A 'surreal experience': Casey competes in FCS National Championship with Griz

SANDPOINT — Four years ago, the community of Sandpoint knew Brandon Casey was destined to be a star on the next level when he committed to the University of Montana. Fast forward to the present, and Casey represented Sandpoint at one of the highest level’s college football has to offer — the FCS National Championship.

The First Team All-Big Sky offensive lineman had a large crowd cheering him on from afar Sunday, Jan. 7, when Montana fell to South Dakota State in the national championship game, 23-3, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Although not the overall goal, Casey, who has one more year of eligibility, hopes to be back to the title game with the Grizzlies again next year.

“It was a pretty surreal experience playing in a game like that,” Casey said. “When you start playing college football, obviously the biggest goal is to win a national championship, but to be a part of one was pretty special. Once you get a taste of it, you just want to keep going back.”

Montana arrived Wednesday, Jan. 3, in Frisco and practiced hard throughout the remainder of the week in preparation for the game. In addition to practice, both teams were able to have a little fun, even having a group dinner with each other at one point. Speaking of food, Casey said the team went to a teammates’ family’s ranch near Dallas on Thursday for a good old-fashioned Texas barbecue — sounds delicious. Now back in Sandpoint for the rest of his winter break, Casey reflected on the program that helped to shape him into the player he is today, Sandpoint High.

“Ever since I started playing football when I was younger, my goal was to play on the next level,” Casey said. “It didn’t really hit me that it could be a real possibility until I got to high school, specifically my sophomore year. I just needed to start setting myself up for success in order to get the opportunity.”

After years of hard work, the time finally came. In August of 2019, Casey announced his commitment to the University of Montana. On Dec. 17 of that same year, he made it official by signing a national letter of intent. Sandpoint High head coach Ryan Knowles knew then that Casey was a big deal. After all, Casey was a two-time First Team All-IEL recipient, ranked a 2-star recruit and the No. 17 recruit in Idaho by 247 sports, and was named the Jerry Kramer Lineman of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

“His coaches at Montana are very excited about him,” Knowles said after Casey signed his national letter of intent in 2019. “They see him as a solution in the near future. Nothing will be given to him but he has the ability to earn time right away. He is very talented.”

Casey did see time during his freshman campaign, appearing in six games, and starting in two. Once sophomore year came around, he was given the starting job and has started every game since. Casey said not only did Knowles help tremendously in developing him as a person and player, but so did Sandpoint offensive line coach George Yarno, who played collegiately at Nevada and Idaho State.

“I think that the Sandpoint program is very unique,” Casey said. “There’s a lot of talent and a lot of great coaches that you don’t see in school’s of a similar size. The amount of experience the coaching staff has playing in college, coaching in college, and their knowledge of recruiting is top notch. They did a great job at getting me ready to the point where I could get an opportunity at the next level and then coaching me through the recruiting process. The coaching staff helped me all the way through … it’s one of the reasons why I’m here today.”

Being at Montana also allowed Casey to gain knowledge from not only Bobby Hauck and his excellent coaching staff, but from shadowing former Grizzly, Dylan Cook, who played on the offensive line for Montana from 2018 to 2021 and is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster.

“Dylan was a big mentor for me during my first two years at Montana, especially when it came to X’s and O's,” Casey said. “He showed me how important it was to work just as hard in the weight room and off the field as you would during a practice.”

Heading into his senior year, he now serves as a role model for the players of Sandpoint High and to those younger than him on the Montana roster. A full circle moment to say the least.

Overall, Casey, who recently graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration: Management & Entrepreneurship and is starting his M.S. in Business Administration shortly, said his experience at Montana so far has been a great one. To make it a complete one, hopefully Casey and the Montana Grizzlies are back on the national stage again next season — this time taking home that championship trophy.