Photo by: Garrett Becker
Troy Andersen Ready for the Next Step in an Already Legendary Career
4/28/2022 3:48:00 PM | Football
Bobcat star ready for NFL opportunity
BOZEMAN, Montana – When you grow up in rural Montana with a strong athletic pedigree, playing several different sports isn't really an option for those with strong athletic pedigrees. Troy Andersen was one such athlete growing up in Dillon, Montana, and at Beaverhead County High he turned heads in football, basketball and track.
But he only truly loved one of them. "Once you could tackle people," Andersen said in the days before the 2022 NFL Draft, "football got way more fun."
As a byproduct of his love for football and after four years at Montana State as one of the most unique players in college football history, Andersen prepares to learn his future employer. That most likely happens during Friday's second round, when Andersen is likely to become the second-highest Bobcat ever drafted. Cincinnati chose Bill Kollar in the first round of the 1974 draft, while Jan Stenerud and Joey Thomas each went in the third round.
"He's taken care of everything he can control," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen. "Now he just has to wait."
Andersen has always been better at making things happen than waiting for them to happen. He certainly made things happen during a winter and spring in which Andersen has vaulted up the lists of draft experts. After playing well in the Senior Bowl and performing brilliantly in the Draft Combine, Andersen rocketed into the consciousness of those who cover the Draft. He has been profiled by media outlets ranging from ESPN and the New York Post to smaller publications and podcasts around the nation.
Andersen capped a brilliant career at the NCAA FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas, in January. The Dillon native's list of accomplishments is dizzying – 2021 FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year, Unanimous All-America, Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Sky, along with CoSIDA Academic All-America and National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. He also earned All-America honors as a junior at outside linebacker, and as a sophomore at quarterback.
Change came early in Andersen's Bobcat career, and he adapted naturally. Recruited as a linebacker, the loss of a prospective starter in the summer of 2017 precipitated his move to running back. He set a record for a Bobcat freshman and earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors, but also played linebacker.
Less than nine months after his freshman season ended, while he was driving back to Dillon for the summer, MSU head coach Jeff Choate informed him there was a chance he may see time at quarterback in 2018. By the time he returned to campus for summer workouts, Andersen had been penciled in as the starter. He led the team to the FCS Playoffs that season – on the strength of "The Miracle in Missoula," a stunning come-from-behind win against the Grizzlies – and one year later his play as a linebacker helped propel the team to the FCS Semifinals.
An injury forced him to the sideline for the latter portion of 2019, and would have shelved him for the 2020 campaign. But that season never came, canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the opportunity to heal, Andersen enjoyed one of the most decorated seasons in Bobcat history as a senior last fall.
Andersen isn't the only Bobcat whose football fortunes gain clarity during this weekend's draft, which begins Thursday evening and continues Friday night and Saturday morning and afternoon. Defensive end Daniel Hardy, offensive lineman Lewis Kidd and receiver Lance McCutcheon are each considered draft possibilities. Defensive end Amandre Williams, Chase Benson, offensive lineman Taylor Tuiasosopo, safety Tre Webb also entertain the possibility of beginning their professional football career this weekend.
The Draft airs on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Thursday's first round begins at 6 pm MDT, while the second and third rounds start Friday at 5 pm MDT.
#GoCatsGo
But he only truly loved one of them. "Once you could tackle people," Andersen said in the days before the 2022 NFL Draft, "football got way more fun."
As a byproduct of his love for football and after four years at Montana State as one of the most unique players in college football history, Andersen prepares to learn his future employer. That most likely happens during Friday's second round, when Andersen is likely to become the second-highest Bobcat ever drafted. Cincinnati chose Bill Kollar in the first round of the 1974 draft, while Jan Stenerud and Joey Thomas each went in the third round.
"He's taken care of everything he can control," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen. "Now he just has to wait."
Andersen has always been better at making things happen than waiting for them to happen. He certainly made things happen during a winter and spring in which Andersen has vaulted up the lists of draft experts. After playing well in the Senior Bowl and performing brilliantly in the Draft Combine, Andersen rocketed into the consciousness of those who cover the Draft. He has been profiled by media outlets ranging from ESPN and the New York Post to smaller publications and podcasts around the nation.
Andersen capped a brilliant career at the NCAA FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas, in January. The Dillon native's list of accomplishments is dizzying – 2021 FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year, Unanimous All-America, Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Sky, along with CoSIDA Academic All-America and National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. He also earned All-America honors as a junior at outside linebacker, and as a sophomore at quarterback.
Change came early in Andersen's Bobcat career, and he adapted naturally. Recruited as a linebacker, the loss of a prospective starter in the summer of 2017 precipitated his move to running back. He set a record for a Bobcat freshman and earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors, but also played linebacker.
Less than nine months after his freshman season ended, while he was driving back to Dillon for the summer, MSU head coach Jeff Choate informed him there was a chance he may see time at quarterback in 2018. By the time he returned to campus for summer workouts, Andersen had been penciled in as the starter. He led the team to the FCS Playoffs that season – on the strength of "The Miracle in Missoula," a stunning come-from-behind win against the Grizzlies – and one year later his play as a linebacker helped propel the team to the FCS Semifinals.
An injury forced him to the sideline for the latter portion of 2019, and would have shelved him for the 2020 campaign. But that season never came, canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the opportunity to heal, Andersen enjoyed one of the most decorated seasons in Bobcat history as a senior last fall.
Andersen isn't the only Bobcat whose football fortunes gain clarity during this weekend's draft, which begins Thursday evening and continues Friday night and Saturday morning and afternoon. Defensive end Daniel Hardy, offensive lineman Lewis Kidd and receiver Lance McCutcheon are each considered draft possibilities. Defensive end Amandre Williams, Chase Benson, offensive lineman Taylor Tuiasosopo, safety Tre Webb also entertain the possibility of beginning their professional football career this weekend.
The Draft airs on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Thursday's first round begins at 6 pm MDT, while the second and third rounds start Friday at 5 pm MDT.
#GoCatsGo
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