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DILLON, Mont. — When you think of Montana Western football this decade, the first thing that comes to mind is their explosive offense.
And with two of the top receivers in the nation in Eli Nourse and Seth Shook, and three dynamic running backs in Jakob Humphrey, Aidan Lammers, and Landon Charlton, they’re sure to pile on the points again this year with new offensive coordinator Tyler Morris, the former head coach for East Helena, calling the plays.
“It won’t change anything. It’s going to be the same offense and the same system. We do the same exact thing we always do, we mold it to our players,” said head coach Ryan Nourse. “Some of the plays will be different and a few things, and we’ve improved and learned and grown as a unit, but the philosophy will stay the same. We feel strongly about what we can do.”
But the big question is who will be the starting quarterback with Michael Palandri having exhausted his NAIA eligibility. Returning reserve Kaden LaPlaunt and Cal Poly transfer Sam Wulff are battling it out, and a decision might not be made until after the season begins.
“Sam and Kaden are just each and every day battling, helping one another, getting better, producing. It will be a tough decision when we do make the decision, but it’ll be well-earned,” said Nourse, stating that splitting snaps is possible because the LaPlaunt and Wulff have similar styles.
“It’s going to kind of come down to maybe intangibles and some off that talent that they carry and what they’re able to do to elevate the unit around them,” said Nourse.
“They’ve all been getting the plays really well. They’ve been throwing the rock really well. I could speak for all of the receivers. I’m confident in whoever is going to throw us the rock this year. They are going to do a hell of a job and it’s going to be a great season,” said Shook, who says LaPlaunt has better deep ball accuracy while Wulff throws great touch passes down the middle of the field and in the red zone.
“But they both have been showing growth and really good things from any part of the field,” said Shook. “Any situation, they’ve been showing really good competition and it’s honestly really fun to watch as well. I’m excited,” said Shook.
While there will be a new starting quarterback, there’s plenty of continuity elsewhere on the offense. Especially on the offensive line, which began to gel in the middle of the 2025 season.
“(Offensive line coach) Jed Heffernan is a wizard up there in calling these plays and these run concepts for us. Ever since the end of last season, the o-line line looked at themselves and knew that’s not what they’re capable of. A lot of them, that was their first time starting, and they’ve shown a lot of growth since then. Ever since the spring and even the end of last season, they’ve been constantly putting in the work. Putting in all the stuff that’s needed to have a successful season this year. It’s all been behind the scenes. None of them are big rah-rah guys. They just come here and get to work every day, and that’s exactly what you want from your o-line,” said Shook.
Among the returning offensive linemen are all-Conference players Ethan Larson and Dylan Christman. Tyrus McPhie is also a returning starter, and Sione Heimuli is back for a redshirt senior campaign after suffering an injury in the first week of last season.
“Continuity is everything on the offensive line. That was really our weakness the first seven weeks of last season,” said Nourse. “It just really didn’t gel or have strong belief (last season) until we played Eastern Oregon, hands down the best defense we saw all year last season, and before they even blinked, we scored 55 points. It was just a gel issue, I feel like. If we would’ve gelled earlier, we might’ve been able to pull out one of those tough games against what turned out to be the three best teams in the Frontier Conference.”
And the weapons on this Montana Western squad extend well beyond the offense. Just take a look at special teams, where Maclain Burckley nailed a 55-yarder last season and says he’s capable of making a 70-yard kick when the wind is calm.
“That is actually true. I’ve seen it happen. I feel really confident in Maclain. Even last year when he came here, he’s been booting it. This whole offseason, he’s been putting in a lot of extra work and it’s been showing these last few practices. So, I’m excited to see him get out there and hopefully break a little NAIA record for longest field goal in a game,” said Shook.
And Burckley is helped immensely by being paired with all-American long snapper Jacob Westberry, a state champion from Hamilton.
“It’s really nice. Just getting back there and not having to worry about anything. Perfect snaps every time,” said Burckley.
The defense will have a new look after the departures of linemen Tyler Walker and Devin Crow, linebackers Keegen Muffich and Jace Fitzgerald, and defensive back Brady Mounts.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Connor Dunlea is one of the returning starters and will be counted on to be a leader.
“He’s done a fantastic job for us as a guy who is a consistent performer and positive voice in that room. (Sophomore DL) Liam Rowe has had a great spring and fall for us so far. And a couple of guys that have been here around time that have been special teams stalwarts for us: (redshirt junior linebacker) Canyon Sargent and (redshirt junior linebacker) Manny Variz have really stepped up and are taking their opportunity and running with it. They’ve been good, strong leaders for us.”
The Bulldogs open up their season at MSU-Northern on Sept. 5 before hosting rival Montana Tech the following Saturday.
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