BOZEMAN — One of the most important aspects of being a coach, yet overlooked at times, is being someone that your team wants to play for.
According to his players, Bobby Daly, Montana State's newly promoted co-defensive coordinator, is just that. And this defense is excited for what’s in store this season.
"He’s been here since 2019 just like I have, so it’s been great getting to know him and working with him," Montana State defensive back Rylan Ortt said.
"I'd go to war for coach Daly, and I think everyone’s behind him."
"He’s been a great role model and a great man to look up to the past four years, and he’s definitely taught me a lot about football and a lot about life," Montana State linebacker McCade O'Reilly explained.
Daly's ability to relate to his players comes from the fact he also played for MSU. The Helena Capital product was an All-American during his time as a linebacker for the Bobcats, and he still ranks fourth all-time in program history in tackles.
"I think I have a unique perspective because I’ve been in their shoes, you know, I’ve been here as a player," Daly said. "I played here from 2004-08, so not too long ago. This is always going to be about getting to know my guys, getting to know these players and developing that relationship."
Daly has been in the coordinator role before. He called plays during the Bobcats' playoff game against Weber State in 2022 when former defensive coordinator Willie Mack Garza was serving a one-game suspension.
"Our preparation was on point, and people want to follow him," Montana State defensive lineman Blake Schmidt said. "People want to play for him, so I think it will be an improvement to the defense for sure."
Daly, who will continue to coach MSU's linebackers and share coordinator duties with defensive line coach Shawn Howe, noted his internal promotion, versus an external candidate for the role, promotes consistency.
"This defense, we’re not reinventing the wheel. That’s one of the reasons coach (Brent) Vigen trusts me in this role, is that we’re going to keep it very similar to what we’ve done in the past," Daly said.
"Having him as a defensive coordinator has just been awesome," O'Reilly said. "Being able to coordinate what he thinks the players are thinking and what he’s thinking, and then putting that all to the playbook has been really nice."
Daly has spent a lot of time with this 23-member senior class since they arrived on campus years ago. He hopes the amount of real-game experience they have is a benefit this season.
"What I’m most excited about is the amount of banked reps that we have from that senior group," Daly said. "By and large, those guys have started a lot of football games, they’ve taken a lot of game reps for us, so we’re really planning and hoping that their experience is going to help us this year."
