The Montana Grizzlies' two player representatives at the annual Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff in Spokane hailed from the states of Washington and Minnesota, which could indicate a few things.

One, Montana State — which brought the Dowler twins out of Billings West to Spokane — is ahead in in-state recruiting. Two, former Griz coach Bobby Hauck, for all of his dislike of the transfer portal, worked that thing really well. 

Linebacker Peyton Wing, for example. The senior out of Sumner, Washington, made 10 tackles inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Nov. 16, 2024. Thing was, he was wearing the green and white of Portland State.  

"It was awesome," Wing said of his first visit to UM's home turf. A year later he was first-team all-Big Sky after playing 10 more games inside Wa-Griz while wearing maroon and silver. He'd hit the portal after two years at PSU and it seemed there was just one destination. 

"I had a couple offers coming out," he said Monday. "I took one visit and just stayed at that school. I knew it was a special place and something I wanted to be a part of." 

Running back Eli Gillman, of course, is no transfer. He is the first Minnesotan to suit up for Griz football, and he's among the best running backs to ever don the colors.  

He didn't have his sights set on Missoula until late in the recruiting process. 

"I really wanted to be a Gopher as a kid," he said, referring to the University of Minnesota. "Then I started watching football and getting my own opinions and I wanted to be a Bison. All my life, really, after that." 

The feeling from North Dakota State was not mutual.   

"In high school I was just sitting there waiting for NDSU to offer me. I went to camps, all this stuff," Gillman said.  

Meanwhile, then-Griz recruiting coordinator Justin Green was burning up the phone lines. 

"I didn't commit right away because I was still waiting on NDSU," Gillman said. "NDSU never came around and I was like, 'All right, I'm kind of sick of waiting.' I had different offers but in my head I was leaning toward Montana because of how well Coach Green did recruiting me. And the place is just sweet, honestly." 

Gillman currently seems to have as many preseason honors as he does career touchdowns, and he has 53 TDs. Another healthy season and he'll pass Griz legends Yohance Humphery, Lex Hilliard and Chase Reynolds in every rushing category. The only Green in his future was Justin, who got the latest Griz legend to commit. 

And guess what happened next? 

"Then NDSU called me a week later and offered," he said. "They told me to decommit and I was like, 'No.' You, know? I just committed here for a reason; because they wanted me the whole time." 

Sports Editor Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 406-758-4463 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.