MISSOULA — Three players from Montana and two from Montana State were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, the organization announced Monday.
The annual watch list provides a look into the organization's scouting process and previews players who are currently eligible for the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl, which will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 27, 2026.
For the Grizzlies, offensive tackle Liam Brown, running back Eli Gillman and all-purpose player Michael Wortham were selected. Wortham is listed at wide receiver on the watch list.
Gillman and Wortham were also named preseason All-Big Sky Conference choices and selected to the 2025 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team. It's the first preseason accolade for Brown, who has 28 career starts and 37 appearances on Montana's offensive line.
Brown, a 6-foot-5, 317-pound redshirt senior from Beaverton, Ore., started all 14 games — two at center and 12 at left guard — last season. He helped the Griz average 196 rushing yards per game and score 35 rushing touchdowns.
Gillman was one of the ball carriers running behind Brown. The Minnesota native averaged 78.9 yards per game and totaled 1,104 total yards last season as a sophomore while sharing the backfield with Nick Ostmo. Gillman, who won the 2023 Jerry Rice Award for FCS freshman of the year, is entering his junior season and currently has 2,137 rushing yards, 28 rushing touchdowns and 30 total TDs in his UM career.
Wortham was a 2024 All-American and a two-time All-Big Sky pick while at Eastern Washington. He averaged 134.6 yards of total offense per game to rank 11th in the FCS while slotting in at quarterback and receiver for the Eagles last season. He also led the Big Sky and set a program record with 1,093 kickoff return yards.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Taco Dowler and offensive tackle Titan Fleischmann represent the Bobcats on the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000. Both have also been named preseason All-Big Sky and preseason All-Americans.
Dowler, a Billings West High School product entering his junior season with the Bobcats, led MSU in receiving last year with 597 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was an All-American as a returner last season, with his 12.5 yards per punt return ranking second in the Big Sky and 11th in the FCS. For his career, Dowler has a program-record 1,068 punt return yards.
Fleischmann, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior tackle from Pocatello, Idaho, is coming off a 2024 season in which he earned third-team All-America and second-team All-Big Sky honors. He started all 16 games at right tackle in helping the Bobcats make a run to the FCS national championship game last season.
Also selected from the Big Sky for the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 were Idaho offensive guard Nate Azzopardi, UC Davis safety Rex Connors and Weber State offensive tackle Gavin Ortega. Connors was voted the Big Sky's preseason defensive player of the year.
The 2025 college football season kicks off as early as Aug. 23. Montana State plays its first game Aug. 30 at Oregon, while Montana gets started Sept. 6 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium versus Central Washington.
