Photo by: Garrett Becker
Nolan Askelson to Wear MSU Legacy Jersey No. 41 in 2023
3/11/2023 3:00:00 PM | Football
Bobcat senior linebacker Nolan Askelson has been productive when healthy at MSU
BOZEMAN, Montana – Asked if he would even know what to do during an off-season if he weren't rehabbing from an injury, Nolan Askelson laughed.
"That's a good question, I don't even know," he said. "I can't even picture what that would be like."
Askelson's ability on the football field, and his toughness in competition and in battling injuries, landed him a treasured spot on Montana State's 2023 roster. Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen said Friday that the Billings Senior product will wear jersey number 41 during his senior season. Montana State's legacy numbers honors the Treasure State's status as the 41st state admitted to the United States, and also pays homage to the school's 1941 football team which was almost entirely decimated during World War II.
"Nolan will continue the legacy of a senior Montana native wearing No. 41," Vigen said. "He has been a key contributor on the Bobcat defense and special teams. Nolan is a tremendous leader who takes great pride in representing MSU and his home state."
Askelson redshirted and earned defensive scout of the year honors as a freshman in 2018, then played all 15 games as a part-time starter in MSU's 2019 run to the FCS Semifinals. He played in the 2021 season's first two games before an injury (he returned for the semifinal game against North Dakota State), and played in the first 11 games last season before an injury kept him out of the playoffs.
Vigen said his willingness to work through such circumstances draws admiration from everyone in the program. "Nolan has shown great perseverance and toughness during his time at Montana State," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen. "That shows in his hard work."
Little fanfare accompanied Askelson's move from 34 to 41. He said Vigen "just pulled me aside in the weight room one day and said, 'Hey, do you want to wear 41?' I said, 'Yeah, it'd be an honor. It's a blessing, thanks for asking.' That's all it was, it was pretty discreet."
The significance of the honor belies Vigen's notification, Askelson said. "It means the world just thinking about the guys before me," he said. "When I was a freshman Grant (Collins wore 41), to (Brayden) Konkol, Chase (Benson), RJ (Fitzgerald). Those guys are the heart and soul of what this program is about, those Montana guys that understand why it's important for us and what it means to represent this university and this state, and take such great pride and always did things the right way. They were always leaders on the team, tough guys, tough mentally and tough physically, and that's what it's all about in my mind. They were the perfect example of that, and I want to be able to do the same thing. That's what it's all about."
Bobby Daly, a Bobcat All-America linebacker in the mid-2000s, lauded Askelson's move into jersey No. 41. "I don't think there's anyone more deserving," he said. "Nolan has earned the respect of his teammates through leadership, consistency and being a playmaker. He always puts the team first and has been a great example for the young players in the program. Nolan embodies what it means to be a Bobcat and I'm excited for his hard work to be showcased in his senior season."
For Askelson, calling Daly his position coach helped put him in position to earn this honor. "It's awesome, man," he said. "It's almost like he sets a different standard. He doesn't talk about himself a lot, and he doesn't have to. Everyone talks for him. His name's on the (All-America) wall, we know what he's done. This guy's coaching me and he's trying to get the best out of me because he knows how it's done, he's done it before, he knows what it looks like to get to that level. I think it brings everyone's play up that more, knowing that we have one of the greatest Bobcats of all time coaching us. You talk to anyone who was here when he was here, he was a dude. He did things the right way."
Entering his senior season, Askelson said camaraderie of the locker room, friendship with teammates, stands as a strong memory. He loves that wearing the Blue and Gold and competing in the Cat-Griz rivalry bind players together for life. "Obviously that's Montana's Super Bowl, it means everything to everybody in this state," he said. "But honestly it's been really cool to see how much the out-of-state guys buy into that game and how much it means to them. Guys that didn't even know what it was come here, live through it for four yeas, and they remember that game for the rest of their lives, they watch that game the rest of their lives, they bleed Blue and Gold."
Spring Break begins March 13 at MSU, and eight days later the Bobcats begin spring football. Askelson said off-season workouts under the direction of strength coach Sean Herrin have been productive. "It's been awesome. I really think Coach Herrin is the best strength and conditioning coach in the country. I love him, I trust him with everything, everything he says I'm going to do exactly how he says. With him it goes so much beyond the weight room. He's invested in our sleep, our eating habits, all of our habits. He stresses the little stuff, and that's what ultimately makes a difference in the end. The attention to detail he has is unparalleled, and it pays off in the weight room. When you come in and watch guys moving weight they haven't moved before, carrying weight they haven't carried before, and they're still able to move functionally, that's a testament to him."
