BOZEMAN — Brent Vigen, Montana State’s new head football coach, made the return trip to Bozeman Tuesday and wasted no time implementing his vision for this upcoming football season, saying he plans on taking Bobcat football to new heights.
“Making the quarters, making the semis (of the FCS Playoffs) is great, that’s a part of the ride, but winning the national championship is what we have to be all about,” Vigen said.
Vigen met with players for the first time Tuesday and used that time to not only introduce himself, but to instill his championship mentality.
“To attain something, you have to be able to see it, and that’s why I wanted to spell that out Day One," Vigen said. "Now it’s about putting together the plan so come 2021 we can put ourselves in the best position to reach those heights.”
Vigen, who has previous experience as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at both Wyoming and North Dakota State, brings a strong pedigree of success to the Bobcats, including three national championships while at NDSU.
“Obviously with the level of success he has had in his career, bringing that championship mentality right here to Montana State was something we were looking for in our new leader,” said MSU director of athletics Leon Costello.
Vigen’s success in identifying and mentoring young quarterbacks, like the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and the Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz, also played a major factor in the hire.
“I think having quarterbacks as weapons is a huge tool to be able to take that next step," said Costello.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of great quarterbacks through the years," said Vigen. "Certainly from a recruiting perspective there’s one side of it, knowing what we’ll be looking for at the quarterback position, but then the guys that are here, it’s taking them and then putting them in the best position to utilize their talents."
But before diving into schematics, Vigen’s first step is putting together his staff. Montana State did prioritize keeping its current coaches together, but that could change.
“There’s eight guys that have contributed to the success here, we obviously have a couple spots open," Vigen said. "I’d like to have the staff formulated into next week.”
Costello said he supports whatever personnel decisions his new head football coach makes.
"There is a possibility we’ll have the same coaches," Costello said. "Maybe they’ll be in a different role because of how the structure is set up, but I think there is going to be a lot of continuity in the end. My job is to support our new coach and his vision and how he wants to move this thing forward.”
