Montana State, Montana Pursue Texas Recruits; North Dakota Offers 3-Star EDGE

Welcome to the first edition of the new FCS Football Central Recruiting Roundup, which will be released weekly. The inaugural compilation spotlights a growing Montana interest in Texas high-school talent and flags a separate offer from North Dakota to a 3-star EDGE, while calling out specific prospects in the class of 2027 and noting recruiting activity for 2028 and beyond.

The roundup lists specific 2027 prospects drawing FCS attention. Landon Miles is entered as a 2027 defensive back, 6'2", 210 pounds out of Angleton High School in Angleton, TX. Jacob Lee is listed as a 2027 cornerback, 6'0", 175 pounds from Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress, TX; Lee provided detail on one of his offers: “I received my offer during a phone call from Coach Sejour. He told me some background information about the university and its coaching staff. After that, he gave me an opportunity to play at Lafayette College and said he is looking forward to recruiting me. I am not too familiar with the Lafayette College football program, but I do know that they have Ivy League-level academics,” Lee said. Lee’s offer sheet in the roundup includes Miami (OH), Western Kentucky, Cornell, Columbia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Dartmouth, UTEP, New Mexico, North Texas, Harvard, Yale, McNeese State, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Rice, and Louisiana, plus Lafayette.

Montana State’s recruiting pitch is front and center in separate reporting that the roundup draws on, using the program’s recent national title and growing Texas pipeline as selling points. Jean-Baptiste, speaking about MSU’s recruiting resources, said, “You know, the resources that we have here, the willingness people have to pour into our student athletes. That’s what makes Montana State special, especially at this level. I don’t think there’s any place like it." On Texas prep specifically, Jean-Baptiste added, "Texas high school football does a good job of preparing young men for the next level, and so, we’ve had a lot of success getting them to see how much similar it is from high school football down there in Texas to getting to Montana State." He also invoked the Frisco national championship as a concrete recruiting promise: "Like, 'Hey, if you do what you’re supposed to do here, we’re going to be playing in front of your family come January.' For a couple of these '23 and '24 classes, right now, we’re getting to, kind of, fulfill that promise with those guys."

MSU staff and players underline the Texas pipeline with local examples and a planned Texas footprint. Owens discussed the program’s decision to play a game in the Dallas area, saying, "For us to be able to play this game down in the Dallas area, I think it shows the proximity is a little bit closer than you would expect," Owens said about the ability for potential recruits to see the Bobcats play a game in Texas. "And I think it kind of opens up the avenue for them to want to research Montana State and see everything we have to offer." Cornerback Simeon Woodard, a San Antonio native who attended Veterans Memorial High School, framed the on-campus bond for Texas players: "I mean, we’re all from the same state, so when we come up here, we’re one family and, I mean, our actions and our character also reflect throughout the program and on the field, as well, so I feel like it’s something good to be said about Texas guys," Woodard said. The roundup and accompanying coverage reference other Texas-born Bobcats such as Polidore, a Katy product from Tompkins High School, and include a photo caption of Montana State defensive back Tayden Gray during the FCS semifinals vs. South Dakota on Dec. 21, 2024.

The FCS roundup groups Montana State and Montana together in its headline, but the supplied excerpts expand on Montana State’s strategy while containing no Montana program quotes or prospect names. The item on North Dakota is specific in type but incomplete in identity: the roundup reports North Dakota offered a 3-star EDGE, but no player name, high school, or date of offer is listed in the excerpt.

The first weekly roundup, compiled with contributions from national recruiting analyst Julio Gonzales Jr., notes that "Recruiting is starting to really pick up for prospects in the class of 2027, but also for those in 2028 and beyond." Gonzales’ contributor bio is included with contact jrgonzales213@gmail.com. The pieces leave clear next items to watch: which Texas prospects formally commit in the 2027 cycle, the identity of North Dakota’s 3-star EDGE, and whether Montana follows Montana State in turning the Frisco championship pitch into signed recruits.