BOZEMAN — Helena native and Montana State defensive coordinator Bobby Daly is expected to be named to the same position at UTEP, according to a report from ESPN and confirmed to MTN Sports.
Daly, a 2004 graduate of Helena Capital High School, has been an assistant coach at Montana State since 2019. He was previously the assistant head coach and linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2024. He also retained his assistant head coach title and continued to coach the linebackers.
Sources: UTEP is expected to hire Bobby Daly as the school’s next defensive coordinator. He’s been the defensive coordinator at Montana State for one season and has been at the school in various roles since 2019. Montana State finished Top 15 in total defense and scoring defense… pic.twitter.com/4ICYr9ltdE
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 18, 2025
Shawn Howe was Montana State's co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach last season.
This past season, the Bobcats ranked 15th in the FCS in total defense, giving up 311.9 yards per game, and 11th in scoring defense, allowing 18.25 points per game. They had the No. 1 defense in the Big Sky Conference.
Montana State last fall went 15-1, suffering its only loss to North Dakota State in the FCS national championship game. The Bobcats won the outright Big Sky Conference championship and were the No. 1 seed for the FCS playoffs.
Daly's coaching career also includes a six-year stop at Idaho, where he first served as a graduate assistant before joining the staff full-time as the director of football operations and then the linebackers coach.
As a player from 2004-08, Daly was one of the best linebackers in Montana State history. He was a first-team All-American in 2007 and an honorable mention All-American in 2008. He had 382 tackles in his career.
Daly is the fifth assistant coach to leave Montana State this offseason. Offensive coordinator Tyler Walker and offensive line coach Al Johnson left for Temple, special teams coordinator Justin Udy moved to Boise State, and recently hired running backs coach Justin Mesa was named to the Detroit Lions' staff on Tuesday.
Former Montana Tech OC and Colorado School of Mines head coach Pete Sterbick will lead the offense in 2025, Matt Smith will coach the offensive line and Marcus Monaco will be the special teams coordinator. The Bobcats begin their 2025 season Aug. 30 at Oregon.
UTEP is an FBS program that currently plays in Conference USA but is set to move to the Mountain West Conference in 2026. Scotty Walden is entering his second season as the Miners head coach after leading the program to a 3-9 overall record last season.
