Montana brings back Eric Price to lead wide receivers in 2026

Montana wasted little time reinforcing its offensive staff, bringing Eric Price back on July 2 to coach the Grizzlies’ wide receivers after he spent the spring as Houston’s offensive coordinator. The move gives Bobby Kennedy a familiar evaluator and teacher in a room that will be asked to sustain one of the most productive passing attacks in program history.

Price’s return also deepens Montana’s continuity at a time when Kennedy is still shaping the offense around a new staff and a new role as head coach. Kennedy was officially named Montana’s 38th head football coach on Feb. 5, 2026, after one season as the Grizzlies’ wide receivers coach, and he said Price “helped me plan third downs” and is a “great teacher” with a temperament that fits how Montana wants to operate. Kennedy has also said the offense is moving through “baby steps” as the staff settles in.

That stability matters because Montana’s 2025 offense played at a championship level. The Grizzlies averaged 457.0 total yards and 41.0 points per game, piled up 6,855 total yards and 81 touchdowns, and threw for 4,282 yards as they finished 13-2 and reached the FCS semifinals. Montana State ended that run with a 48-23 win, but the Grizzlies still left the season with the Big Sky’s top scoring offense and one of the best passing attacks in school history.

Keali’i Ah Yat was the engine, throwing for 4,070 yards and 33 touchdowns, while Michael Wortham led the team with 1,224 receiving yards. Freshman Brooks Davis added 54 catches, 698 yards and five touchdowns, production Montana says was the most ever by a freshman in program history and the sixth-most by any FCS freshman in 2025. Price now steps into the job with that foundation already in place, and his task is to keep the receiver room sharp enough to match the standard the quarterback and playmakers set a year ago.

His résumé matches the size of the assignment. Montana says Price spent 11 seasons in the NFL, including time with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, and he was on the Jaguars staff when they reached the 2017 AFC Championship Game. He also was part of a Jets staff that won a playoff game in 2001, and his college stops include Penn State, Alabama, Miami, Hawaii, Washington State, UTEP, Memphis, Tulane, Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Weber State and Montana. With 14 seasons as an offensive coordinator and primary play-caller, Price gives Montana a veteran voice built for a program trying to defend its offensive ceiling rather than rebuild it.