Kramer Sees Big Things from Small Class
2/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
When Montana State football coach Mike Kramer sent his staff to the recruiting trails in mid-January, he had a picture in his mind of what the Bobcats’ ideal 2007 recruiting class would look like.
On Wednesday, Kramer and the Bobcat Football staff turned that wish list into reality, publicly unveiling his program’s 2007 recruiting class.
“We had our evaluating done on January 15th, and we had our dream list as we went out the door,” Kramer said Wednesday, the day most student-athletes sign National Letters-of-Intent for the 2007 season. “Three weeks later, this is still our list. That (success rate) is extremely unusual.”
Montana State’s 2007 recruiting class fell into place during an unusual recruiting session, in which the Bobcats had less scholarship aid than usual to offer because of a high number of returners, and culminates in a group Kramer calls “next-level” class. “Having done this for 15 years, this class, in my opinion, represents the next level. Across the board, we were able to recruit not on hope or projection but on actuality and production.”
Kramer identified highly-decorated offensive line signees Conrad Burbank and Alex Terien as examples. “Not so long ago we recruited offensive linemen who had played no high school football, or one year, of football, or guys that had played different positions, thinking we could turn them into productive players. Alex and Conrad represent how far we’ve come in our abillity to attract quality, proven offensive linemen to this program.”
Terien was the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place with this year’s class as it stands on signing day, committing late last week. That lack of late activity created a calm environment in the Bobcat Football offices in recent days. “It’s been quiet,” said MSU’s eighth-year head coach with a laugh. Kramer indicated that the Bobcats retain the opportunity to recruit past signing day.
The primary excitement during this year’s recruiting period came when Bobcat coaches re-evaluated the program’s needs in the secondary and offensive line in mid-course, choosing to move toward high school athletes in the offensive front and defensive back transfers. Both decisions represented “180 degree changes” that Kramer called “major flip-flops.”
Kramer is thrilled with the results, and credits his staff. “We added players in the secondary that will help us right away,” he said, “and two athletes in the offensive line that join this program’s next wave of offensive linemen. Our coaches did a great job adapting and adjusting when we made those decisions. This class is a credit to their hard work.”
As a group, Kramer is pleased with this year’s recruiting class. “It’s pretty,” he said. “There’s good height and length to this class. More importantly, every single one of these players brings not flash but proven productivity. We believe that will translate well to college football, because collectively and individually this class brings a lot of work ethic to this program. We are very, very excited.”
JANUARY TRANSFERS
DeAndre Green, WR
6-1, 170, Jr, Concord, CA -- Contra Costa JC/De Anza
Player Notes: Transferred to MSU at the semester from Contra Costa College in California... caught 43 passes for 437 yards and four TDs as a sophomore... earned First Team All-Bay Valley Conference honors as a freshman, when he was also his team’s MVP... caught 72 passes for 839 yards and seven scores that year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “DeAndre is a tall, willowy wide receiver with definitive speed and tremendous productivity at Contra Costa. His 3.1 grade point average indicates his academic efficiency, and he is intent on graduating from Montana State in three semesters. DeAndre brings us experience and production.”
Abraham Muheize, S
5-10, 191, So, El Cajon, CA -- Grossmont JC/El Cajon
Player Notes: Joined the Bobcats in January from Grossmont Junior College, where he registered 40 tackles, picked off two passes and blocked four punts last fall as a freshman... earned First Team All-Grossmont League and All-East County honors as a senior at El Cajon, nabbing Union Tribune and East County Offensive Player of the Year honors... EA Sports Second Team All-America... one of 30 athletes from across the nation chosen for Red Zone Player of the Year honors by Old Spice... Mr. California runner-up... chosen for the San Diego County All-Star Game... threw for 4,052 yards and ran for 1,050 as a senior, with 41 TD passes and 13 on the ground... 118 tackles, 10 picks and two defensive touchdowns as a senior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Abraham is a mistake that we recovered from. We should have offered him a scholarship last spring, but we didn’t and he moved on to Grossmont. Thank goodness he hung onto us, because he is a fine player. He really slides into a near-starting role in the spring coming off his true freshman season.”
