Vigen Oregon State rumors.

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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:37 am

I don't know if Vigen will get Oregon State, but I completely understand why he wants it. It's a natural step up for his career. He would make far more money and could begin to build a resume to get into the Power 4.

If he doesn't get it, I still believe that he's somewhere else next season. There is just way too much turnover in the college coaching ranks right now for him to be left without a dance partner again. That's my opinion.

The glimmer of hope is if MSU makes a run to Nashville and he's not willing to quit in the middle of the playoffs and the programs are not willing to wait for him, as we saw last year with Washington State.

Now all that said, assuming he does end up taking a job, I cannot figure out why the Cats would go with anyone other than Bobby Daly, assuming he wants the job. Anyone with actual knowledge of the situation push back on me here, but this is how I see it:

1) Great programs at the FCS level graduate coaches to bigger schools and then hire from within in order to maintain culture and success. It would seem that Daly was the succession plan a year ago and had been groomed for the role. He was the AHC for 3 seasons, in addition to being a coordinator. With Daly, we would be able to maintain the defensive philosophy that has become so successful in recent years. He also knows virtually all of the players on the roster and many/all of the guys currently being recruited. Someone with his familiarity is best positioned to stem the tide of kids leaving.

2) Daly has the reputation of being a stellar in-state recruiter. In the era of the portal, that has become more important than it has ever been. The biggest reason (note: not the only reason) that the Cats graduated so many studs (Mellott, Grebe, O'Reilly, Lonergran, Ortt, Wehr, Sain, etc.) AND lost great players to the portal (Humphrey, Moore, Jones, Powdrell, Polidore, Johnson, etc.) and still maintained success is because of the foundation of great players from Montana who stay. MSU has the upper hand over UM in this regard right now and they need to prioritize and maintain that edge. The easiest way that the Griz take back over as the top program in the state is by MSU taking the in-state players for granted.

3) Daly is young and doesn't have previous head coaching experience. While there's no guarantee that it would work out this way (see: Jimmy Rogers), I think his age and inexperience could likely mean that bigger programs would want to see him maintain success over a 4-5 year span before pursuing him. This was basically the pattern we say with Vigen; interest in him really turned up once it became obvious that he wasn't just keeping Choate's good times rolling. At our level, if you hire a great coach and keep him for 4+ seasons, that's a win. This is getting ahead of myself, but in a perfect world, he could keep Owens as the AHC/DC and groom him to be the next man up (Owens would actually be a great choice if Daly doesn't want the job).

4) He's a Helena kid and former player who understands the rivalry. Obviously Vigen isn't from here and he's done just fine, so it isn't like this is a pre-requisite, but he also had a learning curve to get to where he is now. When you bring in an outsider with no experience of football in the state, you take the risk of ending up with a Rob Ash or Bob Stitt. I would never advocate hiring a lesser coach just because he's from here, but if you love his qualifications anyways, it can only help.

So get out of here with your Ed Lamb/Brian Wright/Paul Wulff propaganda. I personally think suggesting such things should get you a week's ban from the forum, but I'm not a moderator so I leave that in the hands of wiser posters.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by TomCat88 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:44 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:37 am
I don't know if Vigen will get Oregon State, but I completely understand why he wants it. It's a natural step up for his career. He would make far more money and could begin to build a resume to get into the Power 4.

If he doesn't get it, I still believe that he's somewhere else next season. There is just way too much turnover in the college coaching ranks right now for him to be left without a dance partner again. That's my opinion.

The glimmer of hope is if MSU makes a run to Nashville and he's not willing to quit in the middle of the playoffs and the programs are not willing to wait for him, as we saw last year with Washington State.

