Montana enters 2026 transition, Bobby Kennedy takes over after semifinal run

Montana is not easing into 2026. The Grizzlies are coming off a 13-2 season, a 52-22 quarterfinal win over South Dakota and a 48-23 semifinal loss to Montana State in the 125th Brawl of the Wild, and now Bobby Kennedy is the one responsible for keeping a championship roster from slipping backward.

That is the real pressure point in Missoula. Montana reached the FCS semifinals for the 13th time in program history and for the second time in three years, which is the kind of résumé that turns a coaching change into a national story. Kennedy, promoted from wide receivers coach to head coach after Bobby Hauck’s departure, inherits a team that already proved it can survive the playoff grind. The question is whether it can do it again with a new voice leading the room.

The core is good enough to make the transition matter beyond the Montana campus. Keali’i Ah Yat confirmed his return for 2026 after earning first-team All-Big Sky honors at quarterback, giving Kennedy a proven starter back under center. Eli Gillman, the 2025 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, returns after becoming the first running back in Montana history to win that award. Solomon Tuliaupupu also gives the defense unusual continuity after receiving a ninth year of NCAA eligibility for 2026. If Montana reloads instead of resets, it will start with that trio.

Hauck’s exit made the timing even more striking. He announced his retirement in February, saying college football had become “not enjoyable,” then soon resurfaced as Illinois’ defensive coordinator, where he was reportedly hired at $700,000 for 2026. That is not a routine handoff. It is the kind of abrupt pivot that can test a program’s identity, especially one that expects to contend for national titles every fall.

The schedule around Montana only sharpens the stakes. The Big Sky will expand to 13 football members in 2026 with Southern Utah and Utah Tech joining, move to nine conference games and open league play in Week 0 for the first time. Montana also has a road game at Oregon State, a meaningful measuring stick against an FBS opponent, before closing the regular season at Montana State on Nov. 21, 2026.

That sets up a simple but high-stakes verdict for Kennedy’s first season: Montana can either remain one of the FCS powers that shapes the playoff race, or the combination of a new coach, a tougher Big Sky and a demanding schedule can pull it a step back.