MISSOULA — All eyes will be on the quarterbacks this fall camp for the Montana Grizzlies, as fans again wait to see who will start under center come the season opener Sept. 6 against Central Washington.
"All our positions on our team, we're going to have to decide who starts the first game at some point. Every position on this team's open when we start training camp, and the quarterback's included in that," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said.
Questions surrounding quarterbacks have been a theme the last several years for the Griz.
It'll be no different this August, as UM is entrenched in a competition again.
Redshirt sophomore Keali'i Ah Yat returns as the most experienced signal caller after splitting starting reps with Logan Fife last year.
"I'm just controlling what I can control," Ah Yat said. "I'm just trying to focus on our team, focus on myself, getting better everyday. I welcome competition, so it's whatever. Just got to compete, control what I can control and just focus on the team."
Ah Yat completed 112 of 189 passes last year for 1,121 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for seven more scores as he experienced his first full dose of college football.
"I think my deep passing game and just slowing things down in my mind, just processing things, trying to get the pre-snap, post-snap reads and trying to be more of a student of the game and slowing things down," Ah Yat said of his progression.
Also in the mix is USC transfer Jake Jensen, who joins the Grizzlies for his final year of college football.
Jensen has had stops at BYU and at a junior college before spending three seasons with the Trojans where he appeared in three games. But after a strong showcase in UM's spring game in April, he figures to be right there in the mix with Ah Yat vying for the job.
"That's the great thing about fall camp. You got guys competing everywhere, getting a lot of reps, a lot of good looks," Jensen said. "Coaches tell all of us, focus on everything. Focus on the weight room, the film, and then really just trying to get good looks with the guys. Just trying to take it day-to-day and getting better."
Redshirt freshman Luke Flowers is also firmly in the competition after a standout prep career.
"I just focus on me," Flowers said. "I try to execute each play to my best ability, not worry what other quarterbacks are doing, but also be able to take mental reps while they're on the field and better myself while I'm off the field as well."
As for running a two-QB system like last season, Hauck wouldn't tip his hand to whether or not that would be the case.
So the competition is on to see who takes the reins come Sept. 6.
"You know, what I want (is) to win games, so whatever we do, anytime any decision we make is to help us win that game that week," Hauck said. "That's how we approach it. It's about winning on Saturday, so whatever that may be, I don't care what it is. You know, we can run a three-punter system. It don't matter. We want to win games on Saturday."
Griz quarterbacks on the 2025 roster by number
No. 8, Keali'i Ah Yat, R-SO, 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, Kaneohe, HI
No. 12, Gage Sliter, R-SO, 6-foot-1, 189 pounds, Kalispell, MT
No. 16, Jake Jensen, R-SR, 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, Pleasant Grove, UT
No. 17, Luke Flowers, R-FR, 6-foot-1, 187 pounds, Rigby, ID
No. 18, Cody Schweikert, R-FR, 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Columbia Falls, MT
No. 19, Drew Price, FR, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Jacksonville, FL
