Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Bobcats Host Sonny Holland Scrimmage in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday
4/24/2026 7:42:00 PM | Football
Scrimmage begins at 1 pm, ring ceremony at 12:45 pm
BOZEMAN, Mont. (April 24, 2026) – Fifth-year Montana State football coach Brent Vigen recognizes that, during a spring session unlike any in recent memory, one factor remains unchanged.
"There can be that relative back-and-forth" between the offense and the defense, he said, that highlights satisfaction with one side of the football against "maybe the opposite" on the other. After MSU's defense held the upper hand during its first spring scrimmage, the offense came out on top last Saturday.
"Offensively, I was really pleased with the performance relative to the previous Friday," he said. "I might say the opposite in respect to the defense. And that's kind of the way it goes in the spring."
Montana State's celebration of its first National Championship in 41 years hits another crescendo on Saturday at 12:45 pm, when head coach Brent Vigen and MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello distribute championship rings to last year's players. Six of the 2025 team's eight seniors are expected to be on hand. The Sonny Holland Scrimmage beings at 1 pm, and concludes spring drills.
While Vigen admits he's looking forward to another opportunity to honor last year's team, the heart of the matter is the 2026 squad. "I'm excited about getting this week in the books and ultimately completing the evaluation (of the spring session). This is the one time that we keep score, we have time on the clock and chances to create situational football."
With full contact opportunities sparse during the spring, Saturday's finale provides the most extended evaluation of the offensive and defensive lines. That is particularly important this spring, with the Cats replacing the entire starting unit on defense and two starters on offense.
"Up front (the offensive line is) continuing to come along," he said. "Guys like Aiden Kaplan and Everett Carr, who are getting those opportunities to run with the ones, are continuing to improve. It doesn't end with them, but I think Aiden and Everett through four weeks have continued to improve their play. Getting (tackle) Braden Zimmer back out after missing the first few weeks, it's been great to get him back out there."
Zimmer is a returning All-America, while Kaplan looks to fill the vacant center position and Carr hopes to lock down a spot at guard opposite returning starter Burke Mastel. Titan Fleischmann is entrenched as a starter after earning All-America honors at tackle in 2024 and guard in 2025.
Faced with the task of replacing all four starters and the absence of its most experienced players, the spring has provided a proving ground for young players this spring. "Defensively we're down some guys, not everybody's scrimmaging, but there's still enough guys that are out there that they need to continue to rise to the challenge. I think some of the success of the defense had the (first scrimmage), I think offense took to heart and performed a little bit better."
Vigen said the items he hopes to see Saturday are essentially the same for every scrimmage. "You want it to be clean operationally, I think that's important," he said. "Whether that's staying onside, whether it's the play clock, whether it's substitutions, I ultimately hope there's opportunities for guys to make plays. You want the guys to play hard, enjoy the opportunity, and hopefully that's evident in how we got out there and perform."
The pre-scrimmage ring ceremony, and playing football in Bobcat Stadium for the first time since winning the national title, adds an extra layer of excitement, Vigen said. "Well, I think we're really excited," he said. "We're several months now removed from Nashville, and we've had a few opportunities to engage with fans, be it the parade, the basketball games that same day, but we haven't done anything in a while. So to be able to be out there in the stadium, it's always a great opportunity because for so many guys it's the first time in front of fans and I'm sure we'll have a good crowd. That's always fun."
The scrimmage is free and open to the public.
#GoCatsGo
"There can be that relative back-and-forth" between the offense and the defense, he said, that highlights satisfaction with one side of the football against "maybe the opposite" on the other. After MSU's defense held the upper hand during its first spring scrimmage, the offense came out on top last Saturday.
"Offensively, I was really pleased with the performance relative to the previous Friday," he said. "I might say the opposite in respect to the defense. And that's kind of the way it goes in the spring."
Montana State's celebration of its first National Championship in 41 years hits another crescendo on Saturday at 12:45 pm, when head coach Brent Vigen and MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello distribute championship rings to last year's players. Six of the 2025 team's eight seniors are expected to be on hand. The Sonny Holland Scrimmage beings at 1 pm, and concludes spring drills.
While Vigen admits he's looking forward to another opportunity to honor last year's team, the heart of the matter is the 2026 squad. "I'm excited about getting this week in the books and ultimately completing the evaluation (of the spring session). This is the one time that we keep score, we have time on the clock and chances to create situational football."
With full contact opportunities sparse during the spring, Saturday's finale provides the most extended evaluation of the offensive and defensive lines. That is particularly important this spring, with the Cats replacing the entire starting unit on defense and two starters on offense.
"Up front (the offensive line is) continuing to come along," he said. "Guys like Aiden Kaplan and Everett Carr, who are getting those opportunities to run with the ones, are continuing to improve. It doesn't end with them, but I think Aiden and Everett through four weeks have continued to improve their play. Getting (tackle) Braden Zimmer back out after missing the first few weeks, it's been great to get him back out there."
Zimmer is a returning All-America, while Kaplan looks to fill the vacant center position and Carr hopes to lock down a spot at guard opposite returning starter Burke Mastel. Titan Fleischmann is entrenched as a starter after earning All-America honors at tackle in 2024 and guard in 2025.
Faced with the task of replacing all four starters and the absence of its most experienced players, the spring has provided a proving ground for young players this spring. "Defensively we're down some guys, not everybody's scrimmaging, but there's still enough guys that are out there that they need to continue to rise to the challenge. I think some of the success of the defense had the (first scrimmage), I think offense took to heart and performed a little bit better."
Vigen said the items he hopes to see Saturday are essentially the same for every scrimmage. "You want it to be clean operationally, I think that's important," he said. "Whether that's staying onside, whether it's the play clock, whether it's substitutions, I ultimately hope there's opportunities for guys to make plays. You want the guys to play hard, enjoy the opportunity, and hopefully that's evident in how we got out there and perform."
The pre-scrimmage ring ceremony, and playing football in Bobcat Stadium for the first time since winning the national title, adds an extra layer of excitement, Vigen said. "Well, I think we're really excited," he said. "We're several months now removed from Nashville, and we've had a few opportunities to engage with fans, be it the parade, the basketball games that same day, but we haven't done anything in a while. So to be able to be out there in the stadium, it's always a great opportunity because for so many guys it's the first time in front of fans and I'm sure we'll have a good crowd. That's always fun."
The scrimmage is free and open to the public.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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