Deck commits early to Griz

Glacier High School senior Drew Deck has committed to the University of Montana football team for 2020, he announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

“A fun day that’s for sure,” he told the Inter Lake via phone interview.

He had multiple schools interested in recruiting him, but in the end there really wasn’t a question as to where he wanted to go for college.

“Ever since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to go there,” Deck said of Montana.

There’s a little family history in Missoula, too.

It’s where his parents, Arron and Rachel met. Both have degrees from the University of Montana. Arron is the boys track and field coach at Glacier.

“It’s always been on his radar,” Arron said. “Lots of friends and family there and we spent a lot of time at those games when he was growing up.”

Deck had 55 receptions for 781 yards and seven touchdowns for the Wolfpack through 10 games last season.

The 5-foot-9 wide receiver and cornerback has hauled in 80 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns through two varsity campaigns.

An early commitment to college athletics allows Drew and other students who take this path to relax and enjoy their last year of high school.

“It takes a lot of the pressure off,” Drew said. “I can strictly just focus on my senior year.”

Drew also excels in track and field and was the Class AA state champion in 300-meter hurdles in May and also played basketball.

But Drew will just be sticking to football at Montana.

“Football has always been my favorite sport,” he said.

There are currently five Glacier alums on the Grizzlies roster: Drew Turner, Jackson Pepe, Patrick O’Connell, Brandon Purdy and Max Morris.

Drew’s first phone call after finalizing his commitment to Montana was Grady Bennett, the Glacier football coach.

“We’ve been through a lot together and he definitely played a big role in all this,” he said.

Deck was a Class AA second team all-state selection and Western AA all-conference selection last year at wide receiver.