AUGUST TRANSFERS
Ramon Lewis, S
6-2, 203, Jr, Macon, GA -- Butte JC/Southeast HS
Player Notes: Transfers to MSU from Butte Junior College in California, where he was a team captain and two-time letterman... earned First Team All-California honors and All-NorCal honors... a four-star recruit by JCFootball.com and an Honorable Mention JC Gridwire All-America... registered 60 tackles with four picks and 20 pass breakups last year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Ramon is a big, physical, multi-talented, multi-position athletic corner who can play any safety position you can design or linebacker. He has corner skills and a safety’s body.”
David Taylor, CB
5-8, 175, Jr, Galveston, TX -- Butte JC/O’Connell HS
Player Notes: Transfers to MSU from Butte Junior College... California JC honorable mention all-state in ‘06... a three-time defensive player of the game last fall who clocked a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash at the NorCal Combine... registered 38 tackles with three passes interception and 30 broken up last year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “David Taylor is not as physically gifted as maybe some coaches like, but his heart is out-sized. He continually demonstrated stop ability in man-to-man defense during two years of being regularly assaulted by taller receivers. He has proven his mettle.”
HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES
Clay Bignell, DL
6-2, 210, Fr, Helena, MT -- Capital HS
Player Notes: Earned All-State and all-conference honors each of the last two seasons, and also Great Falls Tribune Super-State honors... a team captain and three-time letterman for the 2006 State Championship Bruins... registered over 90 tackles last fall... earned all-state honors in basketball as a junior... the nephew of former Bobcat All-America Joe Bignell.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “A vital cog in another run by Capital to the state championship. Clay is a tremendous athlete on the hoops floor, and from an obvious Bobcat family. He is cowboy tough.”
Conrad Burbank, OL
6-4, 274, Fr, Reno, NV -- Bishop Manogue HS
Player Notes: Earned Nevada 4A and High Desert League Lineman of the Year honors last fall, when he was also a team captain and team defensive line MVP... earned all-league honors on both sides of the ball... registered 45 tackles and seven sacks as a senior... missed his junior season with an injury.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Maybe the most storied recruit of the year for us, Conrad has a tremendous number of accolades. We consider him an addition to the next generation of offensive linemen here, a three-year group that began with guys like Jeff Hansen and Dominic Sonsini and Neil Boyce and continued last year with Jeff Miller and Mike Person. We consider this a great group, and Conrad and Alex Terien are good additions.”
Jordan Craney, S
6-0, 182, Fr, Pocatello, ID -- Century HS
Player Notes: An all-region quarterback at Pocatello Century, throwing for 1,100 yards with a dozen scores, and rushing for 700 yards and 10 TDs... earned all-region and all-conference honors as a junior... a former MSU Summer Camp MVP.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Jordan Craney was an outstanding player for us in our summer camp and had a fine career at Century High School. He has the type of field awareness and academic acumen displayed by Ryan Force.”
Casey Dennehy, DL
6-2, 225, Fr, Butte, MT -- Butte HS
Player Notes: Two-time First Team All-State choice at defensive end, also earning all-league and all-state honors as a running back... chosen for MonDak and Shrine all-star games... Great Falls Tribune Super-State selection... all-conference and all-state as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Literally, Casey is probably the most fun athlete we recruited to watch play on video. He was a two-way player for Coach Salo at Butte High, he was a leader on and off the field, and he possesses the heritage of a Butte High School athlete and the Dennehy family.”
Michael Erickson, DL
6-3, 240, Fr, Havre, MT -- Havre HS
Player Notes: Earned First Team All-State honors last fall... also chosen for the MonDak and East-West all-star games... the son of former Bobcat standout Max Erickson.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Michael is another outstanding performer from our summer camp, and a three-year starter at Havre. He possesses excellent size and speed and demonstrated toughness from his lengthy hockey career. He’s the son of former Bobcat great Max Erickson, so he has a strong feeling for this program’s heritage.”
