Jody Owens starred at linebacker for the Cats, and helped coach the position for a season
BOBCAT FOOTBALL IN THE 2010s: The Linebackers
12/29/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
From start to finish, the linebacker position was star-studded at MSU in the 2010s
Rather than ranking the top Bobcat football players, games, and other moments from the decade that's coming to a close, let's take a look back position group by position group, and all that the 2010s brought Bobcat fans. It was quite a decade!
LINEBACKERS
When you get right down to it, some of Bobcat football's greatest stars of the past decade called linebacker home. Jody Owens, Alex Singleton, Grant Collins… even the men who coached the position (Kane Ioane, Michael Rider, Owens, Bobby Daly) carry major cache for their playing careers at MSU.
Owens earned Big Sky MVP honors as a senior in 2012, when the Bobcats capped a three-year run of Big Sky Championships. A pair of Bignells – Clay in 2010-11 and his cousin Mac in 2015-17 – manned the position, and a pair of brilliant in-state products – Aleksei Grosulak in 2010, and Josh Hill in the last seasons of the decade – bookended the 2010s. Alex Singleton was an All-America who became an even bigger star north of the border in the CFL before his long-overdue NFL shot with the Eagles came this season, and Troy Andersen earned All-America honors for his amazing play in 2019, although his overall athletic excellence overshadowed his exceptional play at linebacker.
It's worth mentioning that two-year starter Cole Moore is Montana State's Assistant AD for Football, while Clay Bignell is an assistant coach at Notre Dame and Owens is defensive coordinator at Briar Cliff University.
Here is a look at Montana State's linebackers during the 2010s…
PRIMARY STARTERS (Those who started the most games at a position for each season from 2010-19)
WILL LINEBACKER: Jody Owens (2010-12), Alex Singleton (2013-14), Mac Bignell (2015-17), Michael Jobman (2018), Josh Hill (2019)
MIKE LINEBACKER: Clay Bignell (2010-11), Na'a Moeakiola (2012, '14), Michael Foster (2013), Grant Collins (2015, '18), Fletcher Collins (2016), Josh Hill (2017), Callahan O'Reilly (2019)
SAM LINEBACKER: Aleksei Grosulak (2010), Na'a Moeakiola (2011), Cole Moore (2012-14), Blake Braun (2015), Josh Hill (2016), Brayden Konkol (2017), Jacob Hadley (2018), Josh Hill (2019)
BIG SKY HONORS: Jody Owens – 2012 Big Sky Defensive MVP
ALL-AMERICA: Jody Owens (2011-12), Alex Singleton (2014), Troy Andersen (as Athlete, 2019)
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY: LB Jody Owens (2011-12), Alex Singleton (2014), Mac Bignell (2017), Troy Andersen (2019).
LINEBACKERS COACHES: Kane Ioane (2010-16), Michael Rider (assistant – 2014), Jody Owens (assistant – 2015), Ty Gregorak (2017-18), Bobby Daly (2019)
LINEBACKERS
When you get right down to it, some of Bobcat football's greatest stars of the past decade called linebacker home. Jody Owens, Alex Singleton, Grant Collins… even the men who coached the position (Kane Ioane, Michael Rider, Owens, Bobby Daly) carry major cache for their playing careers at MSU.
Owens earned Big Sky MVP honors as a senior in 2012, when the Bobcats capped a three-year run of Big Sky Championships. A pair of Bignells – Clay in 2010-11 and his cousin Mac in 2015-17 – manned the position, and a pair of brilliant in-state products – Aleksei Grosulak in 2010, and Josh Hill in the last seasons of the decade – bookended the 2010s. Alex Singleton was an All-America who became an even bigger star north of the border in the CFL before his long-overdue NFL shot with the Eagles came this season, and Troy Andersen earned All-America honors for his amazing play in 2019, although his overall athletic excellence overshadowed his exceptional play at linebacker.
It's worth mentioning that two-year starter Cole Moore is Montana State's Assistant AD for Football, while Clay Bignell is an assistant coach at Notre Dame and Owens is defensive coordinator at Briar Cliff University.
Here is a look at Montana State's linebackers during the 2010s…
PRIMARY STARTERS (Those who started the most games at a position for each season from 2010-19)
WILL LINEBACKER: Jody Owens (2010-12), Alex Singleton (2013-14), Mac Bignell (2015-17), Michael Jobman (2018), Josh Hill (2019)
MIKE LINEBACKER: Clay Bignell (2010-11), Na'a Moeakiola (2012, '14), Michael Foster (2013), Grant Collins (2015, '18), Fletcher Collins (2016), Josh Hill (2017), Callahan O'Reilly (2019)
SAM LINEBACKER: Aleksei Grosulak (2010), Na'a Moeakiola (2011), Cole Moore (2012-14), Blake Braun (2015), Josh Hill (2016), Brayden Konkol (2017), Jacob Hadley (2018), Josh Hill (2019)
BIG SKY HONORS: Jody Owens – 2012 Big Sky Defensive MVP
ALL-AMERICA: Jody Owens (2011-12), Alex Singleton (2014), Troy Andersen (as Athlete, 2019)
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY: LB Jody Owens (2011-12), Alex Singleton (2014), Mac Bignell (2017), Troy Andersen (2019).
LINEBACKERS COACHES: Kane Ioane (2010-16), Michael Rider (assistant – 2014), Jody Owens (assistant – 2015), Ty Gregorak (2017-18), Bobby Daly (2019)
Players Mentioned
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