Now all that said, assuming he does end up taking a job, I cannot figure out why the Cats would go with anyone other than Bobby Daly, assuming he wants the job. Anyone with actual knowledge of the situation push back on me here, but this is how I see it:

1) Great programs at the FCS level graduate coaches to bigger schools and then hire from within in order to maintain culture and success. It would seem that Daly was the succession plan a year ago and had been groomed for the role. He was the AHC for 3 seasons, in addition to being a coordinator. With Daly, we would be able to maintain the defensive philosophy that has become so successful in recent years. He also knows virtually all of the players on the roster and many/all of the guys currently being recruited. Someone with his familiarity is best positioned to stem the tide of kids leaving.

2) Daly has the reputation of being a stellar in-state recruiter. In the era of the portal, that has become more important than it has ever been. The biggest reason (note: not the only reason) that the Cats graduated so many studs (Mellott, Grebe, O'Reilly, Lonergran, Ortt, Wehr, Sain, etc.) AND lost great players to the portal (Humphrey, Moore, Jones, Powdrell, Polidore, Johnson, etc.) and still maintained success is because of the foundation of great players from Montana who stay. MSU has the upper hand over UM in this regard right now and they need to prioritize and maintain that edge. The easiest way that the Griz take back over as the top program in the state is by MSU taking the in-state players for granted.

3) Daly is young and doesn't have previous head coaching experience. While there's no guarantee that it would work out this way (see: Jimmy Rogers), I think his age and inexperience could likely mean that bigger programs would want to see him maintain success over a 4-5 year span before pursuing him. This was basically the pattern we say with Vigen; interest in him really turned up once it became obvious that he wasn't just keeping Choate's good times rolling. At our level, if you hire a great coach and keep him for 4+ seasons, that's a win. This is getting ahead of myself, but in a perfect world, he could keep Owens as the AHC/DC and groom him to be the next man up (Owens would actually be a great choice if Daly doesn't want the job).

4) He's a Helena kid and former player who understands the rivalry. Obviously Vigen isn't from here and he's done just fine, so it isn't like this is a pre-requisite, but he also had a learning curve to get to where he is now. When you bring in an outsider with no experience of football in the state, you take the risk of ending up with a Rob Ash or Bob Stitt. I would never advocate hiring a lesser coach just because he's from here, but if you love his qualifications anyways, it can only help.

So get out of here with your Ed Lamb/Brian Wright/Paul Wulff propaganda. I personally think suggesting such things should get you a week's ban from the forum, but I'm not a moderator so I leave that in the hands of wiser posters.
If any candidate doesn't have a very solid understanding of what MSU is doing development-wise, practice-wise and culture-wise, then they won't get the job. It will be someone within the 1) Vigen tree, 2) Bohl tree. I think Daly is one that fits that bill. I don't think it's imperative that it's a former MSU player/coach.


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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:48 am

TomCat88 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:44 am
MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:37 am
I don't know if Vigen will get Oregon State, but I completely understand why he wants it. It's a natural step up for his career. He would make far more money and could begin to build a resume to get into the Power 4.

If he doesn't get it, I still believe that he's somewhere else next season. There is just way too much turnover in the college coaching ranks right now for him to be left without a dance partner again. That's my opinion.

The glimmer of hope is if MSU makes a run to Nashville and he's not willing to quit in the middle of the playoffs and the programs are not willing to wait for him, as we saw last year with Washington State.

Now all that said, assuming he does end up taking a job, I cannot figure out why the Cats would go with anyone other than Bobby Daly, assuming he wants the job. Anyone with actual knowledge of the situation push back on me here, but this is how I see it:

1) Great programs at the FCS level graduate coaches to bigger schools and then hire from within in order to maintain culture and success. It would seem that Daly was the succession plan a year ago and had been groomed for the role. He was the AHC for 3 seasons, in addition to being a coordinator. With Daly, we would be able to maintain the defensive philosophy that has become so successful in recent years. He also knows virtually all of the players on the roster and many/all of the guys currently being recruited. Someone with his familiarity is best positioned to stem the tide of kids leaving.

