BOZEMAN — One of the highest honors you can receive in college football is being named a team captain.
Not only do you need the trust from your coaches, but also the respect from your teammates because they vote on who sports the 'C' patch on their jerseys on Saturdays.
Last week, six captains were named for Montana State. Three return with the honor — quarterback Tommy Mellott, defensive end Brody Grebe and linebacker Danny Uluilakepa. Three first-year captains join them in defensive back Rylan Ortt and offensive linemen Marcus Wehr and Justus Perkins.
All six are seniors this year and have one final run. They share the title, the grade and the common goal. But they've all had different journeys to earn the respect of leading the Bobcats on Saturdays.
Mellot is one of only three Montana State players to receive the status of captain three years in a row. He joins an elite club with Troy Andersen and Fred Ervin.
"It's for sure surreal to think of the three years that I've had the opportunity to represent the school, represent this team, represent the rest of my teammates as well," Mellott said. "I wouldn't say that it's probably really hit me as to thinking how exclusive that list may be."
"Any time you're a multi-year captain, it speaks to who you've been for quite a long time," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said.
The Butte native represents everything the Treasure State seems to stand for: Outwork those around you while remaining humble.
Mellott, as a freshman, worked his way into a starting role for the second round playoff win versus UT Martin in 2021. He was the first MSU quarterback to make a starting debut in the postseason, and led a run all the way to the 2021 FCS championship game against North Dakota State.
Coming into this year, his 2,474 career rushing yards is seventh in MSU history and his 29 career rushing touchdowns is tied for third. He has totaled 3,241 career passing yards in his time with the Bobcats thus far, and has had eleven career 100-yard rushing games.
His nickname to many is Touchdown Tommy.
But what means much more to him than the accolades or the statistics, is having his team's trust.
"To be voted among your peers and your teammates, and just to be able to see how much they respect you and see you as a leader, it means a lot," Mellott said.
He joins four fellow captains this season that represent the state of Montana.
"The five guys that are from Montana, they grew up wanting to come to Montana State. That's how it works if you're from Montana," Mellott said. "So, obviously having an opportunity to not only come here, but be a captain here, it means a ton."
Defensive end Brody Grebe and linebacker Danny Uluilakepa are both in their second year as captain.
"It does speak to, you know, Brody, Tommy, Danny, all really coming onto to scene early in their careers, and showing that they had that kind of ability beyond their physical ability," Vigen explained.
Grebe, a Melstone native, will also be wearing the legacy no. 41 this season. He represents small-town Montana every Saturday when he steps onto the field. He hails from Melstone and grew up on the Grebe ranch, which his family operates — one that has pretty cool hats he and his teammates sport around. He was all-state in basketball and football in high school at Roundup, and also excelled in rodeo.
His nickname doesn't get more fitting than the "Cowboy from Melstone." He even has a rodeo celebration after a sack on the football field.
"It's definitely something I dreamed of," Grebe explained what it's like to have the honor of being a two-year captain and wearing no. 41. "Being in high school, my junior (and) senior year, coming to games here. Seeing those guys, 41s, captains, walking out before the game. That's something I've always strived to be."
Uluilakepa is the only out-of-state representative in the captain group this year. He's from Puyallup, Wash., but Bozeman has become a second home.
"It's not like back home in Washington," Uluilakepa said with a laugh, "It's a little colder, but we can make due with that. "I love the community, love the school. Just, it's been an honor being included into that group."
The linebackers are often seen as the "quarterbacks" of the defense, and Uluilakepa takes pride in the responsibility of the position.
He also adds to the recent lineage of linebackers, who were also strong leaders for the Bobcats as captain with Andersen (2021), Callahan O'Reilly (2022) and Nolan Askelson (2023).
He got to learn from each one since arriving to Bozeman in 2021, and shared the honor of captain with Askelson last season.
"It's like, I'm looking up to them, and they're just passing it down," Uluilakepa explained. "I had Troy my first year, learned from him, had (Callahan) my next year learned from him, Nolan the next. So, I've had a lot of good mentors in the past and I'm ready to step up and be one of those guys."
The third captain of the defense, joining Grebe and Uluilakepa, is Ortt.
"It's big time. Rylan, I could've seen him as a captain last year too," Uluilakepa said. "It's big time for Rylan. We talk about it all the time, too."
"To be able to lead others, you have to lead yourself first," Ortt described his leadership style. "You got to be able to do the right thing, be able to handle your business day in and day out. And then people start to recognize that."
"If you can handle yourself, and then you get other people to follow you, and that's not by putting guys down. That's by lifting them up more."
Ortt is from Missoula. The Sentinel graduate was a preferred walk-on back in 2019 when he came over the hill to attend college Bozeman. He's had a true journey of sticking to the process to work into his role as a leading contributor on the defense, and now, a captain.
"I'm not going to lie, I didn't ever think that I would be captain my freshman year," Ortt admitted. "If you asked me, I probably wouldn't say that was a goal. But as my time's gone through here, I've seen guys go through. Guys like Nolan, Troy, Callahan, Ty (Okada). Guys like Brody and Danny that I've been here with, so it's pretty cool to be grouped in with them."
"He's the leader of not only our position group, but our defense," fellow defensive back Caden Dowler explained. "He just steps up whenever he needs (to). Going back to when he was, whatever he was, a freshman against South Dakota State in 2021, I was at that game. He stepped in at nickel and played his heart out."
A first-year captain and Bozeman native, Perkins was also a preferred walk-on when he arrived at his hometown university.
"Justus, Rylan Ortt, they're both walk-ons," Vigen said. "When you ascend from being a walk-on to a captain, beyond the starting and all that, that's just an awesome story."
Vigen continued to explain the example set by working their way to the leaders they have become for Montana State.
"Coming in, betting on themselves. Then not really playing a whole bunch, but then becoming true leaders on this team and examples for all our guys up and down that roster that are fighting for their way," he said.
As a center, the player who has to snap the ball in time to the quarterback, Perkins is a backbone to the offense.
"He's been a rock obviously," Vigen said. "Justus has been steady. But beyond being steady, he's continued to improve. So, the respect he's garnered from his teammates is awesome."
Fellow offensive lineman Marcus Wehr joins Perkins as a captain this season. They're the only position group to have multiple representatives with the accolade this season.
"It's really cool to have two offensive linemen on the list," Wehr said. "It just shows the level of respect the team has for us."
"Those guys are the ones that do the dirty work probably more than anybody, and that's not just on that field," Vigen said. "So, for two of those guys to be recognized, I think that means a lot."
It may come as a shock, considering Wehr has became a top offensive lineman in the nation, but he originally came to Montana State to play on the defensive side of the ball.
When switched to offense, it may be one of the best decisions ever made for his career.
"It's kind of weird," Wehr said. "I thought I was going to be a defensive lineman my whole career, and then I get a chance to move across the ball, and I took that opportunity. I kind of ran with it, so I did not envision myself in this position."
In 2023, the Billings native was an All-American and All-Big Sky player and Pro Football Focus' top-rated Division I offensive tackle.
He comes into this season, as a preseason All-American by Stats Perform and Phil Steele, a preseason All-Big Sky selection and was listed on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List as one of the top 100 college football players with unique abilities.
"It doesn't matter where you start," Wehr said. "I was playing scout team three years, really, into my career here. And, you know, now I'm in this position. So, just don't get down on yourself. There's always an option. You can either take it or you can quit."
Despite the different journeys, it seems that all six align with Wehr's message.
