MISSOULA — Two words come to mind for the wide receiver group at Montana: potential and opportunity. Its a group that has a lot of spots to fill on an offense with a high ceiling.
New wide receivers coach Eric Price knows he has an interesting stable of talent in his position room with plenty of openings ripe for the taking.
"There's a lot of opportunity out there and I just keep telling them, stay focused and be ready when you get your time to make a play and you got to be ready for that and make the play," Price said. "And so the competition is going to make us better as a group."
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Headlining the group is the returning Brooks Davis, who was a freshman All-American last year and has been shining during training camp so far. Davis caught 54 passes for 698 yards and five scores last season after he redshirted in 2024.
"I feel like I can get better at every aspect of my game, every single day, just trying to take one step forward, like perfecting the basics," Davis said. "It's an honor, being looked at that way. That's kind of what I work for. I'm very grateful and honored to be in this position and bringing the young guys along because I was in that position coming in."
Davis was a strong 1-2 punch with Michael Wortham a year ago for quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, and over the offseason the speedy receiver worked on altering his body while honing his craft.
"Get in the best condition as possible, gaining weight, muscle, you know, so I can take some of those hits and just kind of build my game all around," Davis said. "So just getting bigger, faster and stronger every day."
"He can be a lot better. If you think you've ever arrived in this business, then you're probably going to stay the same," head coach Bobby Kennedy added. "And what I've seen out of him thus far in the weight room and even his practice habits and things like that, he's pushing himself. So I'm really pleased with him."
From there, it's a mix of players who have seen some playing time and new faces looking to fill a lot of holes.
One player that has stood out early is Landon Ransom-Goelz, a transfer from Rice who had a previous relationship with Kennedy. He looks to be an instant-impact player for the Griz offense.
"When you come into something that's already good, you never want to destroy (the) balance," Ransom-Goelz said. "Obviously I'm just trying to complement them and just elevate the offense as a whole. I'm not really trying to mess up anything or take over anything. I'm just trying to elevate the offense and do my job.
"I'm going to battle for these Montana Grizzlies every single day. I'm leaving everything out on the line. I've been battling injuries and everything. I'm really trying to leave it all on the field for Montana."
Korbin Hendrix has strongly been in the mix as a contributor who caught three touchdowns last season along with 12 receptions and 174 yards. Jordan Dever also caught a score as he broke through with some playing time in 2025 with 11 catches and 197 yards, and Lekeldrick Bridges has also stood out as a player who saw time as a younger talent and is now well-entrenched again.
Plus, players like veteran Ian Finch, Minnesota transfer Legend Lyons, or young up-and-comer Bridger Smith could all find their way into larger roles.
"But those guys are getting better because of the competition in the room. So when they get their chance, they're going 100%. And so the effort level is there. We still got to clean up a lot and we got a long ways to go. And each guy is every day it's like a challenge. They have to beat somebody out basically and have a good day or else they know the guy behind them is going to make the play. So it's just making us all better."
Griz 2026 wide receivers
No. 0, Monte Gillman, JR, 5-foot-8, 162 pounds, Dassel, MN
No. 2, Landon Ransom-Goelz, SR, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Trophy Club, TX
No. 3, Brooks Davis, JR, 6-foot, 174 pounds, Brentwood, CA
No. 5, Ian Finch, 5th, 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, Missoula, MT
No. 6, Legend Lyons, SO, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Covina, CA
No. 7, Weston Adams, 5th, 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, Shell, WY
No. 9, Jordan Dever, SR, 6-foot, 174 pounds, Spokane, WA
No. 11, Cameron Gurnsey, SR, 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, Butte, MT
No. 13, Lekeldrick Bridges, JR, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Cedar Hill, TX
No. 14, Korbin Hendrix, SR, 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, McKinney, TX
No. 17, Bridger Smith, SO, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Kalispell, MT
No. 85, Wesley Ehret, FR, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Belgrade, MT
No. 86, William Snell, FR, 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Billings, MT