2) Daly has the reputation of being a stellar in-state recruiter. In the era of the portal, that has become more important than it has ever been. The biggest reason (note: not the only reason) that the Cats graduated so many studs (Mellott, Grebe, O'Reilly, Lonergran, Ortt, Wehr, Sain, etc.) AND lost great players to the portal (Humphrey, Moore, Jones, Powdrell, Polidore, Johnson, etc.) and still maintained success is because of the foundation of great players from Montana who stay. MSU has the upper hand over UM in this regard right now and they need to prioritize and maintain that edge. The easiest way that the Griz take back over as the top program in the state is by MSU taking the in-state players for granted.

3) Daly is young and doesn't have previous head coaching experience. While there's no guarantee that it would work out this way (see: Jimmy Rogers), I think his age and inexperience could likely mean that bigger programs would want to see him maintain success over a 4-5 year span before pursuing him. This was basically the pattern we say with Vigen; interest in him really turned up once it became obvious that he wasn't just keeping Choate's good times rolling. At our level, if you hire a great coach and keep him for 4+ seasons, that's a win. This is getting ahead of myself, but in a perfect world, he could keep Owens as the AHC/DC and groom him to be the next man up (Owens would actually be a great choice if Daly doesn't want the job).

4) He's a Helena kid and former player who understands the rivalry. Obviously Vigen isn't from here and he's done just fine, so it isn't like this is a pre-requisite, but he also had a learning curve to get to where he is now. When you bring in an outsider with no experience of football in the state, you take the risk of ending up with a Rob Ash or Bob Stitt. I would never advocate hiring a lesser coach just because he's from here, but if you love his qualifications anyways, it can only help.

So get out of here with your Ed Lamb/Brian Wright/Paul Wulff propaganda. I personally think suggesting such things should get you a week's ban from the forum, but I'm not a moderator so I leave that in the hands of wiser posters.
If any candidate doesn't have a very solid understanding of what MSU is doing development-wise, practice-wise and culture-wise, then they won't get the job. It will be someone within the 1) Vigen tree, 2) Bohl tree. I think Daly is one that fits that bill. I don't think it's imperative that it's a former MSU player/coach.
No, but it’s a cherry on top if they don’t have to learn what the rivalry is all about the hard way.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MSU01 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am

Every time MSU has to hire a new coach people make the arguments that it has to be someone with previous ties to MSU or the state of Montana, but Vigen is the quintessential example that someone who doesn't have either of those things can come in and still do an amazing job of recruiting in-state players. I suppose you can criticize Vigen's performance in the 2021 and 2023 Cat/Griz games but it's hard to argue with his overall record and 2025 Cat/Griz win.

Maybe this is a situation like when the basketball program hired Danny Sprinkle, and Bobby Daly has gained enough experience in nearly 20 years as an assistant coach to be ready to step into a HC job and succeed. But maybe not and a more experienced head coach is the way to go. Leon knows all these guys and their qualifications a lot better than we do so I trust he'll find the right coach if he needs to!



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by Prodigal Cat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am

Every time this comes up there is always a bunch of ex-players put up as replacements. For years it was Kane Ioane, now its Bobby Daly. I get it. We all have a special place in our hearts for those guys. But every time we've hired a coach we've gone out of our so-called tree and I would say that's worked out pretty well for us the last couple hires. I'm sure Leon knows Bobby well and also knows if he has what it takes to be the CEO.
I also know that there will be a deep and wide pool of coaches lining up to get a head coaching job at a perennial power in the FCS, where they can come in and win immediately. Cats will have numerous qualified applicants. Lots more than PSU will get for theirs. If it's an in-house guy great, if it's someone we've never heard of, I'm betting he will be very qualified. While we aren't UNCU we also aren't NDSU. We don't have 18 National titles and the coaching tree they do. Screaming for a Bobcat to be the coach is limiting the applicant pool.


