Montana State Bobcats Open Spring Practice With Title Defense Underway

Whistles echoed through the Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center before dawn on Tuesday as Montana State opened spring practice with the weight of a championship on its shoulders and, by Brent Vigen's own measure, almost entirely the same roster that earned it.

"We don't have, fortunately, a lot of new faces. We have two, which is good," Vigen said. "You know, a lot of people are taking on a world where they probably have 20, 30, new faces for this first day. So, for the most part, we're on our feet. The pace was pretty good and, you know, the ball wasn't on the ground a whole lot."

Those two new faces are redshirt freshman transfer cornerback Gianni Edwards and true freshman early enrollee Carter Dahlke, who arrived from Gallatin High School. The rest of the roster returning is a deliberate advantage for a program attempting something the FCS demands earn from scratch: a repeat.

The Bobcats hit the field just 78 days after winning the national championship, and Vigen acknowledged the psychological challenge that comes with defending a title rather than chasing one. "We've got to turn the page and we've got to be as hungry as ever," he said. His words carried that dual task: honor what happened, then move past it. "You want your team to continue to be hungry, like I've spoken to and I think you felt that today, and you do see the difference in quite a few guys," Vigen added. "I know it's a comforting feeling that it's a lot of the same faces out there too. Again, it's just one day, and we got, you know, a bunch of weeks ahead of us. But you know, feel good about it."

Returning to lead the offense is quarterback Justin Lamson, who answered last spring's biggest question by stepping in for Tommy Mellott and is now preparing for his second full season as the starter.

On the defensive side of the ball, Montana State also confirmed a new addition to its coaching staff. Nolan Askelson, a Billings Senior High School product, joins as assistant defensive line coach under Bobby Daly, who returns as defensive coordinator after spending last season at UTEP. Askelson is no stranger to the program: as a senior in 2023, he wore the legacy No. 41 jersey and led the team with 84 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss and two sacks, earning first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors. He played in four games as a true freshman in 2018, became a rotation regular in 2019, had his 2021 season cut short by injury, then played 11 games in 2022 finishing with 64 tackles. In high school, he was a two-time all-state selection and helped the Billings Senior Broncs win Class AA state championships in 2016 and 2017.

The spring schedule runs 12 practices and two scrimmages over five weeks. A closed scrimmage is set for April 10 at 7 p.m., with MSU Pro Day on April 2 taking the place of a practice that day. The Sonny Holland Spring Classic caps the stretch on April 25 with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Bobcat Stadium, giving the defending champions their first public showcase of what a title defense looks like in Bozeman.