MISSOULA — The Montana football team has found its quarterback for the 2026 recruiting class.
The Grizzlies received a commitment from Brady Jay of Moses Lake High School in Moses Lake, Washington. Jay is ranked as a 3-star prospect, the No. 1 quarterback recruit and No. 39 overall recruit in the state, and the No. 159 quarterback prospect in the nation for the 2026 class, according to 247Sports.
Jay, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, announced that he had received a full-ride scholarship from the Griz on Dec. 17 and later made his commitment on June 21. He was recruited to UM by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brent Pease.
He had been receiving interest from FBS teams Boise State and Washington State and fellow Big Sky team Eastern Washington, he said. He earned quarterback MVP honors at EWU's summer camps in 2022 and 2023.
People are also reading…
Brady Jay Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies football commit Brady Jay poses for a photo while on a visit to Missoula in April. The senior-to-be at Moses Lake High School in Washington committed to UM as a quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class. Montana Athletics
"I liked coach Pease," he said of why he committed to Montana. "I went to their (passing) camps the past three years and I kind of built a good relationship with coach Pease. I went to a couple practices on visits and I like the way he coaches. He coaches pretty hard and I like that.
"They were the first ones to believe in me. They were the only ones to offer me. And they offered pretty early in the season. I just knew that they believed in me and they were always loyal. I got to meet (head) coach (Bobby) Hauck and I just loved everything about it up there on my visit."
Jay said Montana recruited him as a quarterback and "we never talked about any other position." He has played quarterback exclusively in high school, noting he did play some defense in youth football and might play safety on passing downs this fall if needed.
Entering his senior season, Jay has thrown for 6,879 yards and 98 touchdowns against 22 interceptions on 68.9% passing in 23 games over three years. He has also rushed for 293 yards and five touchdowns on 67 rush attempts while playing in Class 4A, the state's largest classification in terms of enrollment.
As a junior in 2024, Jay completed 70.6% of his attempts for 3,182 yards and 45 touchdowns against five interceptions in 10 games. He also ran 48 times for 199 yards and five touchdowns as he was named the Columbia Basin Big 9 Conference MVP, the offensive MVP and the first-team quarterback.
As a sophomore in 2023, he set personal bests by throwing for 3,251 yards and 48 touchdowns as he completed 68.8% of his pass attempts and got picked off 16 times in 10 games. He was named the conference co-offensive MVP and the first-team quarterback in his first season as a starter.
A three-sport athlete, Jay has also been a three-year starting guard for the basketball team and ran track the past two years. He posted a personal record of 10.97 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the district championships this spring while winning district titles in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay.
"I think they kind of like how I can do it all," he said of the skillset he'll bring to UM. "I ran a 10.9 in track, but throwing is still my strength. I'd probably say my best strength is accuracy. I think they think that too."
Montana has six-known commits in the Class of 2026. Jay joins out-of-state commits safety Dane Kellner of Hawaii and offensive lineman Josiah West of Washington. The in-state commits are wide receiver Wesley Ehret of Belgrade, safety Kougar Kappel of Red Lodge and defensive lineman Derek Opitz of Helena Capital.
Griz add JUCO transfer
Montana has added another transfer to its front with the addition of defensive tackle Zekiel Seumalo. He played the past two years at Allan Hancock College, a junior college in California, leaving him with three years to play two seasons.
Seumalo made the All-National North League second team in 2024 as he totaled 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 10 games. He had put up 23 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks in nine games in 2023.
The native of Kent, Washington, was listed at 6-foot and 270 pounds on last season's roster. He also announced offers from NCAA Division II Central Washington and West Texas A&M, and NAIA Western Oregon.
"Blessed to have been given this opportunity," Seumalo wrote in a post on X about his commitment to the Griz. "All glory to God. Thank you to all the coaches that (p)ut the(ir) time in with me. Only up from here."
The other transfers the Griz have added since the close of spring camp in April are defensive linemen Cole Muilenburg and Hayden Schwartz, wide receiver Blake Bohannon, linebacker Peyton Wing, defensive back Rashid Mansour, safety Jeilani Davis, and offensive linemen Patrick Matan, Dylan Jemtegaard and Jose Balver.
Ex-Griz in pro football
Former Montana safety TraJon Cotton is playing his first professional season this summer in Mexico's Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional.
Cotton, a Griz starter from 2021-23, said he is the starting free safety for the Dinos, who are based in Saltillo, the capital city of the state of Coahuila. The Dinos have a 3-5 record through July 1 in the eight-team league.
Cotton, 25, has totaled 34.5 tackles to rank second on the team and 18th in the league. He also has one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, four passes defended and two kickoff returns for 48 yards.
In the CFL, former Griz wide receiver Keelan White has caught nine passes on 13 targets for 96 yards, including 50 yards after the catch. He is still seeking his first touchdown in his rookie season as he has played in all four games for the Ottawa Redblacks, who have a 1-3 record.
Former Griz linebacker Braxton Hill, an Anaconda native, has remained on the practice roster through the first month of the season and hasn't played in a game so far for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who have a 4-0 record.
Frank Gogola is the Senior Sports Reporter at the Missoulian and 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @FrankGogola or email him at frank.gogola@406mtsports.com.
0 Comments
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!