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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by Prodigal Cat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:58 am

LOL posted simultaneously @MSU01


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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MSU01 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:59 am

Prodigal Cat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:58 am
LOL posted simultaneously @MSU01
You know what they say about great minds...



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:01 am

Prodigal Cat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am
Every time this comes up there is always a bunch of ex-players put up as replacements. For years it was Kane Ioane, now its Bobby Daly. I get it. We all have a special place in our hearts for those guys. But every time we've hired a coach we've gone out of our so-called tree and I would say that's worked out pretty well for us the last couple hires. I'm sure Leon knows Bobby well and also knows if he has what it takes to be the CEO.
I also know that there will be a deep and wide pool of coaches lining up to get a head coaching job at a perennial power in the FCS, where they can come in and win immediately. Cats will have numerous qualified applicants. Lots more than PSU will get for theirs. If it's an in-house guy great, if it's someone we've never heard of, I'm betting he will be very qualified. While we aren't UNCU we also aren't NDSU. We don't have 18 National titles and the coaching tree they do. Screaming for a Bobcat to be the coach is limiting the applicant pool.
Daly being a former Cat was the last thing I mentioned. There is way more to it than that. I even caveated the point because I knew people would ignore everything else and seize on that.

Also, they wanted Ioane and he didn’t take the job.

The point isn’t that the guy has to be a former Bobcat, it’s that hiring from within is smart if you’re losing a coach because of success rather than failure.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:04 am

MSU01 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am
Every time MSU has to hire a new coach people make the arguments that it has to be someone with previous ties to MSU or the state of Montana, but Vigen is the quintessential example that someone who doesn't have either of those things can come in and still do an amazing job of recruiting in-state players. I suppose you can criticize Vigen's performance in the 2021 and 2023 Cat/Griz games but it's hard to argue with his overall record and 2025 Cat/Griz win.

Maybe this is a situation like when the basketball program hired Danny Sprinkle, and Bobby Daly has gained enough experience in nearly 20 years as an assistant coach to be ready to step into a HC job and succeed. But maybe not and a more experienced head coach is the way to go. Leon knows all these guys and their qualifications a lot better than we do so I trust he'll find the right coach if he needs to!
As I said to Prodigal, Daly being a Montanan/Cat player was the last thing I mentioned. If he wasn't a former player, he would still be the best choice for all the other reasons I mentioned.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by TomCat88 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:04 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:48 am
TomCat88 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:44 am
MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:37 am
I don't know if Vigen will get Oregon State, but I completely understand why he wants it. It's a natural step up for his career. He would make far more money and could begin to build a resume to get into the Power 4.

If he doesn't get it, I still believe that he's somewhere else next season. There is just way too much turnover in the college coaching ranks right now for him to be left without a dance partner again. That's my opinion.

The glimmer of hope is if MSU makes a run to Nashville and he's not willing to quit in the middle of the playoffs and the programs are not willing to wait for him, as we saw last year with Washington State.

Now all that said, assuming he does end up taking a job, I cannot figure out why the Cats would go with anyone other than Bobby Daly, assuming he wants the job. Anyone with actual knowledge of the situation push back on me here, but this is how I see it:

1) Great programs at the FCS level graduate coaches to bigger schools and then hire from within in order to maintain culture and success. It would seem that Daly was the succession plan a year ago and had been groomed for the role. He was the AHC for 3 seasons, in addition to being a coordinator. With Daly, we would be able to maintain the defensive philosophy that has become so successful in recent years. He also knows virtually all of the players on the roster and many/all of the guys currently being recruited. Someone with his familiarity is best positioned to stem the tide of kids leaving.

