BOZEMAN — Montana State’s mismatch at the line of scrimmage against North Dakota State remains one of the biggest takeaways from the FCS championship, and with only one starter returning on each side of the ball this fall, finding who to fill those holes has been a primary concern.
Redshirt sophomore Marcus Wehr was ready to be one of those players to step up, even if it meant switching positions.
“Marcus was kind of on the outside looking in playing D-line," head coach Brent Vigen explained. "What we saw in him was a guy that if we can get him enough lead time to make this transition, he could really go from being a guy that’s in the mix on the defensive line to being a guy that could potentially start on the offensive line."
Vigen sat him down in January to discuss the potential move, and without a beat, the Billings native was all for it.
"Whatever I can do to help this team win I’ll do it," Wehr stated. "If they asked me to play quarterback, I’ll play quarterback.”
While we probably won’t see him in the pocket anytime soon, Wehr will be tasked with protecting Tommy Mellot this fall as the Bobcats starting right guard.
“I like the progress that he’s made, he’s still not game-tested by any means, but I anticipate he’s going to play a key role for us up front," Vigen added.
Additionally, with more position versatility up front, Vigen shared there are times we could even see Wehr on the exterior. The redshirt sophomore was a two-way player at Billings Central and has previous experience at right tackle.
“I had a very good coach in high school — Casey McMillan, who played at Iowa — so he taught me a lot, so coming here I think I had a good base of what it meant to be an O-lineman," Wehr said.
To make the transition, Wehr bulked up 35 pounds this offseason, and in his words, is "ready to run over people" come Gold Rush against McNeese State on Sept. 3.
