Mitchell Herbert (left) and his brother Justin
Photo by: Courtesy of Herbert family
BOBCAT CONVERSATIONS: Mitchell Herbert Preps for His Brother's Draft Night, Medical School
4/22/2020 11:55:00 AM | Football
Former Bobcat receiver readies for his brother Justin's name to be called Thursday
BOZEMAN, Montana - Mitcell Herbert has not changed career paths. Montana State's former star receiver isn't going to pass on a career in medicine to work in video production.
But on Thursday night, that will be his role.
"Justin put me in charge of the media aspect of it," he said with a laugh, referencing his brother, the former Oregon quarterback who is expected to be among the first players selected in this weekend's 2020 NFL Draft. The first round airs on ESPN and the NFL Network on Thursday night, and with players accepting their congratulations remotely rather than in person Mitchell Herbert has been busy.
"We've got two cameras and a few big light stands set up (in the Herbert family living room)," he said with a laugh. "Over the weekend I was putting all this equipment together, (getting direction from) an NFL IT guy, making sure the cameras were in the right position, and the lights. It's been kind of fun."
Mitch Herbert, Justin, and Patrick, the youngest brother who is a redshirt freshman tight end at Oregon, have been holed up in the family's Eugene, Oregon, home since the college athletics world was essentially closed down early in March. They have passed time by keeping Justin's arm tuned up with regular throwing sessions and taking advantage of the makeshift backyard strength training facility.
In addition to staying busy with draft night preparations, they've also worked on keeping Justin occupied. "The mood's been good, but I think he's ready to have the whole process over and know where he's going to be spending the next few years. We've been trying to distract him, getting out and playing some golf."
Herbert's career as a Bobcat receiver was memorable. At the moment he celebrated the end of his time in the Blue and Gold, mingling on the field with family members after Montana State's 31-23 win over the Grizzlies to close the 2017 season, he was second in school history in touchdown catches and fifth in receiving yards, and since graduating with a degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience has worked toward beginning medical school this fall.
Bobcat football was everything Herbert hoped it would be. "I loved every second of it," he said. "The guys, the teammates, the relationships are things I'll cherish forever."
Soon the pressure will be on Justin to perform for whatever NFL team selects him, on Patrick whenever college football resumes, and on Mitch at whatever medical school is fortunate enough for him to select.
But for now, a different sort of pressure is on. "We got all sorts of stuff, we got like four boxes in the mail. They sent two iPhones, directions to set everything up, make sure we have a good connection. It's a lot. Hopefully I didn't mess anything up and everyone will be able to watch live from the Herbert living room on Thursday night."
Bobcat Conversation with Mitchell Herbert
Mitchell Herbert starred for the Bobcat football team from 2014-17, finishing among Montana State's top 10 receivers in most season and career categories. He is in the process of selecting a medical school, and will begin this fall.
Where are you in the process of choosing a medical school? "By April 30 I have to narrow it down to one, but it's almost guaranteed to be Vanderbilt. I can stay on the wait list at a few other places throughout the summer, so I'll choose Vanderbilt then stay on the wait list at Columbia and Cornell until I have to make an official decision, which I think is at the end of June. Nashville is awesome. (Former Bobcat teammate) Shiloh LaBoy lives there so when I went to interview (at Vanderbilt) I got to stay with him and his girlfriend, he took me out to a few good barbecue places, and the excitement of Nashville is pretty cool. The medical school is a great school with lots of opportunities, and you can really personalize the curriculum. It's organized in a different way than a lot of other schools. It's only one year in the classroom as opposed to two so you get a little more clinical experience early on, and you get to choose some electives that you're interested in. I really like that part. I'm pretty interested in orthopedic medicine right now, staying involved in sports, and I'm kind of a mechanical-thinking person, so I think right now that's where my interest lies."
You started the 2019 season at AT&T Stadium near Dallas and finished at the Rose Bowl, so Justin's senior season must have been a lot of fun for you. "It was great. From his freshman year, when I was still in Bozeman, I got to follow but I wasn't around and I didn't really get to enjoy watching him succeed, so this last year was amazing. I think I missed two games total because I was interviewing for medical school, so I got to see Jerry World in Dallas (when the Ducks were edged by Auburn), got to go up and watch them beat the Huskies in Seattle, I got to go to Stanford, and to cap the season off with a Pac 12 Championship and a Rose Bowl victory, you couldn't write a better finish to a story than that."
Was it fun to travel around to the games with your parents? "It was. I remember the Pac 12 Championship Game, it was in San Francisco, and in the morning I got accepted to Dartmouth College, my first acceptance to medical school. Then to watch Oregon take it to Utah at the end of the day was pretty awesome."
