Montana opens spring under Bobby Kennedy, seeks answers at cornerback

Montana’s first spring under Bobby Kennedy begins with two jobs that will define whether the Grizzlies stay in the Big Sky race: find a cornerback who can survive from the first snap, and keep the passing game from losing the production Michael Wortham carried a year ago. Kennedy, officially hired Feb. 5 as Montana’s 38th head coach after one season as wide receivers coach, inherited a roster that lost 26 players to graduation and added 44 newcomers, including 24 transfers.

The cornerback room is the sharpest concern. Montana lost Kyon Loud and Kenzel Lawler, and returns no player who logged more than 200 snaps at the position in 2025. That puts real weight on a group that includes Brady Beaner, who is listed as a safety but played substantial snaps at corner because of injuries, along with redshirt freshmen DeAnte Gentry and Sage Salopek. Elijah Brady also returns with rotational experience, while transfers Chris Johnson from Arizona State and Gabe Stroud from North Texas are expected to be in the middle of the competition.

If the defense is the clearest spring battle, the wide receiver room is the most visible one. Brooks Davis is back as one of Montana’s most proven targets, but the slot role is wide open after Wortham’s historic season. Wortham finished 2025 as Montana’s team MVP and a consensus All-American after setting a school single-season record with 2,431 all-purpose yards, 90 shy of the Big Sky record. Korbin Hendrix has a chance to win an outside job, and Jordan Dever, Ian Finch and Lekeldrick Bridges are among the younger receivers with room to push into the rotation.

That competition sits beside a backfield that still looks like one of Montana’s safest strengths. Eli Gillman, the 2025 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, entered last season already ranked No. 7 in school history with 2,137 career rushing yards and No. 5 with 28 rushing touchdowns. Hashim Jones now looks like the most obvious candidate to claim the No. 2 role behind him, giving the Grizzlies at least one position where spring is about sorting roles rather than finding answers from scratch.

Montana’s public reset comes with real stakes. The Grizzlies reached the 2025 FCS semifinals, have made a record 29 playoff appearances, and own 11 semifinal trips and national titles in 1995 and 2001. Kennedy’s first 14-practice spring slate ends with the Grizzly Scholarship Association spring game at 6 p.m. April 10 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where 25,217 seats will offer the first hard look at whether this roster’s new pieces can hold up to the standard Montana has set.