Dan Ogden, DL
6-0, 265, Fr, Kalispell, MT -- Flathead HS
Player Notes: First Team All-State and Great Falls Tribune Super-State linebacker, honorable mention fullback... also first team all-state choice as a junior... chosen for Shrine and MonDak All-Star games... MSU summer camp MVP in 2006... a team captain and three-year starter... state champion in the shot put and second in the state as a heavyweight wrestler as a junior... currently ranked second in the state as a heavyweight.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “We targeted Dan as a great player last spring, and he played great in our summer camp. He is an explosive, powerful player who had a dominant senior season at Flathead.”
Shane Robison, TE
6-5, 224, Fr, Billings, MT -- West HS
Player Notes: An all-state and all-conference tight end, earning selection to the Shrine and MonDak all-star games... a team captain and three-time letterman who earned all-conference honors in football and second team all-state honors in basketball as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Shane is a tremendous athlete at West High, and an outstanding basketball player. His effort against some of the better defensive linemen in the state led us to believe that he can be an outstanding college tight end.”
Brad Smith, DL
6-5, 202, Fr, Belgrade, MT -- Belgrade HS
Player Notes: First Team all-state and all-conference defensive end and tight end at Belgrade... earned team MVP honors on both sides of the ball as a senior, earning Great Falls Tribune Super-State selection... MVP of MSU’s summer camp in 2006... all-state and all-conference defensive end as a junior
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Brad is going to end up as one of the outstanding athletes in the state of Montana in 2006-07. He’s a multisport letterwinner and one of the early favorites in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles this spring.”
Alex Terrien, OL
6-5, 245, Fr, Auburn, WA -- Auburn Riverside
Player Notes: A team captain and three-year letterwinner, earning first team All-South Puget Sound League honors as a senior... also an all-state choice last fall... averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds a game in basketball... a second team all-conference choice as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Alex is a very accomplished two-way player at Auburn Riverside in the South Puget Sound League who played at the highest level of any offensive lineman we’ve recruited. He’s very gifted for a big man, and is probably as fine a basketball player for an offensive lineman as we signed. He reminds me a lot of (former Bobcat) Brent Swaggert. He’s serious-minded and definitely brings a high level of maturity to our offensive front.”
On Wednesday, Kramer and the Bobcat Football staff turned that wish list into reality, publicly unveiling his program’s 2007 recruiting class.
“We had our evaluating done on January 15th, and we had our dream list as we went out the door,” Kramer said Wednesday, the day most student-athletes sign National Letters-of-Intent for the 2007 season. “Three weeks later, this is still our list. That (success rate) is extremely unusual.”
Montana State’s 2007 recruiting class fell into place during an unusual recruiting session, in which the Bobcats had less scholarship aid than usual to offer because of a high number of returners, and culminates in a group Kramer calls “next-level” class. “Having done this for 15 years, this class, in my opinion, represents the next level. Across the board, we were able to recruit not on hope or projection but on actuality and production.”
Kramer identified highly-decorated offensive line signees Conrad Burbank and Alex Terien as examples. “Not so long ago we recruited offensive linemen who had played no high school football, or one year, of football, or guys that had played different positions, thinking we could turn them into productive players. Alex and Conrad represent how far we’ve come in our abillity to attract quality, proven offensive linemen to this program.”
Terien was the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place with this year’s class as it stands on signing day, committing late last week. That lack of late activity created a calm environment in the Bobcat Football offices in recent days. “It’s been quiet,” said MSU’s eighth-year head coach with a laugh. Kramer indicated that the Bobcats retain the opportunity to recruit past signing day.
The primary excitement during this year’s recruiting period came when Bobcat coaches re-evaluated the program’s needs in the secondary and offensive line in mid-course, choosing to move toward high school athletes in the offensive front and defensive back transfers. Both decisions represented “180 degree changes” that Kramer called “major flip-flops.”
Kramer is thrilled with the results, and credits his staff. “We added players in the secondary that will help us right away,” he said, “and two athletes in the offensive line that join this program’s next wave of offensive linemen. Our coaches did a great job adapting and adjusting when we made those decisions. This class is a credit to their hard work.”
