Two of those, Eric Homec and Beau Donaldson, come from opposite ends of Montana's college football spectrum. Homec is from Bozeman, home to the Montana State Bobcats. Donaldson is Missoula through and through, a Big Sky High School product who ran for 3,744 career yards for the Eagles.
Being a Griz seemed like more of a longshot for Donaldson, a 230-pounder who got plenty of attention from the Cats.
“But then the visit here blew it out of the water. The programs are a lot different.”
Donaldson and Homec, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end, took their official visits to the MSU and UM campuses on the same weekends. If Donaldson was leaning toward the Cats, Homec was tipping the other direction, toward UM.
“My whole family went there,” Homec said Tuesday. Asked if he felt pressured to be a Griz, he laughed and said, “My parents were just happy I got offered. My dad was trying to get me to be a Griz - he was pushing a little bit more.”
The Homecs might be an anomaly. Eric was born and raised in Bozeman. It begs the question: How does a Griz family wind up settling in the heart of Bobcat Land?
“I don't know,” said Eric, whose dad is an insurance agent and mom works at Costco. “I think that's just how it worked out.”
The Griz started talking to Homec first; the Cats were ahead of the game for awhile with Donaldson. Both players talked about the atmosphere and tradition in Missoula being deciding factors in a process that wasn't fun all the time.
“I was just so excited that people were actually talking to me,” said Homec, with another laugh. “Then when the offers came, I was kind of like, ‘Ah, I don't know which way to go.' But the Griz just have a better program and tradition.”
Donaldson was recruited by UM running backs coach Mike Hudson and also received home visits from Hauck. He'll reportedly get a chance to tote the ball for the Griz, who've won 16 straight Big Sky Conference games and at least a share of the last 10 league titles.
“It was kind of fun at the beginning, and then it got kind of stressful,” he said of the recruiting process. “I'm just glad I made the right decision.”
Homec is similarly confident in his choice. Fallout has been little.
“There are actually a lot of Griz fans here,” he noted. “I walked around school today and saw a few Griz sweatshirts.”
Donaldson, meanwhile, is fulfilling a lifelong goal.
“I've always dreamed about playing here,” he said. “My grandpa (Allen Donaldson) has had season tickets for I don't know how long. I always dreamed about coming out of that tunnel.”
Realizing that dream kept him from taking even the smallest step toward being a Cat. Donaldson's family went with him to Bozeman on his visit, and the clan wound up in the MSU bookstore.
“My parents were trying to get me to try on a sweatshirt, and I couldn't do it,” he said Tuesday. “It was weird.”
Reception set for Doubletree
On Wednesday there will a Grizzly Scholarship Association reception at Missoula's Doubletree Hotel Edgewater, at 5:30 p.m., for fans interested in the Montana Grizzlies' 2008 recruiting class.
The event is open to the public, at a cost of $10 per adult and $5 for fans age 12 and under.
Head coach Bobby Hauck and his staff will be present, and Hauck will show film clips of the newest recruits. Complimentary appetizers will be served, and no-host bar will be available to fans.
There is a similar reception scheduled for Thursday in Kalispell, at the Hilton Garden Inn. It begins at 5:30 p.m., and cost is $10.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)