2) Daly has the reputation of being a stellar in-state recruiter. In the era of the portal, that has become more important than it has ever been. The biggest reason (note: not the only reason) that the Cats graduated so many studs (Mellott, Grebe, O'Reilly, Lonergran, Ortt, Wehr, Sain, etc.) AND lost great players to the portal (Humphrey, Moore, Jones, Powdrell, Polidore, Johnson, etc.) and still maintained success is because of the foundation of great players from Montana who stay. MSU has the upper hand over UM in this regard right now and they need to prioritize and maintain that edge. The easiest way that the Griz take back over as the top program in the state is by MSU taking the in-state players for granted.

3) Daly is young and doesn't have previous head coaching experience. While there's no guarantee that it would work out this way (see: Jimmy Rogers), I think his age and inexperience could likely mean that bigger programs would want to see him maintain success over a 4-5 year span before pursuing him. This was basically the pattern we say with Vigen; interest in him really turned up once it became obvious that he wasn't just keeping Choate's good times rolling. At our level, if you hire a great coach and keep him for 4+ seasons, that's a win. This is getting ahead of myself, but in a perfect world, he could keep Owens as the AHC/DC and groom him to be the next man up (Owens would actually be a great choice if Daly doesn't want the job).

4) He's a Helena kid and former player who understands the rivalry. Obviously Vigen isn't from here and he's done just fine, so it isn't like this is a pre-requisite, but he also had a learning curve to get to where he is now. When you bring in an outsider with no experience of football in the state, you take the risk of ending up with a Rob Ash or Bob Stitt. I would never advocate hiring a lesser coach just because he's from here, but if you love his qualifications anyways, it can only help.

So get out of here with your Ed Lamb/Brian Wright/Paul Wulff propaganda. I personally think suggesting such things should get you a week's ban from the forum, but I'm not a moderator so I leave that in the hands of wiser posters.
If any candidate doesn't have a very solid understanding of what MSU is doing development-wise, practice-wise and culture-wise, then they won't get the job. It will be someone within the 1) Vigen tree, 2) Bohl tree. I think Daly is one that fits that bill. I don't think it's imperative that it's a former MSU player/coach.
No, but it’s a cherry on top if they don’t have to learn what the rivalry is all about the hard way.
I think Daly makes an even better head coach than defensive coordinator.


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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:05 am

TomCat88 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:04 am
I think Daly makes an even better head coach than defensive coordinator.
Yeah, but that's just because you're one of these ignorant plebeians who only likes former Bobcat players.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by SparkCat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:09 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:01 am
Prodigal Cat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am
Every time this comes up there is always a bunch of ex-players put up as replacements. For years it was Kane Ioane, now its Bobby Daly. I get it. We all have a special place in our hearts for those guys. But every time we've hired a coach we've gone out of our so-called tree and I would say that's worked out pretty well for us the last couple hires. I'm sure Leon knows Bobby well and also knows if he has what it takes to be the CEO.
I also know that there will be a deep and wide pool of coaches lining up to get a head coaching job at a perennial power in the FCS, where they can come in and win immediately. Cats will have numerous qualified applicants. Lots more than PSU will get for theirs. If it's an in-house guy great, if it's someone we've never heard of, I'm betting he will be very qualified. While we aren't UNCU we also aren't NDSU. We don't have 18 National titles and the coaching tree they do. Screaming for a Bobcat to be the coach is limiting the applicant pool.
Daly being a former Cat was the last thing I mentioned. There is way more to it than that. I even caveated the point because I knew people would ignore everything else and seize on that.

Also, they wanted Ioane and he didn’t take the job.

The point isn’t that the guy has to be a former Bobcat, it’s that hiring from within is smart if you’re losing a coach because of success rather than failure.
All of this is just silly speculation, when it’s fairly known that Deion wants to retire in the Bozeman area and wants the job.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:10 am

SparkCat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:09 am
All of this is just silly speculation, when it’s fairly known that Deion wants to retire in the Bozeman area and wants the job.
Well he's not a former Bobcat, so I don't think we're allowed to consider him.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MSU01 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:19 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:04 am
MSU01 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:55 am
Every time MSU has to hire a new coach people make the arguments that it has to be someone with previous ties to MSU or the state of Montana, but Vigen is the quintessential example that someone who doesn't have either of those things can come in and still do an amazing job of recruiting in-state players. I suppose you can criticize Vigen's performance in the 2021 and 2023 Cat/Griz games but it's hard to argue with his overall record and 2025 Cat/Griz win.

