Column: Vigen could be pearl of a hire for MSU
Brent Vigen’s first press conference as Montana State’s football coach was Zoomed around the state Wednesday, from a spot vacated rather unceremoniously by Jeff Choate a couple weeks ago.
Salary aside it was odd, the way Choate left Bozeman on Jan. 23 for an assistant’s position at Texas, after a near-miss as being named head coach at Boise State.
Choate left behind a very solid Football Championship Subdivision program, eight assistant coaches and one son, Jory, who is a Bobcat linebacker.
Into the breach steps Vigen, an offensive coordinator the last 12 seasons, the last seven at Wyoming and before that, at FCS dynasty North Dakota State. It seems like a fortuitous move by MSU, and Vigen was happy to be the guy.
“Right time, right place,” Vigen (pronounced, VEE-gun) said. “Through the last seven years there have been opportunities. Different situations across the landscape of the FCS… Those two things never came together.
“But when Coach Choate was up for the Boise State job in early January, I started to think, ‘OK, if that thing opens up that’s one I’d like to go after.’”
Vigen takes over a program that has beaten the Griz four straight times, advanced to the FCS semifinals in 2019 and has had checkered quarterback play. Vigen has the reputation of a QB whisperer, having coached NDSU greats Brock Jensen and Carson Wentz as well as Wyoming Cowboy product Josh Allen.
There are five quarterbacks on the current MSU roster – not including Troy Andersen, who will play his senior season on a rebuilt knee. You wonder what might happen, and you aren’t alone. Kalispell products Tadan Gilman (linebacker), Mark Estes (receiver) and Jarrett Kessler (tight end) dot the roster, alongside senior safety Luke May out of Whitefish.
The staff is another issue: Typically there are 1-2 holdovers from a coaching change but Choate’s move to Texas left a lot of assistants in limbo.
“I’m kind of in the middle of that today. There’s a couple spots open,” Vigen noted (Kane Ioane, for example, left to be defensive coordinator at Boise State). “There’s definitely going to be some continuity. Spring ball is right around the corner.”
Vigen said he hoped to settle on his staff by the end of next week. While there might be such a thing as too much continuity, because a holdover coach can quickly grow tired of the new guy’s approach, this scenario is probably best-case. Vigen and the assembled assistants can gear down out of scramble mode.
Vigen said he spoke to Choate on Tuesday.
“Now, he’s a defensive-minded guy and I’m an offensive-minded guy,” Vigen said. “But the real general principles about how to win a football game and how to run a program are very much in line.”
He added: “And now (Choate) is a concerned parent.”
A lot of people are concerned. Cat fans wonder if he’s the right guy; Griz fans hope he isn’t. Vigen visited Bozeman as part of NDSU’s staff in 2005 (a 20-17 MSU win) and 2010 (a 42-17 NDSU second-round playoff win).
That 2010 team narrowly lost to eventual champion Eastern Washington the next week. The game against MSU stood out.
“That was an impactful memory,” Vigen said. “A lot of places across the country don’t have that atmosphere.”
Montana State does. It looks like the Cats found their coach, taking some sting out of Choate’s departure. Drafting off of NDSU didn’t work a while back (Earle Solomonson) but this hire could be a real pearl.
“This is not a reclamation project by any stretch,” Vigen said. “There’s a lot of ability here, there’s hunger. Now it’s about putting together a plan so in 2021 we can reach those heights.”
Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 758-4463 or fneighbor@dailyinterlake.com.