As a group, Kramer is pleased with this year’s recruiting class. “It’s pretty,” he said. “There’s good height and length to this class. More importantly, every single one of these players brings not flash but proven productivity. We believe that will translate well to college football, because collectively and individually this class brings a lot of work ethic to this program. We are very, very excited.”
JANUARY TRANSFERS
DeAndre Green, WR
6-1, 170, Jr, Concord, CA -- Contra Costa JC/De Anza
Player Notes: Transferred to MSU at the semester from Contra Costa College in California... caught 43 passes for 437 yards and four TDs as a sophomore... earned First Team All-Bay Valley Conference honors as a freshman, when he was also his team’s MVP... caught 72 passes for 839 yards and seven scores that year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “DeAndre is a tall, willowy wide receiver with definitive speed and tremendous productivity at Contra Costa. His 3.1 grade point average indicates his academic efficiency, and he is intent on graduating from Montana State in three semesters. DeAndre brings us experience and production.”
Abraham Muheize, S
5-10, 191, So, El Cajon, CA -- Grossmont JC/El Cajon
Player Notes: Joined the Bobcats in January from Grossmont Junior College, where he registered 40 tackles, picked off two passes and blocked four punts last fall as a freshman... earned First Team All-Grossmont League and All-East County honors as a senior at El Cajon, nabbing Union Tribune and East County Offensive Player of the Year honors... EA Sports Second Team All-America... one of 30 athletes from across the nation chosen for Red Zone Player of the Year honors by Old Spice... Mr. California runner-up... chosen for the San Diego County All-Star Game... threw for 4,052 yards and ran for 1,050 as a senior, with 41 TD passes and 13 on the ground... 118 tackles, 10 picks and two defensive touchdowns as a senior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Abraham is a mistake that we recovered from. We should have offered him a scholarship last spring, but we didn’t and he moved on to Grossmont. Thank goodness he hung onto us, because he is a fine player. He really slides into a near-starting role in the spring coming off his true freshman season.”
AUGUST TRANSFERS
Ramon Lewis, S
6-2, 203, Jr, Macon, GA -- Butte JC/Southeast HS
Player Notes: Transfers to MSU from Butte Junior College in California, where he was a team captain and two-time letterman... earned First Team All-California honors and All-NorCal honors... a four-star recruit by JCFootball.com and an Honorable Mention JC Gridwire All-America... registered 60 tackles with four picks and 20 pass breakups last year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Ramon is a big, physical, multi-talented, multi-position athletic corner who can play any safety position you can design or linebacker. He has corner skills and a safety’s body.”
David Taylor, CB
5-8, 175, Jr, Galveston, TX -- Butte JC/O’Connell HS
Player Notes: Transfers to MSU from Butte Junior College... California JC honorable mention all-state in ‘06... a three-time defensive player of the game last fall who clocked a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash at the NorCal Combine... registered 38 tackles with three passes interception and 30 broken up last year.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “David Taylor is not as physically gifted as maybe some coaches like, but his heart is out-sized. He continually demonstrated stop ability in man-to-man defense during two years of being regularly assaulted by taller receivers. He has proven his mettle.”
HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES
Clay Bignell, DL
6-2, 210, Fr, Helena, MT -- Capital HS
Player Notes: Earned All-State and all-conference honors each of the last two seasons, and also Great Falls Tribune Super-State honors... a team captain and three-time letterman for the 2006 State Championship Bruins... registered over 90 tackles last fall... earned all-state honors in basketball as a junior... the nephew of former Bobcat All-America Joe Bignell.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “A vital cog in another run by Capital to the state championship. Clay is a tremendous athlete on the hoops floor, and from an obvious Bobcat family. He is cowboy tough.”
Conrad Burbank, OL
6-4, 274, Fr, Reno, NV -- Bishop Manogue HS
Player Notes: Earned Nevada 4A and High Desert League Lineman of the Year honors last fall, when he was also a team captain and team defensive line MVP... earned all-league honors on both sides of the ball... registered 45 tackles and seven sacks as a senior... missed his junior season with an injury.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Maybe the most storied recruit of the year for us, Conrad has a tremendous number of accolades. We consider him an addition to the next generation of offensive linemen here, a three-year group that began with guys like Jeff Hansen and Dominic Sonsini and Neil Boyce and continued last year with Jeff Miller and Mike Person. We consider this a great group, and Conrad and Alex Terien are good additions.”
