Breaking down Big Sky Conference athletics including football, basketball, and spring sports.


Colter Nuanez provides analysis of Idaho's upcoming season before Nuanez and Samuel Akem sit down with UI second-year head coach Thomas Ford Jr. (11:20), senior quarterback Joshua Wood (23:18), and senior linebacker Cruz Hepburn (33:30 about the upcoming campaign. EDITOR'S NOTE: We are aware of the microphone issues, but did not realize we had reverb until after the interviews were finished. We have remedied the issue.

Montana State senior cornerback Takhari Carr is expected to have an elevated role this upcoming season as Montana State tries to become the first Big Sky Conference team to win back to back national titles.

Montana State junior Tayden Gray was named second-team All-Big Sky a year ago and was named to the preseason all-league squad ahead of this year. He joined Colter Nuanez to talk White House visits, off-season progress, national championship chasing and goals for fall camp.

Fresh off a trip to the White House in Washington D.C., Montana State opened its 2026 fall camp on Thursday with a media day event. This is Brent Vigen's 15-minute pre practice press conference.

Montana head coach Bobby Kennedy joins Colter Nuanez & Samuel Akem to talk Joe Glenn, new rules, rising stars and expectations going into 2026 season, his first leading the Griz.

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen joins Colter Nuanez & Samuel Akem to discuss his team's pursuit of a second straight FCS title.

Tom Wistricill, the commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, sat down with Colter Nuanez & Samuel Akem to discuss the state of the league, the way the TV schedule is determined, night games, national championships and mannequins.

Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistricill did a Q&A with media following his annual "State of the Big Sky" address at the Big Sky Kickoff media conference the end of July 2026.

Taco & Caden Dowler, a pair of All-Big Sky captains for Montana State entering their final collegiate seasons, sat down with Colter Nuanez & Samuel Akem of Skyline Sports to discuss their jam-packed off-season including Taco's wedding + the resetting of the program's mindset in connection to a pursuit of a second straight national championship, the honor of wearing No. 41 and much more.

Montana senior running back Eli Gillman sat down with Colter Nuanez & Samuel Akem to discuss his off-season, what motivates him, his pursuit of UM's career rushing record and his recent accolades.

Montana senior safety Tanner Huff sits down with Colter Nuanez to talk about his off-season, UM's defensive transition under a new coaching staff and his youth football camp coming up July 17 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Montana sophomore wide receiver Brooks Davis joins Colter Nuanez to discuss his Freshman All-American debut season, his priorities this off-season and his upcoming youth football camp.

Montana linebacker Peyton Wing talks about his transition to UM after transferring from Portland State, acclimating to "Linebacker U" and his upcoming youth football camp on July 17 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Montana junior quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat joins Colter Nuanez to discuss his upcoming youth football camp on July 17 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez LIVE from the Mo Club on June 18 to talk everything from the Big Sky Conference's nationally televised games to Eli Gillman's legacy with the Griz to the emergence of the Grizzly Football Players Association to the best quarterbacks outside of the state of Montana that play in the Big Sky Conference

Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now LIVE on June 24 to break down Montana's home and home with Rio Grande Valley, Colter's projected Griz over-under win total (MSU coming next week!) plus 3-4 Bobcat players and 3-4 Griz players that could be household names by the end of the 2026 football season.

Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez for Inside the FCS on June 10 to talk about a variety of college football topics, including Idaho State signing Cody Hawkins to a contract extension and Brent Vigen's long-term future at Montana State.

Colter Nuanez breaks down the 18 top stories from 2025-2026 on the ESPN Roundtable from June 10.

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez for a retrospective ESPN Roundtable rehashing the best sports stories of 2025-2026. Plus, Tootell & Nuanez talk recruiting (25:00) in Montana.

Timm Rosenbach, a former Missoula Hellgate quarterback who also served as the offensive coordinator at Montana 2018-2022, also played at Washington State and the Phoenix Cardinals before getting into coaching. Rosenbach is one of the headlining members for the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame and he joined Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now, 102.9 FM ESPN MT to tell stories of his football life.

