Matt Miller is one of many football coaches who used a stint at MSU to boost their careers
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcat Football Helps Launch Coaching Careers
1/28/2020 1:46:00 PM | Football
Montana State has always been an outstanding proving ground for football coaches
BOZEMAN, Montana – Some call it a coaching family tree. During Jeff Choate's tenure at Montana State, it's seemed a little closer to a launching pad.
Whatever it's called, the Bobcat football program seems to be fertile growing grounds for coaching careers. Just days after Bobcat offensive coordinator Matt Miller returned to Boise State to become his alma mater's receivers coach, Gerald Alexander, the secondary coach on Choate's first Bobcat staff in 2016, was hired by the Miami Dolphins. That makes 22 full-time coaches or interns during Choate's tenure that have moved on in the business.
"You hire good people and let them do their jobs," Choate said of his philosophy in building a coaching staff. "We emphasize collaboration, so people on our staff check their egos at the door and work together to win games and put our players in the best position to succeed in all ways."
The process of replenishing the talent on his coaching staff began almost immediately. After his first year at Montana State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham departed to join his long-time friend Chris Kleiman at North Dakota State, and a year later Messingham followed Kleiman to Kansas State, where he now works as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
From that point, the matriculation was steady. Bobcat icon Kane Ioane left his role as a Bobcat assistant to take a defensive analyst role at Washington, Michael Pitre moved to Oregon State, Gerald Alexander went to Cal and then the Dolphins, and Mark Orphey, who replaced Alexander at MSU, took a similar position at Utah State. DeNarius McGhee, like Ioane a Bobcat legend, returned to MSU as quarterbacks coach before transitioning to running backs coach, and recently joined the staff of the Houston Texans of the NFL.
Interns in Choate's program have also advanced their careers. Joe Dunning and Patrick Carroll both presently work as full-time assistants at Rocky Mountain , while Kendrick Van Ackeren and Ryan Saparto both work at Oregon State. In all, 22 different individuals have worked for Choate as full-time coaches or interns. Of those, two now work in the NFL, five advanced to work in Power 5 programs (counting Ioane, who returned to MSU), two work in Group of 5 programs, and two work at the NAIA level.
COACHING TRANSITIONS DURING CHOATE ERA
Gerald Alexander (2016 – Cal, then Dolphins), Joe Dunning (2017-18 – Rocky Mountain), Kane Ioane (2016 – Washington then Montana State), DeNarius McGhee (2017-19 – Houston Texans), Courtney Messingham (2016 – North Dakota State then Kansas State), Matt Miller (2016-2019 – Boise State), Michael Pitre (2016-17 – Oregon State), Mark Orphey (2017-18 – Utah State), Ryan Saparto (2016-17 – Oregon State), Kendrick Van Ackeren (2016 – Oregon State), Patrick Carroll (2018 – Dickinson State then Rocky Mountain)
OTHER NOTABLES TO COACH AT MONTANA STATE
Tim Drevno, current USC assistant (1993-99), Pete Kwiatkowski, current Washington assistant (2000-04); Jim McElwain, current Central Michigan Head Coach (1995-99); Jim Michalczik, current Oregon State assistant coach (1992-98), Jason McEndoo, current Oklahoma State assistant coach (2003-14); John Rushing, Arizona assistant coach (2000-02)
#GoCatsGo
Whatever it's called, the Bobcat football program seems to be fertile growing grounds for coaching careers. Just days after Bobcat offensive coordinator Matt Miller returned to Boise State to become his alma mater's receivers coach, Gerald Alexander, the secondary coach on Choate's first Bobcat staff in 2016, was hired by the Miami Dolphins. That makes 22 full-time coaches or interns during Choate's tenure that have moved on in the business.
"You hire good people and let them do their jobs," Choate said of his philosophy in building a coaching staff. "We emphasize collaboration, so people on our staff check their egos at the door and work together to win games and put our players in the best position to succeed in all ways."
The process of replenishing the talent on his coaching staff began almost immediately. After his first year at Montana State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham departed to join his long-time friend Chris Kleiman at North Dakota State, and a year later Messingham followed Kleiman to Kansas State, where he now works as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
From that point, the matriculation was steady. Bobcat icon Kane Ioane left his role as a Bobcat assistant to take a defensive analyst role at Washington, Michael Pitre moved to Oregon State, Gerald Alexander went to Cal and then the Dolphins, and Mark Orphey, who replaced Alexander at MSU, took a similar position at Utah State. DeNarius McGhee, like Ioane a Bobcat legend, returned to MSU as quarterbacks coach before transitioning to running backs coach, and recently joined the staff of the Houston Texans of the NFL.
Interns in Choate's program have also advanced their careers. Joe Dunning and Patrick Carroll both presently work as full-time assistants at Rocky Mountain , while Kendrick Van Ackeren and Ryan Saparto both work at Oregon State. In all, 22 different individuals have worked for Choate as full-time coaches or interns. Of those, two now work in the NFL, five advanced to work in Power 5 programs (counting Ioane, who returned to MSU), two work in Group of 5 programs, and two work at the NAIA level.
COACHING TRANSITIONS DURING CHOATE ERA
Gerald Alexander (2016 – Cal, then Dolphins), Joe Dunning (2017-18 – Rocky Mountain), Kane Ioane (2016 – Washington then Montana State), DeNarius McGhee (2017-19 – Houston Texans), Courtney Messingham (2016 – North Dakota State then Kansas State), Matt Miller (2016-2019 – Boise State), Michael Pitre (2016-17 – Oregon State), Mark Orphey (2017-18 – Utah State), Ryan Saparto (2016-17 – Oregon State), Kendrick Van Ackeren (2016 – Oregon State), Patrick Carroll (2018 – Dickinson State then Rocky Mountain)
OTHER NOTABLES TO COACH AT MONTANA STATE
Tim Drevno, current USC assistant (1993-99), Pete Kwiatkowski, current Washington assistant (2000-04); Jim McElwain, current Central Michigan Head Coach (1995-99); Jim Michalczik, current Oregon State assistant coach (1992-98), Jason McEndoo, current Oklahoma State assistant coach (2003-14); John Rushing, Arizona assistant coach (2000-02)
#GoCatsGo
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