Montana football: Former Griz set for scouts on Pro Day
(Montana Sports Information) It wasn’t long ago (January third to be exact) that Braxton Hill jogged onto the field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium for Montana football’s final practice before boarding a plane to play in the National Championship in Texas.
While his dream of winning a title fell short in Frisco, this week he and seven other former Grizzlies return to Missoula to pursue their next dream: a shot a pro football.
On Tuesday morning, April 2, Montana will hold its annual Pro Day, giving the Griz a chance to pursue their next level dreams by showcasing their athleticism, strength, and skills for pro scouts. And they’ll do it surrounded by the magical memories of UM’s 2023 playoff run.
“I think it's going to be surreal. I think I'm gonna have chills out there thinking about all the playoff games and all the great times I've had there. It’s gonna be fun,” said Hill, one of the top five tacklers in the FCS last year.
Those teammates set to return are also some of the best to ever do it at Montana. They include punter Travis Benham, defensive back TraJon Cotton, center AJ Forbes, defensive back Nash Fouch, D-lineman Alex Gubner, kicker Nico Ramos, and offensive lineman Chris Walker.
Like most others, Hill – yet another classic Montana football story of small-town walk-on turned pro prospect – has been preparing his body for this day since the season ended.
For 10 weeks the Anaconda native was at California Strength in Los Gatos, a training facility where many other Grizzly greats have prepared for the next level, including Jordan Tripp, Zack Wagenmann, Tyrone Holmes, and Dante Olson.
While Hill’s time there was all business preparing himself for Pro Day, there are only so many chances in life an athlete gets to focus on preparing their body to perform on one single day. He says that opportunity fostered a community of like-minded players from around the country, all with the same dreams.
“My favorite part of training was just the relationships I built with the guys I was with. Everyone there has the same goal, but we're all coming from different schools. It kind of becomes your new team. After a while you start to get to know everyone and you start learning where they grew up, how they grew up, and then the work becomes fun,” added Hill.
“It’s just like being on the Montana Grizzly football team with your buddies. You start training with them, and you start motivating them, they motivate you, and everybody works hard to get better. So that was fun.”
All that goes out the window on Tuesday, however, when the Pro Day training rubber meets the road. While Hill has specific goals he wants to hit in each event, he’ll go into the day with the same attitude he’s always had, and one that’s already helped get him this far in his career: stay positive and have fun.
“I would say my main goal is to just trust my training and go and have fun. I went down there for 10 weeks, worked my butt off, and did get as good as I possibly could have. Pro Day is all business, but I'm also going to go out there and have fun competing against myself and I'm going to have fun watching my teammates. It will be a fun day in the stadium,” Hill said.
Pro Day Gets underway at roughly 9 a.m. with weigh-ins and measurements before moving to the testing phase for vertical jump, and the 225-pound bench press in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center.
Testing then moves into Washington-Grizzly Stadium (weather pending) for the broad jump and speed and agility portions at roughly 10 a.m. until approximately 11 a.m.
Testing inside the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center is closed to the public and media. Testing in Washington-Grizzly Stadium is open to the public and media, with fans asked to observe from the stands, and media asked to observe from the sidelines. The south entrance to the stadium will be open to the public.
Follow @MontanaGrizFB on X/Twitter for up-to-the-minute results, video, photos, interviews, and more. Fans can join the conversation by using the hashtag #GrizProDay.
The 2024 NFL Draft takes place April 25-27 in Detroit.
The Prospects
Travis Benham: In one season with the Grizzlies Benham etched his name in the record books with some all-time great stats. He led the Big Sky in punts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with 26 and punts resulting in a fair catch with 29 on the year. He averaged 40.5 yards per punt on 67 attempts, the eleventh-best average in Grizzly history. He also totaled 2,707 yards punting, the second-most in the Big Sky. Posted a season-long punt of 60 yards at Utah Tech. He also threw a first-down pass for 15 yards against Idaho State. Also earned Academic All-Big Sky honors while earning a graduate certificate in entrepreneurship.
TraJon Cotton: A standout in the classroom, Cotton was a semifinalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the “Academic Heisman.” He was also named Academic All-Big Sky for a third-straight season while earning a graduate certificate in entrepreneurship. Cotton was named a team captain at the onset of the season. He hauled in two interceptions, tied for the third-most on the team. He also logged 32 tackles (12 solo) on the year, the 12th-most on the team. Totaled 1.5 TFLs and a half sack and finished his distinguished three-year career at UM with 104 total tackles (48 solo) and seven pass deflections with two INTs, 2.5 TFLs and a half sack. He made 33 career starts and 41 appearances in three years after transferring from Oregon State. He also represented UM at the Big Sky Kickoff media event in Spokane in July.
AJ Forbes: Forbes was a first-team All-America pick by the Walter Camp Foundation in 2023. He was also a second-team All-Big Sky pick that year and earned academic all-conference honors as well. He was also the winner of the 2023 Paul Weskamp Award for the team’s outstanding offensive lineman. Forbes made 42 career starts at center for the Grizzlies. He was named a team captain at the onset of the season. At center, he helped lead a balanced 2023 offense that threw for 2,967 yards and rushed for 2,652 yards, a combined difference of just 315 yards. The Griz were third in the nation and first in the Big Sky in first down offense this season, moving the chains 297 times while outscoring opponents 454-258. He also helped UM rack-up the fourth-most rushing yards per-game (176.8) and the second-most rushing TDs (32) this season in the Big Sky.