Samuel Akem and Colter Nuanez talk about congressional conversations about regulating college football, the changes to Big Sky Conference media days, a tease for an event with the GFPA at the Mo' Club June 18 + Myles Garrett to the Rams and the NBA Finals begins.

Montana State senior Rob McManus is a three-time Big Sky Conference champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and is headed back to Eugene, Oregon for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships June 10-13.

Montana senior pole vaulter Kevin Swindler tied his own UM school record in the pole vault during the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field championships next week in Eugene, Oregon.

Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now 102.9 ESPN MT to discuss Sammy's all-time Griz Mount Rushmore, the potential contract extension being floated for first-year Griz head coach Bobby Kennedy and Montana State's new transfer cornerback.

Ty Hobbs, the president of the Grizzly Football Players' Association, along with GFPA founding member DJ Colter join Colter Nuanez for a teaser about the upcoming "Cussin' & Discussin'" podcast series presented by Skyline Sports.

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez on 102.9 FM ESPN MT to discuss NFL story lines and which game comes with more ramifications between Montana State's September 12 game at Nevada or Montana's September 19 game at Oregon State.

In the latest Senior Spotlight on Nuanez Now, 102.9 FM ESPN Radio, Billings Central graduate Kamryn Reinker joins Colter Nuanez to talk about her prep career, which included three volleyball and three straight basketball championships. Reinker will play for the Lady Griz next fall.

Dawson Hammond, a standout football, basketball and track athlete from Class B Malta, Montana, joins Colter Nuanez for the latest "Senior Spotlight" highlighting the best individual senior athletes in the state.

Rick Halmes, one of the founders and the Chairman of the Board for the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame, joins Colter Nuanez for this week's ESPN Roudntable. Rick discusses the 10th anniversary of the HOF's creation, his favorite memories from the last decade, the story of his football life and his thoughts on his induction to the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame's 10th induction ceremony is in Billings on June 27.

Montana State's women claimed its first Big Sky Conference outdoor track and field championship since 2003 with a resounding win in Portland, Oregon that helped MSU beat five-time defending champion Northern Arizona by 53 points. MSU freshman Tilde Bjerager, the meet's Most Value and Most Outstanding Athlete, along with senior sprinter Carolyn Hawks and junior thrower Sydney Brewster joined Colter Nuanez to recap the historic win.

Montana State junior captain running back Adam Jones joins Colter Nuanez to talk about MSU spring football and his upcoming slate of. youth summer camps.

New Montana head football coach Bobby Kennedy joins Colter Nuanez to recap Griz spring ball, break down further his philosophies and preview UM's spring road tour on this week's ESPN Roundtable on 102.9 ESPN MT

Samuel Akem & Colter Nuanez debate where the Ivy league fits into the FCS landscape and if a team from outside Montana and the Dakotas will win a national championship in the near future.

Brent Myers has been coaching college football since 1982 and has 28 years of experience in the Big Sky Conference between his time at Eastern Washington (1982-1991), Northern Arizona (1992-1997) and Weber State (2014-2025). He's in his first year as the offensive line coach at Montana. He joined Colter Nuanez to talk about Bobby Kennedy, the transition of the UM coaching staff and his OL unit, which must replace five senior starters.

Manhattan High junior Brayden Zikmund, who's father, Rory Zikmund played at Montana, joined Colter Nuanez of ESPN MT and Skyline Sports to discuss his recent commitment to Griz football.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I'm talking about the CAA Strength of Schedule for 2026. Which CAA teams have tough schedules and which have easier schedules? How many playoff teams will the CAA have in 2026? I discuss all of this in that segment. Who do I think are the top-10 FCS RBs coming into the 2026 season? There is a ton of good RB play, but I will be listing my top-10 in this video. The AFCA recommended a 24-team playoff for the CFP, and I wanted to give my thoughts about it. All of this and more in this week's episode. 0:00 - Intro6:15 - CAA Strength of Schedule26:58 - My Top-10 FCS RBs For 202645-10 - AFCA Recommends 24-Team Playoff 1:03:01 - 3 HBCU Programs Academically Ineligible1:05:35 - D2 Transfer Portal Window1:06:54 - UCF Signs British LB From ELF1:09:30 - Final Thoughts1:11:39 - EndJoin My Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/tNC2MqsX5dFollow My Socials: Twitter/X:https://x.com/s_akem18?s=21INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/s_akem18?igsh=NWp2Njdta216OTZq&utm_source=qrTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samuelakem18?_t=8kcXTSonq6E&_r=1

Montana senior running back Eli Gillman joins Colter Nuanez to recap Montana's spring drills + he previews his summer series of youth football camps. Visit eligillman.com for more information!