Maybe this is a situation like when the basketball program hired Danny Sprinkle, and Bobby Daly has gained enough experience in nearly 20 years as an assistant coach to be ready to step into a HC job and succeed. But maybe not and a more experienced head coach is the way to go. Leon knows all these guys and their qualifications a lot better than we do so I trust he'll find the right coach if he needs to!
As I said to Prodigal, Daly being a Montanan/Cat player was the last thing I mentioned. If he wasn't a former player, he would still be the best choice for all the other reasons I mentioned.
And as I said, perhaps you are right and Daly is the right man for the job right now. But to zero in on one guy and dismiss other qualified candidates who you (jokingly, I know) suggested should earn a one week ban if mentioned would be a terrible way for Leon to search for a new coach.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by wbtfg » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:24 am

I'm still not convinced we lose Vigen. He may or may not be OSU's to choice....it sounds like there are 2 or 3 other finalists. I also wouldn't be shocked to see Leon find some additional funds for a new contract.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MrGoodKat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:27 am

MSU01 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:19 am
And as I said, perhaps you are right and Daly is the right man for the job right now. But to zero in on one guy and dismiss other qualified candidates who you (jokingly, I know) suggested should earn a one week ban if mentioned would be a terrible way for Leon to search for a new coach.
I can't zero in on anyone. I'm just a nobody giving my opinion on who I think the best choice would be. It's just funny to me that I gave this whole thought process, ended with talking about how he's a former in-state player, specifically said that's not a pre-requisite, gave Vigen as the counter-example, and yet that's all that got responded to.

But more seriously, yes people who suggest we should go look at Northern Colorado's coach or try to coax a former Ash assistant away from Flagstaff should be sent to the gulags. That is unacceptable behavior. If people are into poaching failed coaches from BSC bottom-dwellers, they would probably feel more comfortable on the other side of the continental divide.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by MSU01 » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:34 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:27 am
MSU01 wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:19 am
And as I said, perhaps you are right and Daly is the right man for the job right now. But to zero in on one guy and dismiss other qualified candidates who you (jokingly, I know) suggested should earn a one week ban if mentioned would be a terrible way for Leon to search for a new coach.
I can't zero in on anyone. I'm just a nobody giving my opinion on who I think the best choice would be. It's just funny to me that I gave this whole thought process, ended with talking about how he's a former in-state player, specifically said that's not a pre-requisite, gave Vigen as the counter-example, and yet that's all that got responded to.

But more seriously, yes people who suggest we should go look at Northern Colorado's coach or try to coax a former Ash assistant away from Flagstaff should be sent to the gulags. That is unacceptable behavior. If people are into poaching failed coaches from BSC bottom-dwellers, they would probably feel more comfortable on the other side of the continental divide.
I was also responding to the first thing you said about Daly having been a former MSU assistant and therefore familiar with the program and players. To me, that's not something that should play a huge role. Hire the best coach. I don't care where he comes from or where he has been before or if he knows MSU's system.



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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by Common Cat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:41 am

Let’s consider that maybe in less than 5 years Montana State can pay our coaches a commensurate rate to places like Oregon State. Let’s consider the path MSU is on. I bet many would agree we will likely be in a conference type situation that includes Oregon State.


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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by Catsrgrood » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:45 am

wbtfg wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:24 am
I'm still not convinced we lose Vigen. He may or may not be OSU's to choice....it sounds like there are 2 or 3 other finalists. I also wouldn't be shocked to see Leon find some additional funds for a new contract.
Aren’t both universities hands tied to a certain degree to what the BOR approves?

