Welcoming Brent Vigen

Brent Vigen’s love for football started way before his duties as a coach became what they are today. Growing up as a coach's son, Vigen entered the football lifestyle as a young boy. It is one of the reasons Vigen says he loves the sport so much. “Seeing what coaching brought to his [father’s] life,” Vigen said, was the start of his passion for football as well. “Doing something that you’re having an impact and you’re truly loving what you’re doing on a day in and day out basis” is perhaps the biggest reason for his decision to journey on with football.  His career started in 1998 with North Dakota State. Playing here in Bozeman twice in his life in 2005 and 2010 with North Dakota State, Vigen knew MSU was an amazing place to be. Continuing his career, Vigen then became an associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Wyoming.  During his visits to MSU, he was amazed by Bozeman’s “tremendous support” for the Bobcats football program. Not only were the people here a major factor in Vigen’s move to MSU, so was the timing. “The last twelve years have set me up for this,” he said. Vigen explained in a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 16 that he had thought for the past six years that if the head coaching position opened up it would be the right fit.

Sitting down with the team for the first time just last week, Vigen called the players a “real hungry group of men.” Since the team hasn’t played since 2019, and with former head coach Jeff Choate taking a new job, Vigen says the boys need stability. “It’s been a challenging eleven months, they need stability and that’s what I aim to do,” he said. He continued to discuss the importance of connecting with his team. “Getting connected with the players is a priority,” he added. “Gaining trust is a critical component.” Vigen stressed that changing coaches can come with apprehension. For many, including Vigen, coaching can be nearly impossible without the foundation of trust. With the COVID-19 pandemic still looming and the delayed spring season, Vigen announced that some players will indeed be returning for an additional year. Switching to the idea of recruiting for some new Bobcats in the upcoming years, Vigen commented that recruiting out to the west is a “wider reach.” however, he has had immense success recruiting players, especially quarterbacks. Vigen previously recruited Josh Allen, who currently plays quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, Carson Wentz, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Easton Stick, the backup quarterback for the LA Chargers.

Vigen has also had success in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He believes he has knowledge of the ins and outs in the FCS. “I have a clear understanding of what playoff football looks like.” With that insight, he plans to take the football program to new heights by winning a National Championship.

A championship, however, cannot occur until Vigen creates new foundations. “To obtain something you must see it,” he said. His coaching philosophy relies heavily on the ideology that the offense does compliment the defense.“We have to be prepared to take what the defense gives us, Vigen said.” Vigen stressed that running the football will be a focal point of his offense because of the potentially harsh winter weather that can affect the quarterback’s ability to throw.

His immediate goal with the team is to keep the Bobcat’s 4-0 win streak against the in-state rivals at Montana, not only on the field but also in regards to recruiting. The next goals are taking home bragging rights, winning the Big Sky Conference and having home-field advantage in the FCS playoffs. Vigen stressed that “you can have big goals but [you must] have a vision on a daily basis” to think about what the players have accomplished that day and what they should aim to accomplish in the future. Vigen added that “My vision is to blend my experiences with what’s been going on...this is not a starting from scratch situation, this is a let’s pick up where they [previous head coach Jeff Choate and the team] left off.”

“There might be some changes in the coaching staff, but those decisions aren’t taken lightly,” Vigen said, but not without mentioning that all coaching staff decisions started off by talking with the current assistants. He described the current coaching staff as “very receptive,” to the efforts of the new coaching staff. “I got a feel for who they were as men and who they are as coaches and also gaining knowledge of their passion for our players,” Vigen said. Ideally, there will be a press conference at the end of this week to announce the coaching staff as the positions have been filled but not yet been announced, Vigen said.

For his future here at MSU, Vigen has many resources. “[Previous head coach Jeff] Choate did a great job,” he commented, “he will be a resource.” Still today, Vigen is sure he will reach out to the men who helped him get to where he is now. Even with the resources he has available, Vigen commented that he is glad the expectations here at MSU are so high as lofty expectations tend to lead to more opportunities. To close out his welcome press conference, Vigen addressed Bobcat Nation. “We are not done, Bobcat fans, we need to keep pushing this.” He went on to discuss that he and his family are ready to embrace Bozeman and the state of Montana. “I’m ready to get out there and wear that Blue and Gold and sell our program,” he said. From all of Bobcat Nation, we wish you the best of luck Coach, and we can’t wait to see our boys back on the field.

The first game of the 2021 fall football season will take place on Saturday, Sept. 4 in Laramie, Wyoming when Vigen and the Bobcats will take on the Wyoming Cowboys and Vigen’s old boss, Craig Bohl.

The Exponent will have updates as this story develops.