Feb. 27—Bobby Kennedy, the freshly-minted head football coach of the Montana Grizzlies, had some highlight moments during a Thursday press conference ahead of the start of spring drills. One is that, yes, the Griz will run something other than the much-debated 3-3-5 defense this fall. “There will be significant changes,” Kennedy said. “Switching now, what that allows us to do is kind of recapture those (players) again. Our new defensive coordinator can go between three down linemen or four-down, play zone coverage as well as man-to-man.” The defensive coordinator, Eric Sanders, held the same job at Eastern Washington the last three Big Sky Conference football seasons. Kennedy said he also had a special teams coordinator picked out that was committed to his UFL team until the season ends in June. Add in holdover offensive coordinator Brent Pease, and things appear set — at least after spring drills. “He’s running the offense,” Kennedy said of Pease. “We have a really good offensive staff. The people we’re hiring to run the defense, they’ll run the defense. We have a really good defensive staff. When we hire a special teams coordinator he’s in charge of special teams. “I will have input, OK, but I trust these guys.” None of this should seem radical, right? A new coach is bound to shake things up. But Kennedy also made a point of saying: “Recruiting Montana, finding the best players in the state and making them feel valued and knowing them, that’s going to be a big priority for me and also our staff. I want to be very accessible to them.” Kennedy also acknowledged that 13-2 — the Grizzlies’ record in 2025 — looks good on paper because it is. “Those guys are good coaches,” he said of Bobby Hauck, Tim Hauck and Roger Cooper. “And the 3-3-5 was a little different, but they created chaos and I really respected what those guys did. “We had a pretty good run last year. OK, and you can say that we didn’t finish it the right way. But our goal is to win all 16.” Another change was that Pease, who held several Griz passing records and has been OC the past three seasons, also spoke. It’s been a month of Saturdays since a coordinator got on a podium in Grizzlyville. He might be, as Kennedy said he was, at his last college job. “As for myself, I saw continuity in staying with the kids that I have,” said Pease, who was Don Read’s first starting QB at Montana in 1986. “I’ve always said, ‘I plan on finishing with you. That’s my intent.’ Told that to Drew Deck, in fact, to get him to come back his senior year.” The task is reloading the offense around QB Keali’i Ah Yat, running back Eli Gillman and receiver Brooks Davis. Another player like Michael Wortham, who spent his senior season starring in Maroon and Silver, would help. “Mike was a unicorn,” Pease said, smiling. “We don’t have Mike Wortham, but we can still get production.” Spring drills start Monday, a fact that snuck up on me faster than all those Montanans on MSU’s two-deep. Now Kennedy is the guy, loving the chance to be a head coach at a place that exceeded his expectations. “Just in terms of atmosphere in the stadium and support of the fans, the people not only in this community but across the state? I didn’t know it was like this,” he said. “This is a cool place.” Reach Fritz Neighbor at 758-4463 or at [email protected].