Jordan Craney, S
6-0, 182, Fr, Pocatello, ID -- Century HS
Player Notes: An all-region quarterback at Pocatello Century, throwing for 1,100 yards with a dozen scores, and rushing for 700 yards and 10 TDs... earned all-region and all-conference honors as a junior... a former MSU Summer Camp MVP.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Jordan Craney was an outstanding player for us in our summer camp and had a fine career at Century High School. He has the type of field awareness and academic acumen displayed by Ryan Force.”
Casey Dennehy, DL
6-2, 225, Fr, Butte, MT -- Butte HS
Player Notes: Two-time First Team All-State choice at defensive end, also earning all-league and all-state honors as a running back... chosen for MonDak and Shrine all-star games... Great Falls Tribune Super-State selection... all-conference and all-state as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Literally, Casey is probably the most fun athlete we recruited to watch play on video. He was a two-way player for Coach Salo at Butte High, he was a leader on and off the field, and he possesses the heritage of a Butte High School athlete and the Dennehy family.”
Michael Erickson, DL
6-3, 240, Fr, Havre, MT -- Havre HS
Player Notes: Earned First Team All-State honors last fall... also chosen for the MonDak and East-West all-star games... the son of former Bobcat standout Max Erickson.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Michael is another outstanding performer from our summer camp, and a three-year starter at Havre. He possesses excellent size and speed and demonstrated toughness from his lengthy hockey career. He’s the son of former Bobcat great Max Erickson, so he has a strong feeling for this program’s heritage.”
Dan Ogden, DL
6-0, 265, Fr, Kalispell, MT -- Flathead HS
Player Notes: First Team All-State and Great Falls Tribune Super-State linebacker, honorable mention fullback... also first team all-state choice as a junior... chosen for Shrine and MonDak All-Star games... MSU summer camp MVP in 2006... a team captain and three-year starter... state champion in the shot put and second in the state as a heavyweight wrestler as a junior... currently ranked second in the state as a heavyweight.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “We targeted Dan as a great player last spring, and he played great in our summer camp. He is an explosive, powerful player who had a dominant senior season at Flathead.”
Shane Robison, TE
6-5, 224, Fr, Billings, MT -- West HS
Player Notes: An all-state and all-conference tight end, earning selection to the Shrine and MonDak all-star games... a team captain and three-time letterman who earned all-conference honors in football and second team all-state honors in basketball as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Shane is a tremendous athlete at West High, and an outstanding basketball player. His effort against some of the better defensive linemen in the state led us to believe that he can be an outstanding college tight end.”
Brad Smith, DL
6-5, 202, Fr, Belgrade, MT -- Belgrade HS
Player Notes: First Team all-state and all-conference defensive end and tight end at Belgrade... earned team MVP honors on both sides of the ball as a senior, earning Great Falls Tribune Super-State selection... MVP of MSU’s summer camp in 2006... all-state and all-conference defensive end as a junior
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Brad is going to end up as one of the outstanding athletes in the state of Montana in 2006-07. He’s a multisport letterwinner and one of the early favorites in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles this spring.”
Alex Terrien, OL
6-5, 245, Fr, Auburn, WA -- Auburn Riverside
Player Notes: A team captain and three-year letterwinner, earning first team All-South Puget Sound League honors as a senior... also an all-state choice last fall... averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds a game in basketball... a second team all-conference choice as a junior.
From MSU Coach Mike Kramer: “Alex is a very accomplished two-way player at Auburn Riverside in the South Puget Sound League who played at the highest level of any offensive lineman we’ve recruited. He’s very gifted for a big man, and is probably as fine a basketball player for an offensive lineman as we signed. He reminds me a lot of (former Bobcat) Brent Swaggert. He’s serious-minded and definitely brings a high level of maturity to our offensive front.”
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