MISSOULA — Linebacker is a position group that is always loaded with talent for the Montana Grizzlies football program, and this season is no different.
Each year linebacker is a heartbeat on the UM defense. New defensive coordinator Eric Sanders is also that group's position coach, so there's plenty of new from top to bottom.
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"I want us to compete for every inch, every play that they snap the ball, we're trying to stop them," Sanders said Tuesday. "That's the identity. We're not going to give anything up. And I think they're embracing that. They love that. And this kind of a fun thing about these kids here at University of Montana, you give them something, they identify with it."
While Montana's defense had plenty of turnover from last year, the two returning starters are in the linebacker room — All-American Peyton Wing and All-Big Sky selection Solomon Tuliaupupu, who Sanders said is also splitting his time this camp with the defensive line.
Tuliaupupu was granted a waiver by the NCAA in the offseason and enters his ninth season of college football.
"It's been fun. It's cool because I get a little bit of what I used to play back in high school and last year and then kind of what I did most of my college career," Tuliaupupu said. "So it's been awesome. It's cool to learn this scheme and, you know, be able to play different pieces of the puzzle."
Along with Wing and Tuliaupupu is Clay Oven of Billings, Montana's legacy No. 37 possessor who was featured heavily in the rotation in 2025 and will be leaned on again.
"After a while you kind of get used to what you can and can't rely on and stuff, and who does what and you really kind of build off each other and kind of lift each other up throughout the day," Oven said. "It really is convenient to also have guys who you have played with in the past, but it's also nice to get new guys and kind of learn this new playbook with them."
"It's great because the leadership, it's not just leadership for the linebacker group, but it's also the overall team," UM head coach Bobby Kennedy added. "Like those guys are strong voices and they've done it here and they've done it well. And so it's good for those other younger guys to follow them.
"I think we have really good depth at the linebacker position. And guys are getting in the mix and they're making plays and they're, I think it's a really solid group."
Outside of those three key returners, the rest of the room has plenty of new faces and up-and-comers to be excited about.
Notably, Georgetown transfer Nai Mose, Bowling Green transfer Justin Eklund, and San Diego State transfer Tanner Williams have earned early praise, while second-year Grizzlies Styles Goodman and Colton Lentz have turned heads and had a lot of hype surrounding their potential since they arrived.
"I think they all are leading each other," Sanders said. "So just the togetherness, the joint leadership. Nobody's trying to boss anybody else around. They're just pushing each other. I love that."
"It's just kind of learning the new scheme that kind of takes a sec," Oven added. "But, how I played the old defense is still going to be kind of the same intensity and effort and (what) I'm bringing to this new defense. It's just learning the new scheme, and (Sanders has) a bunch of little tips and tricks to help with that along the way."
Depth is key for that position group, and the Grizzlies believe they had the talent and numbers needed to be an elite unit. Kennedy said on Tuesday that ideally UM wants to have at least six to seven viable linebackers in rotation.
"It's been awesome. We brought in a lot of good guys, both on the field and off the field," Tuliaupupu said. "New era of college football is transfer portal. So a big part of it's finding the right pieces that fit character-wise, but also on the field. And I feel like we found those guys. It's been awesome."
Griz 2026 linebackers
No. 10, Styles Goodman, SO, 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, Austin, TX
No. 24, Justin Eklund, 5th, 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Rocklin, CA
No. 31, Tanner Williams, JR, 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Orange, CA
No. 32, Peyton Wing, 5th, 6-foot, 229 pounds, Sumner, WA
No. 33, Taylor Jones, SO, 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Missoula, MT
No. 35, Cooper Neer, FR, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Kennewick, WA
No. 37, Clay Oven, SR, 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, Billings, MT
No. 38, Naiteitei Mose, 5th, 6-foot, 230 pounds, Euless, TX
No. 40, Colton Lentz, SO, 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Nooksack, WA
No. 50, Sam Merriman, SO, 6-foot, 225 pounds, Seattle, WA
No. 58, Solomon Tuliaupupu, GR, 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Pomona, CA
