Column: Where QBs go - but not to stay

It was a spring evening a couple years ago when a longtime friend —  we’d played fastpitch together, and like me he is maybe a little too fond of Red’s Bar — made an off-hand yet salient point.

“You know, I watched every Griz game last season,” he said. “And every single team had a better quarterback than we did.” 

The point possibly needs a little fine-tuning: There have been plenty of good quarterbacks matriculating through UM, but QB play has been uneven more often than not.  

And by plenty, I mean I’d lost count. Since Bobby Hauck returned to the Grizzlies’ sidelines in 2018, Montana has had one two-year starter: Dalton Sneed in 2018-19.  

Cam Humphrey was Sneed’s backup, started a couple games in 2019 and then became the senior starter in 2021. He started when the Griz upset the Washington Huskies.  

In 2022, Lucas Johnson came in from San Diego State for his senior year, started fast and tapered off before getting knocked out of the final game, a 49-26 road playoff loss to North Dakota State. Daniel Britt was the backup, but he transferred out after the season. That turned out ok because... 

In 2023, Sam Vidlak and Clifton McDowell came in. After Vidlak was sacked seven times in Montana’s 28-14 loss at Northern Arizona, McDowell became the starter and the Griz didn’t lose for another 10 games. Then they fell 23-3 to South Dakota State in the FCS title game, and both Vidlak and McDowell hit the transfer portal after the season. Which might have turned out OK because.... 

In 2024, the Griz were ready to anoint Keali’i Ah Yat as their young, multi-year starter. But the redshirt freshman was up-and-down, and then he got hurt and Fresno State transfer Logan Fife stepped in big-time. Yet the more Fife played the more the offense struggled, and of course now he is in the portal, too. 

And so it goes. Gresch Jensen was a holdover from Bob Stitt’s coaching stint, but he transferred when it became apparent that Sneed was the guy in the spring of 2018. There was Britt and Kris Brown and a guy I’d completely forgotten about, Robbie Patterson, who all have taken snaps in Hauck’s offense.  

With the exception of McDowell, Sneed and possibly Johnson, two guys who gave the Griz that plus-1 running feature every national champion seems to have, things have been suboptimal. Add in how well McDowell (before he got hurt) and Vidlak played this fall for McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin, it gives you pause. But this also might be OK because...  

As I write this Eastern Washington quarterback Kekoa Visperas, freshly into the portal, has announced on Twitter/X that he received on offer from Montana. Why not, Mr. Visperas? I can’t think of a reason why. Though I bet a few of the names above could. 

Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 406-758-4463 or at fneighbor@dailyinterlake.com.