2026 Montana Recruits

[VimSince03]

Coaches at the HS level can been stubborn or not well-educated or lack vision. It can be hard to tell just who is and isn't an upper echelon athlete.

But coaches also try to win. What might be best for a HS players long term success, might not help his HS team the most. Kid might be a college WR, TE, etc but needs to play QB because he is best athlete. Or might be a 6'4 post when he will be a wing in college.

Of the two top Oline guys in the state for the '26 class I would put Maverick Diede from Glacier at the same level or ahead of Tommy Lewis of Havre. Cats signed Diede's counterpart Ben Winters in the '25 class. I caught a couple Glacier games this year and the better Olinemen of the two was Diede and was pretty easy to see.

Maverick was clearly a better finisher than Winters but both were very similar in their technique. Both were tackles that should be playing on the interior but you can make that work in high school when you're their size. Maverick is clearly a FCS prospect on the OL.

What I like most about Lewis is the hand placement, finishing ability, and the wrestling pedigree. I'm honestly biased towards the wrestling side but Lewis made some impressive blocks on his junior highlight film as a guard and I get why he was an early offer for the Griz and now a second offer from the Cats. Both Lewis and Diede slightly have "heavy feet" when on the move but I do think Diede has a better lower half when blocking. The left tackle experience has definitely helped him. However, I do think its super close but both are clearly interior players at the next level in my opinion.

[RUACAT]

Donovan was a rare case. Perhaps the best athlete in Montana history. Things were different back then in terms of all state selections. Frosh on varsity level teams was almost unheard of. Even sophomores were very rare. So many more kids went out for sports, especially football and basketball.

Anyway, getting back to Luedtke and other Montana recruits, I haven't seen many of them play. But I always like athletes that are productive in one way or another. Some rack up big totals in yards, TDs, points, pins, etc., while others do good things at a high percentage and it may not show up in the stats people are looking at since they don't get as many opportunities. Sometimes you're good at all those things but once you get up against a better caliber opponent, it all falls apart. Sometimes your totals aren't great but once you get on a team that uses your skills, you take off.

Coaches at the HS level can been stubborn or not well-educated or lack vision. It can be hard to tell just who is and isn't an upper echelon athlete.

https://www.montanasports.com/high-scho ... ll-player/

This interview makes it sound like he didn't play (varsity) during his freshman year at Helena Central, but says he also earned 10 letters between football, basketball, and track & field. When Central closed after his sophomore year and the athletes transferred to Helena High (before Capital High existed), he was a 3-sport athlete at Helena High. So, if he won 6 letters at Helena High, he must've won 4 at Central?

[TomCat88]

[TomCat88]

[TomCat88]

Bunch of players in yesterday for Junior Day.

[Norsky19]

Coaches at the HS level can been stubborn or not well-educated or lack vision. It can be hard to tell just who is and isn't an upper echelon athlete.

But coaches also try to win. What might be best for a HS players long term success, might not help his HS team the most. Kid might be a college WR, TE, etc but needs to play QB because he is best athlete. Or might be a 6'4 post when he will be a wing in college.

A perfect example: 1984 Bozeman High had Collins at QB and Widmer at RB. Two future pros at DL and LB. They opened with Sentinel in a blizzard at home and got beat 66-6. The O-line were a bunch of undersized kids who couldn't block for those two.

[lutecat]

Favorite thread of the year. When do you expect to have your full list?

After February signing day in 2025. I'll put kids in Tiers at that point.

Cough cough...it's March...

[GrizgradCatFan]

I bet he plays basketball in college. His dad is the coach and was a decent baller in his day.

[VimSince03]

Favorite thread of the year. When do you expect to have your full list?

After February signing day in 2025. I'll put kids in Tiers at that point.

Cough cough...it's March...

Updated on OP!

[tetoncat]

I bet he plays basketball in college. His dad is the coach and was a decent baller in his day.

Maybe, but if can play Cats or Griz or higher in football and only ends up with frontier for basketball he could choose football. Great athlete so will be interesting to see offers he gets in each

[lutecat]

Is the Geise kid related to George, the retired Tribune sports editor? It says the kid is in Fort Benton so not too far away from Great Falls.

[kwcat]

Is the Geise kid related to George, the retired Tribune sports editor? It says the kid is in Fort Benton so not too far away from Great Falls.

First name is slipping my memory at the moment. His grandfather is from Sidney. (Bill?)

[Travelingcat]

Is the Geise kid related to George, the retired Tribune sports editor? It says the kid is in Fort Benton so not too far away from Great Falls.

I saw Giese play in person this year, and he was definitely dominant on his level and looked like a plausible prospect.

Really hope we can get Dahlke who started as a Freshman for very good Gallatin squad that barely even plays Sophomores, let alone Freshman.

He's a genuinely elite athlete who I think is more explosive than Taco Dowler (an obvious comp)

[lutecat]

I bet he plays basketball in college. His dad is the coach and was a decent baller in his day.

Speculation out of Butte by some is that he goes to bigger community in warmer climates for his senior year and Butte loses its best player as well as their coach for basketball. If he does that, I'm guessing football is an afterthought.

[tetoncat]

I bet he plays basketball in college. His dad is the coach and was a decent baller in his day.

Speculation out of Butte by some is that he goes to bigger community in warmer climates for his senior year and Butte loses its best player as well as their coach for basketball. If he does that, I'm guessing football is an afterthought.

How big is he. 6 ft 190? Will he have BB offers outside the Frontier? If not could that sway him to football. Seems like he is enjoying the Senior days and way more football offers at this point