That’s why Vigen and Hauck’s contracts are so similar?

Even if we had the money, I don’t know that we could just go pay a coach $2 million a year while the other guys have to pay their guy $300k.

Maybe I have misunderstood that all these years, but that was my general understanding of the setup.



GoldstoneCat
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Re: Vigen Oregon State rumors.

Post by GoldstoneCat » Tue Nov 25, 2025 9:45 am

MrGoodKat wrote:
Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:37 am
I don't know if Vigen will get Oregon State, but I completely understand why he wants it. It's a natural step up for his career. He would make far more money and could begin to build a resume to get into the Power 4.

If he doesn't get it, I still believe that he's somewhere else next season. There is just way too much turnover in the college coaching ranks right now for him to be left without a dance partner again. That's my opinion.

The glimmer of hope is if MSU makes a run to Nashville and he's not willing to quit in the middle of the playoffs and the programs are not willing to wait for him, as we saw last year with Washington State.

Now all that said, assuming he does end up taking a job, I cannot figure out why the Cats would go with anyone other than Bobby Daly, assuming he wants the job. Anyone with actual knowledge of the situation push back on me here, but this is how I see it:

1) Great programs at the FCS level graduate coaches to bigger schools and then hire from within in order to maintain culture and success. It would seem that Daly was the succession plan a year ago and had been groomed for the role. He was the AHC for 3 seasons, in addition to being a coordinator. With Daly, we would be able to maintain the defensive philosophy that has become so successful in recent years. He also knows virtually all of the players on the roster and many/all of the guys currently being recruited. Someone with his familiarity is best positioned to stem the tide of kids leaving.

2) Daly has the reputation of being a stellar in-state recruiter. In the era of the portal, that has become more important than it has ever been. The biggest reason (note: not the only reason) that the Cats graduated so many studs (Mellott, Grebe, O'Reilly, Lonergran, Ortt, Wehr, Sain, etc.) AND lost great players to the portal (Humphrey, Moore, Jones, Powdrell, Polidore, Johnson, etc.) and still maintained success is because of the foundation of great players from Montana who stay. MSU has the upper hand over UM in this regard right now and they need to prioritize and maintain that edge. The easiest way that the Griz take back over as the top program in the state is by MSU taking the in-state players for granted.

3) Daly is young and doesn't have previous head coaching experience. While there's no guarantee that it would work out this way (see: Jimmy Rogers), I think his age and inexperience could likely mean that bigger programs would want to see him maintain success over a 4-5 year span before pursuing him. This was basically the pattern we say with Vigen; interest in him really turned up once it became obvious that he wasn't just keeping Choate's good times rolling. At our level, if you hire a great coach and keep him for 4+ seasons, that's a win. This is getting ahead of myself, but in a perfect world, he could keep Owens as the AHC/DC and groom him to be the next man up (Owens would actually be a great choice if Daly doesn't want the job).

4) He's a Helena kid and former player who understands the rivalry. Obviously Vigen isn't from here and he's done just fine, so it isn't like this is a pre-requisite, but he also had a learning curve to get to where he is now. When you bring in an outsider with no experience of football in the state, you take the risk of ending up with a Rob Ash or Bob Stitt. I would never advocate hiring a lesser coach just because he's from here, but if you love his qualifications anyways, it can only help.

So get out of here with your Ed Lamb/Brian Wright/Paul Wulff propaganda. I personally think suggesting such things should get you a week's ban from the forum, but I'm not a moderator so I leave that in the hands of wiser posters.
Yeah, I mean why even consider someone with proven big sky success when you'll have candidates with none? :roll: Not saying Bobby shouldn't be considered, or Howe. Ed lamb won the big sky with a tin cup's worth of resources. Cody Hawkins kept his team going thru a brutal schedule to rally and finish 4th. They would absolutely get a call, imo, if our job comes open.



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