Notebook: Montana State Bobcats want to 'continue to evolve' as 2025 spring practices begin

Lamson made stops at Syracuse (2021-22) and Stanford (2023-24) before re-entering the transfer portal this offseason. Montana State brought Lamson in for a visit in December, Vigen said, before Lamson committed to Bowling Green in January. A coaching change there allowed Lamson to commit to MSU earlier this month.

One of the trickier parts was figuring out when Lamson could get to Bozeman, Vigen said, given he still had school to finish at Stanford (Lamson won’t join the Bobcats until the summer).

But after the circuitous nature of recruiting Lamson, finally getting to coach him is an exciting development for Vigen as MSU opened spring football practice Monday. The Bobcats will host the Sonny Holland Classic on April 26.

“I think for us, adding depth, adding an experienced player in Justin was the opportunity that we have in him, that we're granted with getting in here,” Vigen said Monday. “And we'll look forward to seeing how that unfolds.”

Vigen has always seen Lamson as a dual-threat QB, and his leadership and competitiveness were apparent early. It was also important this offseason to add an experienced QB with former starter Tommy Mellott graduating, Vigen added, and it helped already having a relationship with Lamson.

Stanford head coach Troy Taylor, formerly at the Big Sky Conference's Sacramento State, also spoke highly of Lamson when Vigen reached out.

“(Lamson is) just looking for an opportunity to compete and he really gravitated towards what we've done here,” Vigen said. “And that's schematics, for sure, but just looking at what our program has done on the field and the environment that we play in and get a chance to play in front of each and every Saturday.”

Lamson wants an opportunity to start, Vigen said, a spot he will compete for alongside MSU QBs Jordan Reed, Chance Wilson, Patrick Duchien and River Warren. Vigen said the Bobcats have been “really pleased” with the development of the QB room this offseason.

“So seeing what those four guys do in spring ball is probably the first thing that'll happen, and then mixing Justin in,” Vigen said. “I think they all bring something a little bit different to the table.”

Spring absences

Offensive lineman Cedric Jefferson, defensive end Dominic Solano and wide receiver Ryan King will miss all of spring ball due to offseason shoulder surgeries, Vigen said.

Defensive backs Brock Steel and Caden Dowler, both recovering from torn ACLs last season, will be limited this spring. Running back Adam Jones and defensive tackle Alec Eckert will be “slowed up” due to injury recovery, Vigen said, but should still participate in spring practices.

After playing a 16-game season into January, Vigen is pleased to have a “relatively short list” of absences as the Bobcats look to reload this spring. Along with graduating players, MSU lost former starters such as offensive lineman Conner Moore (Michigan State), RB Scottre Humphrey (New Mexico), fullback Rohan Jones (Arkansas), DB Andrew Powdrell (UNLV) and safety Dru Polidore (California) to the transfer portal.

Vigen noted smaller numbers in the CB and RB rooms this spring, while also pointing to the returning talent on the offensive and defensive lines.

“We'll get by the best we can,” Vigen said. “We got some talent there, for sure. So it's going to be exciting to see what that looks like.”

Offseason coach reshuffling

Vigen rearranged his coaching staff with the offseason departures of offensive coordinator/QBs coach Tyler Walker (Temple), O-line coach Al Johnson (Temple), defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bobby Daly (UTEP) and wide receivers coach Justin Udy (Boise State). RBs coach Justin Mesa — who was hired in January — left for a role with the Detroit Lions last month.

MSU added Colorado School of Mines head coach Pete Sterbick as OC/QBs coach in January, Robert Morris OC Josh Firm as running backs coach last month and Fresno State O-line coach Matt Smith in the same role last month. Missouri Southern State safeties coach Trenton Greene was hired as cornerbacks coach last month.

Vigen maintained continuity elsewhere, moving Shawn Howe from co-DC/defensive line to DC, Jody Owens from safeties to LBs/assistant head coach, Nick Jean-Baptiste from defensive tackles coach to D-line coach, Sam Mix from RBs to WRs, Bryan Shepherd from CBs to safeties and Marcus Monaco from special teams quality control to special teams coordinator. 

Seeing those pieces fall into place throughout the spring will be “as exciting as anything” for Vigen over the next month.

“We need to continue to evolve on offense and evolution happens because you get fresh eyes sometimes,” Vigen said, adding, "I think they're just as excited as I am to see the players and see what we have on our roster, how that fits what we intend on doing.”

Smith — who joined MSU based on the program's reputation and overlapping with former MSU O-line coach Brian Armstrong at Fresno State — said the transition has been amazing thus far.

“A true blessing, and I'm excited to be here,” Smith said Monday. “Just great players and staff members.”

Howe said working alongside Daly last year helped him tremendously in the transition to DC. He saw how Daly let every defensive assistant be the "head coach in their room," an approach he plans to take this season as well. Howe also has previous DC experience at Utah Tech from 2015-17.

Howe will take a step back from D-line coach, which will help “free him up” for his responsibilities as DC, Vigen said. But Howe is confident in Jean-Baptiste stepping into that role based on his experience and command of the room.

Elsewhere on the defense, Howe said it made sense to give Shepherd “a bigger piece of the puzzle” based on his year-to-year improvement. Replacing Daly with Owens — exchanging one All-American and MSU hall of fame LB for another — was a no-brainer based on Owens' passion for this program.

Howe added that Greene brought “unbelievable” energy and knowledge in his interview, making him another valuable addition.

“I feel so fortunate to be able to work with these guys,” Howe added.