George Ferguson Column: Montana factor a must as Northern begins the search for its next head coach

The Montana State University-Northern Lights have three games left this season, including Saturday’s home tilt against Carroll College. And for the Lights’ players and coaches, that’s where the focus is.

There is no question, the search is fully on for Northern’s next head coach following Aaron Christensen’s resignation Wednesday, and in college football, the clock is always ticking. College football is a year-round sport, with the ever-vital recruiting, winter conditioning, signing day and spring practice all looming not long after the Lights play their final game Nov. 11 at College of Idaho.

Northern Athletic Director Christian Oberquell said Wednesday that they’ll start the search committee right away, and that the next head coach at Northern should have “strong ties to Montana who can recruit to MSU-Northern. Someone with ties to local high schools from 6-Man to Class AA and someone that wants to be the face of the program, part of the community and part of the institution." 

I agree with Oberquell 100 percent. I agree that, whether that candidate is living in and coaching in Montana right now or not, he should be someone who knows the landscape of both the Frontier Conference and Montana high school football.

Now, I can’t be on the search committee, as that would be a bit of a conflict of interest. But maybe me playing a member of it in this column can help.

I certainly am not telling Oberquell and Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel how to do their jobs, but, over the last few days, I have been thinking a lot about this and have compiled a list of guys I’d love to see be candidates for the position, guys I think would be great in that role. Some many of you know, some you may not, and some may be far-fetched, or long shots, but Northern is in need of a complete reboot of its football program right now, and my thought is, every coach that is qualified is worth a phone call at this point. And I know Oberquell, Kegel and the members of the search committee will do the hard work, and do their diligence to find the best and right coach for the Lights going forward.

So here’s my wishlist of Northern football coaching candidates. One caveat here. I did not include any members of the current staff, as I have no idea what any of their plans are going forward.

Obviously, now interim head coach Jake Eldridge has been a candidate for the position before, and may be again moving forward. But right now, he and the rest of the Northern staff are focused on finishing this season, so my list is composed of coaches not currently tied to the Northern program.

OK, here goes.

The first four guys are, off the top of my head, very intriguing, guys who would and could do great things at Northern. I have no idea if anyone on my list would be interested in the position, but they are all guys I would love to see coaching at Northern.

My Top Four

Jarrod Wirt: Wirt is a former three-sport star at Havre High School and a former All-Conference defensive back for Carroll College. He played for the Saints in what will always be termed the “glory days” and not only did he play for the great Mike Van Diest, but he also cut his coaching teeth on Van Diest’s staff as well. Wirt has high-level NAIA coaching experience, having also been the defensive coordinator at Bethany College, following his coaching days at Carroll. He’s an attractive candidate because he’s local, he’s a very good football coach, and, with so many former Carroll and Frontier players now coaching in the high school ranks in Montana, he’s got a ton of those relationships built up.

Tony Arnston: Arnston has turned Helena High into a Class AA powerhouse. He’s an energetic, enthusiastic football coach, and his Bengal teams are always exciting to watch. Arnston’s connections to Montana high school football are as solid as it gets, and he also is a former University of Montana football player, and that gives him even more credibility with recruits.

Jared Petrino: The name may be more familiar to Carroll College fans. Petrino, who serves as his brother’s defensive coordinator at Rocky Mountain College, was an All-American linebacker for Carroll, playing on two national championship teams. Before he came to RMC, he coached at the NCAA DII level at Black Hills State, and also spent a season as a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming. Petrino’s family has deep ties to the Frontier and to Montana high school football.

Dane Oliver: Currently the head coach at Missoula Sentinel High School. Oliver was a WR for the University of Montana, and though he’s originally from Oregon, he’s made Montana his home. He’s an offensive-minded coach, young, energetic, and also serves as Sentinel’s AD, which means he’s got a ton of administrative experience. Like the others in my top four, Oliver’s ties to Montana high school football means he really fits the profile of what I think the program is looking for in its next head coach.

More:

Here are a few more names out there that fit the mold of what Northern is looking for in its next head coach: Arie Grey (Butte High head coach and former Bobcat), Ryan Fetherston (Former Griz standout DE, Helena native, current assistant at Capital, coached at Carroll College and Conrad), Cody O’Neil (Former Northern offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, played for Joe Glenn at South Dakota), Chris Hess (Former MSU-N quarterback and current Ennis head coach), Andy Smith (Northern All-American WR, former Blue Pony basketball head coach, has tons of football coaching experience, and is local).

Lastly, I have some long shot candidates. They are long shots for various reasons, but, hey, this is a wish list, so why not? Like I said earlier, a phone call never hurts.

Troy Purcell: Obviously one of Havre’s coaching legends. Led the Blue Ponies to the 2004 state championship, then went and won multiple titles at Bozeman High. Currently the linebackers coach at the University of Idaho. Purcell wouldn’t just make an instant splash and bring immediate credibility to Northern football, but he also brings an incredibly great resume, and has as strong of ties to both Havre and to Montana as you can get.

Robin Pflugrad: The former University of Montana head coach showed interest in the Rocky job the last time it was open. Maybe he’d like to take a shot at Northern. There’s no question, with coaching stops at the likes of Oregon and Arizona State, as well as the Griz, Pflugrad would be a master recruiter at Northern.

Andrew Selle: Selle is going to be a head coach someday, somewhere. He’s an offensive wizard and has done an incredible job coaching at the University of Montana. Knowing what I know of Selle, he would be exactly the type of guy that could turn Northern’s program around, with his resume, which includes quarterbacking the Griz with Marc Mariani, to the 2009 FCS national championship game, his home base of Billings, and the incredible job he’s done coaching the Griz currently.

Les Meyer: Meyer has been the head coach at Fairfield for two decades. In the Class B ranks, he’s been one of the best to ever stalk the sidelines. He coached former Northern standout QB Derek Lear, is one of the most highly-respected coaches in all of Montana, and is just the type of guy who could completely rebuild the MSU-N program in every single aspect.

Kyle Samson: I know, the end to Mark Samson’s career at Northern was a tough time for the Samson family. I know there are some hard feelings there. And there’s no reason for me to re-hash it here. But I feel like I wouldn’t be doing my diligence if I didn’t include Kyle on this list. Kyle is one of the greatest players to ever play football at Northern, if not the greatest. He’s a Lights legend, and he should be on this list, not just because of his playing days at Northern, but because he’s one of the great young coaches in Montana football, at any level. He has completely resurrected the Flathead High program, in a short amount of time too. He wasn’t just a good recruiter, he was a master recruiter while coaching at Northern, and he’s got ties all over the state, and beyond. Simply put, Kyle is a great football coach, and I’ve always felt he would do incredible things at Northern, just like his father did. I know he’s very happy where he’s at right now, but again, it’s my feeling that my wish list would be very incomplete without him on it.

So there you have it — the George Ferguson wish list of coaches to come to Northern. Again, I have no clue if a single guy on this list would be interested in the position, but as someone very interested in who the next head coach will be at Northern, all of the guys listed above are guys I could envision leading the Lights into the future.

Nevertheless, the search is on for Northern’s next head coach, and it’s going to be very interesting to watch this process unfold.