What is the mood in your family and what is Justin's excitement level like right now, a couple days before the NFL Draft? "It's a fun time. He put me in charge of the media aspect of it, so we got two cameras and a few big light stands. Over the weekend I was putting all this equipment together, (getting direction from) an NFL IT guy, making sure the cameras were in the right position, and the lights. It's been kind of fun. The mood's been good, but I think he's ready to have the whole process over and know where he's going to be spending the next few years. We've been trying to distract him, getting out and playing some golf. Come Thursday, with everything that's going on – we're limited to 10 people at the draft party, and that'll be about perfect. It'll be our family, Justin's roommate, maybe one or two of his close friends, and then my grandparents. As much fun as it would have been to celebrate in Las Vegas and make a big deal out of it, it'll be fun to celebrate his accomplishments with our family. I'm so excited for him, it will be a fun few hours Thursday night."
Has the process for Justin seemed unusual given the COVID-19 pandemic? "It's been different. He's had a lot of virtual meetings over Facetime or Zoom over the past few weeks with the teams that are taking a look at him. And it's been tough with (athletic) facilities being closed, too, for his draft preparations. He was lucky because his Pro Day was probably one of the last ones that happened before they were all canceled. The pre-draft process didn't really affect him, all the stuff that was happening, all that much. He went to the Senior Bowl and won MVP. So everything that happened after the season went just about as well as it could. Over the past few weeks we've built a makeshift weight room in our backyard. This is the first time that all three of the boys have been home in quite a while, and might be the last time ever. We're going through a lot of food, a lot of milk, and I think we're driving my parents a little bit crazy but it's been fun. Justin needs to stay in shape so he's having Pat and I catch passes from him, we're catching passes almost every day, so it's been good to strap the cleats on, pull the (receiving) gloves on. The ball comes a little bit faster now, my fingers hurt afterward, but it's fun."
What's the status of your youngest brother, Patrick? "He redshirted last season at Oregon, he plays tight end. He's about 6-5, 260 pounds, he's put on a lot of weight, he looks really good. He's taking classes on-line. They sent him a workout guide and some bands, and luckily we have all the weights at home. We don't really have much to do other than work out, at least those two. I'm trying to work out a few days a week, and other than that just enjoy each other's company."
What has your last couple of years looked like other than watching Oregon football? "As soon as I graduated I moved back to Eugene, and my Grandfather passed away my last semester so it was a pretty tough situation on my family. My Grandmother has Parkinson's and my Grandpa was her caretaker. It was tough for my family, so after I graduated I put the medical school dream on hold and I moved in with my Grandma for a few months before we transitioned her to an assisted care facility. Then a few months after that I realized I might as well take an extra year and get to watch Justin and Patrick play a season together (for the Ducks) and see how that plays out. So I decided to take two years off, which has been perfect. I don't think going straight into (medical) school after I was done at Montana State, I don't think I was mentally or emotionally prepared. So I've grown and matured a lot over the past two years, so it's just about perfect timing. Justin will get drafted this week and move wherever he gets chosen and live out that dream, and I'll move across the country in a few months and work my way on that path of becoming a doctor."
What was it like for you to watch Oregon play the Grizzlies last year? "It was cool. A few of my friends from high school played at Montana – Connor Strahm, Mike Ralston, James Banks – we got together at the tailgate before the game and they had a lot of their ex-Montana teammates there so I made sure to let them know they were in for a butt-whoopin' and it wasn't gonna be pretty. (Oregon won easily, 35-3.) It was fun to see friends I hadn't seen, and to hand it to Montana."
Have you taken time to process your Bobcat career? "I enjoyed my time in Bozeman, and being a part of the Montana State football program, so much. Football was great, and I loved every second of it. The guys, the teammates, the relationships are things I'll cherish forever. But a few of the characteristics I got from being a student-athlete in college are what I carry with me. There's been a point in all my interviews where I (realize) that my experiences are different than what a lot of people have gone through. Working together as a team, discipline, overcoming adversity, all these traits that college athletics taught me will carry on for the rest of my life and are things I use on a daily basis. That's all huge in my growth and development."
How was your academic experience at MSU? "It was perfect for me academically. I remember when I came on my (recruiting) visit to Bozeman I met with a professor in the cell biology and neuroscience department, I was looking at a few schools in the Ivy League, and he said, 'Your education is what you make of it, and you have to go somewhere you feel comfortable and can succeed.' And that's what I needed. Montana State gave me every opportunity to grow academically. It's funny because one of the (medical school) interviews I went on was Columbia in New York City. I remember walking into the front door and each of the interviews they post the schools that were represented, and it was MIT, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Columbia, Brown, all these Ivy League-caliber schools, and there was Montana State-Bozeman. I took a picture of it and thought that was pretty cool. If you set your mind to something, you can accomplish it."
You didn't get to be part of MSU football's last two teams that advanced to the FCS Playoffs, but you have to take pride in helping start the turnaround, don't you? "It's been a blast to watch the team the past two years. I actually talked to Coach Choate on the phone a few months ago, he called to check in and see what I was up to, and I said, 'Coach, you made it, semifinals, one of the four best teams in the country, that's awesome. Congratulations.' And he stopped me, whoa, whoa, whoa, and said, 'We've got more to accomplish.' And I love that about him, he never settles. He's got the program headed in the right direction, and I think a Big Sky Championship and National Championship are what he wants and he's not going to settle for anything less than that. It's going to be awesome to watch in the next couple of years."
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