Nash Fouch: Fouch finished his career with 57 career appearances and 37 starts. He was seventh on the team in tackles his senior year with 52 (28 solo) and third on the team in pass breakups with five. The Washington native totaled five TFLs for a total loss of 20 yards, picked off one pass, forced one fumble, and tallied one sack for a loss of 10 yards as a senior. He finished his five-year career with 184 total tackles (98 solo) with 12.5 TFLs for a loss of 36 yards, and logged four career interceptions and 19 pass deflections.
Alex Gubner: A team captain, Gubner was UM’s most decorated Grizzly following the 2023 season, named to four All-America teams and named the Big Sky Defensive MVP. He earned a place on two first team (AFCA and Associated Press) and four total All-America teams (second team All-America by Stats Perform, and third team by Phil Steele). He also finished his career as a two-time first-team all-conference pick and was a unanimous selection as a senior. Gubner was the first Grizzly D-tackle or interior lineman to ever be named the Big Sky's Defensive MVP, and was the 14th Grizzly to win the award… After his senior season only seven interior defensive linemen had ever been named Defensive MVP by the Big Sky Conference. He won the 2023 Steve Carlson MVP Award, was a two-time team defensive MVP, and a two-time winner of the Sims/Miller award for outstanding D-lineman. He was the straw that stirred Montana’s defensive drink in 2023, helping UM to a historic season on that side of the ball. The Grizzly D allowed just 108.5 yards per game rushing – the third fewest in the FCS and a Big Sky-low. UM also had the FCS's No. 3 third down defense in 2023, allowing teams to convert just 29 percent of the time. He was the team’s ninth-leading tackler with 45 stops (18 solo) as a senior. He also had the third-most TFLs on the team with 9.5 and three sacks. Gubner logged two pass breakups and two QB hurries that year. He finished his career with 124 total tackles (48 solo) and 28.5 TFLs – among the top-20 totals in Grizzly history, along with 10.5 sacks for a loss of 77 yards, eight pass deflections, one forced fumble, and a blocked kick. His freshman season he was a nominee for the now-defunct “Piesman Award” after he picked off four passes that year. A four-year starter, he played in 58 contests and made 53 starts, a team high.
Braxton Hill: A former walk-on turned team captain, Hill led the Big Sky and was fifth in the FCS in total tackles his senior season with 128 (43 solo). In 2023 the Anaconda native was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, was named second team All-America by Stats Perform and third team All-America by the AP and Phil Steele. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors, was named the team’s Defensive MVP by the coaches and co-Tony Barbour Award winner for “Player that best exemplifies outstanding practice habits and makes an unselfish contribution to the betterment of the Grizzly Football Team." In 2023 he was third on the team in TFLs (7.5) and sacks (4). He also picked off two passes, one he returned 34 yards for a TD against Northern Colorado. He led the team in QB hurries with seven and totaled three pass breakups and logged one fumble recovery as well. He was a leader on a historic UM defense that allowed just 108.5 yards per game rushing – the third fewest in the FCS and a Big Sky-low. UM also had the FCS's No. 3 third down defense in 2023, allowing teams to convert just 29 percent of the time. He finished his career with 231 total tackles (76 solo), a top 40 mark in UM program history. His 17 TFLs are also tied among UM’s top-40 as well. He made 25 career starts and earned Academic All-Big Sky honors in the educational leadership graduate program.
Nico Ramos: Ramos took over UM’s primary kicking duties in November and made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. He was the team’s primary PAT kicker all season and made 27 of his 30 attempts, top-10 in the Big Sky among made kicks. In two seasons at UM, Ramos made 21 of his 27 field goal attempts, connecting at a clip of 77.8 percent. That's the third-best career field goal percentage in Grizzly history.
Chris Walker: Voted a team captain at the onset of the season, Walker was also named to the Senior Bowl watchlist and the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 watchlist in the preseason. He earned and All-Big Sky Honorable mention and academic all-conference honors as well. He helped lead a balanced 2023 offense that threw for 2,967 yards and rushed for 2,652 yards, a combined difference of just 315 yards. The Griz were third in the nation and first in the Big Sky in first down offense this season, moving the chains 297 times while outscoring opponents 454-258. Helped UM rack-up the fourth-most rushing yards per-game (176.8) and the second-most rushing TDs (32) this season in the Big Sky. Walker made 28 starts in 28 appearances for the Griz in two seasons.
GRIZ PRO DAY SCHEDULE
8-9 AM: Player check-in
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)
9 AM: Body Measurements – height, weight, hand, wing
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)
9:15-10 AM: Testing – vertical jump, 225-pound bench
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)
10-11 AM: Outdoor testing – broad jump, 40-yard sprint, pro agility, 3-cone L drill, 60-yard shuttle, position specific drills
(Washington-Grizzly Stadium – open to public in stands, media on sideline)