Askelson's own rehab, he says, has gone well. "I feel really good," he said. "It's right on track, and I want to keep it that way."
#GoCatsGo
"That's a good question, I don't even know," he said. "I can't even picture what that would be like."
Askelson's ability on the football field, and his toughness in competition and in battling injuries, landed him a treasured spot on Montana State's 2023 roster. Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen said Friday that the Billings Senior product will wear jersey number 41 during his senior season. Montana State's legacy numbers honors the Treasure State's status as the 41st state admitted to the United States, and also pays homage to the school's 1941 football team which was almost entirely decimated during World War II.
"Nolan will continue the legacy of a senior Montana native wearing No. 41," Vigen said. "He has been a key contributor on the Bobcat defense and special teams. Nolan is a tremendous leader who takes great pride in representing MSU and his home state."
Askelson redshirted and earned defensive scout of the year honors as a freshman in 2018, then played all 15 games as a part-time starter in MSU's 2019 run to the FCS Semifinals. He played in the 2021 season's first two games before an injury (he returned for the semifinal game against North Dakota State), and played in the first 11 games last season before an injury kept him out of the playoffs.
Vigen said his willingness to work through such circumstances draws admiration from everyone in the program. "Nolan has shown great perseverance and toughness during his time at Montana State," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen. "That shows in his hard work."
Little fanfare accompanied Askelson's move from 34 to 41. He said Vigen "just pulled me aside in the weight room one day and said, 'Hey, do you want to wear 41?' I said, 'Yeah, it'd be an honor. It's a blessing, thanks for asking.' That's all it was, it was pretty discreet."
The significance of the honor belies Vigen's notification, Askelson said. "It means the world just thinking about the guys before me," he said. "When I was a freshman Grant (Collins wore 41), to (Brayden) Konkol, Chase (Benson), RJ (Fitzgerald). Those guys are the heart and soul of what this program is about, those Montana guys that understand why it's important for us and what it means to represent this university and this state, and take such great pride and always did things the right way. They were always leaders on the team, tough guys, tough mentally and tough physically, and that's what it's all about in my mind. They were the perfect example of that, and I want to be able to do the same thing. That's what it's all about."
Bobby Daly, a Bobcat All-America linebacker in the mid-2000s, lauded Askelson's move into jersey No. 41. "I don't think there's anyone more deserving," he said. "Nolan has earned the respect of his teammates through leadership, consistency and being a playmaker. He always puts the team first and has been a great example for the young players in the program. Nolan embodies what it means to be a Bobcat and I'm excited for his hard work to be showcased in his senior season."
For Askelson, calling Daly his position coach helped put him in position to earn this honor. "It's awesome, man," he said. "It's almost like he sets a different standard. He doesn't talk about himself a lot, and he doesn't have to. Everyone talks for him. His name's on the (All-America) wall, we know what he's done. This guy's coaching me and he's trying to get the best out of me because he knows how it's done, he's done it before, he knows what it looks like to get to that level. I think it brings everyone's play up that more, knowing that we have one of the greatest Bobcats of all time coaching us. You talk to anyone who was here when he was here, he was a dude. He did things the right way."
Entering his senior season, Askelson said camaraderie of the locker room, friendship with teammates, stands as a strong memory. He loves that wearing the Blue and Gold and competing in the Cat-Griz rivalry bind players together for life. "Obviously that's Montana's Super Bowl, it means everything to everybody in this state," he said. "But honestly it's been really cool to see how much the out-of-state guys buy into that game and how much it means to them. Guys that didn't even know what it was come here, live through it for four yeas, and they remember that game for the rest of their lives, they watch that game the rest of their lives, they bleed Blue and Gold."
Spring Break begins March 13 at MSU, and eight days later the Bobcats begin spring football. Askelson said off-season workouts under the direction of strength coach Sean Herrin have been productive. "It's been awesome. I really think Coach Herrin is the best strength and conditioning coach in the country. I love him, I trust him with everything, everything he says I'm going to do exactly how he says. With him it goes so much beyond the weight room. He's invested in our sleep, our eating habits, all of our habits. He stresses the little stuff, and that's what ultimately makes a difference in the end. The attention to detail he has is unparalleled, and it pays off in the weight room. When you come in and watch guys moving weight they haven't moved before, carrying weight they haven't carried before, and they're still able to move functionally, that's a testament to him."
Askelson's own rehab, he says, has gone well. "I feel really good," he said. "It's right on track, and I want to keep it that way."
#GoCatsGo
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