Montana State senior Taco Dowler joins Colter Nuanez to break down getting national championship rings, his analysis of MSU fooball + preview for the summer youth football camps he will host with Adam Jones starting next month. Visit https://tacoandadamsummerfootballcamps.com/ for more on how to sign up!

Laurel junior Kade Leibrand, one of the top linemen recruits in the state of Montana, discusses his commitment to Montana State with Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now 102.9 ESPN Radio.

Sam Sirmon, who's the latest Sirmon to commit to play for the University of Montana, talks about his recruitment and his family legacy at UM with Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now, ESPN MT, in April of 2026.

Missoula Big Sky junior Eli Kasberg burst onto the scene last fall, leading the Eagles to the semifinals of the Class AA playoffs. The quarterback/athlete committed to the Montana Grizzlies in the spring of 2026.

Montana State has three verbal commitments from in-state recruits, including 6-foot-4, 215-pound Saco, Montana product Laytin Erickson. The multi-sport athlete plays football at Class B Malta in the fall.

Montana State commitment Dax Yeager joins Colter Nuanez on 102.9 FM ESPN radio to talk about his pledge to MSU football.

Billings West junior Jack Ryan has several ties to the Griz football program. That plus his affinity for the new UM coaching staff led him to commit to Montana in April of 2026. He joined Colter Nuanez on ESPN MT to discuss the decision.

Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez to talk about the potential expansion of College Football Playoff to 24 teams + we share thoughts on why people aren't buying into the Oklahoma City Thunder as one of the great teams in modern NBA history.

Matt Brown, the founder of the Extra Points newsletter, joins Colter Nuanez on ESPN MT for this week's ESPN Roundtable talking everything from NCAA tournament expansion to potential expansion of the College Football Playoff to revenue sharing and the House settlement.

Montana State head coach Lyle Weese joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now, 102.9 FM ESPN Radio to talk about his team's successes and preview the regular-season finale meet in Bozeman this weekend.

Andre Patterson, a former Montana Griz football player who then coached in college football (1988-1997) before getting his first shot in the NFL on Bill Parcels' staff with the New England Patriots, joined Colter Nuanez to tell stories about his time in New England, Minnesota, Dallas, Cleveland, Denver and back to Minnesota before finishing with the New York Giants in a special Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame interview on ESPN MT.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, we are talking about the SOS of the MVFC and which teams may have a harder road to the playoffs. Coch Bobby Rome II joins Akem's Analysis to talk all things Chicago State football and how they are doing leading up to their first season in the FCS. The 2026 NFL Draft just concluded. Who are the 15 players to watch out for in the FCS for the NFL Draft next year? I got you covered with all the biggest names. All of this and more in this week's episode.0:00 - Intro3:23 - MVFC Strength of Schedule in 202631:12 - Chicago State Head Coach Bobby Rome II Interview59:44 - My 15 FCS NFL Prospects To Watch For 20271:20:05 - NCAA Age-Based Eligibility Rule1:24:03 - MSU Transfer Gianni Edwards Film Review1:33:18 - Final Thoughts1:34:57 - EndJoin My Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/tNC2MqsX5dFollow My Socials: Twitter/X:https://x.com/s_akem18?s=21INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/s_akem18?igsh=NWp2Njdta216OTZq&utm_source=qrTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samuelakem18?_t=8kcXTSonq6E&_r=1

Former Montana All-American WR & returner Michael Wortham joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now, ESPN MT for this week's ESPN Roundtable about Wortham's NFL opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars.