very locked in, leaders of the group. Great kids," Myers said.
"Even though they haven't played as starters, every great player has a starting game. And I told them this is your shot. This is your time. Take advantage of it, and they've done an excellent job taking advantage of their opportunity."
They join Lucas Freitas as three of the most experienced returning players on this year's line. Freitas, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound senior from Washington, has been a fixture in the two-deep for two seasons and is also in the mix for a starting role.
The emergence of a youngster from Hawaii has also turned heads in fall camp with sophomore Kaikoa Kanakaole actually dropping weight from his freshman year to return leaner and meaner, allowing him to be a versatile option at both center and guard.
"He's really playing well right now and I've been very impressed with him so far. He's made a big jump, which is encouraging," said Myers.
The interior line also benefits from the return of Dylan Jemtegaard, a graduate transfer from Cal who received an additional year of eligibility, along with fifth-year transfers Wyatt Sandford and Jack D'Ambra, UNLV transfer Dyllan Drummond and South Carolina transfer Campbell Vandiver.
Similarly, Montana has big shoes to fill in the tight end room in 2026. It's a group that has played a versatile role in UM's sizzling offense in recent years, working together with the O-line with physicality in the run game and adding range as receiver equally. This year's room is no different, despite a corps of new faces.
"They're a big group," Pease said. "I think there is depth. I think they're all athletic enough to run and not just block, so they give us the ability to do some great things."
Titus Rohrer is the veteran returner in the group with one year in the program after coming to Missoula from SEC country and Tennessee last season. In his first year at UM, he played in 14 games but made just one catch. Expect a breakout season from him in his final year of eligibility.
"He's going through his second install and he's our most experienced guy. He's really improved his game and that's going to allow us to put more tight ends on the field," said tight ends coach Rob Phenicie.
New to the room is Mariano Birdno, or "Nono" for short, a native of Flagstaff and former rugby player who arrived at UM after two years in Minnesota at St. Thomas prior to the spring season. Standing all of 6-foot-5, the junior has the tools to add more versatility to the offense.
"Nono is the do-it-all guy. The handyman," Phenicie said. "He's Mr. Trustworthy. He can play any position and do anything we're asking."
Also joining the group is Cal Poly transfer Reese Brooks, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who flashed athleticism during spring and into fall camp.
Rounding out the room is another pair of local standouts from down the road at Missoula's Sentinel High School in junior Grady Walker, who made the transition from the defensive side of the ball in the spring and has flourished, and Danny Sirmon, who checks in at an imposing 6-foot-6 and has the physical ability to contribute this season.
"If you ask our strength coach Dan Ryan, Danny is one of our strongest kids in terms of squats and cleans, that stuff. He's taken steps day by day, and he's going to contribute as well. There are some things we need to fix but he's progressing," Phenicie added.
Montana wraps up week two of fall camp on Saturday. The Griz will open the season two weeks later, taking on Southern Utah under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Aug. 29.
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