BOZEMAN — After spending a season away from Montana State, Bobby Daly has returned as defensive coordinator for the Bobcats. He tells his players that he wants what they now have — a national championship.
"When I got the defense together, I told them there's very few individuals in this room that wasn't a part of that title run ... and they all have something that I want," said Daly, who spent last season coordinating the defense at FBS UTEP. "So if they're not hungry, if they're not being humble, I'll certainly make sure that is part of us going forward."
But even with the championship win in January, Daly and the team have their sights set in a forward direction.
Watch the video here:
"It was very cool to watch the run last year, but as coach (Brent) Vigen has said, we're turning the page, and this is a brand new team," Daly said. "It's the work that we do this year that's ultimately going to determine what we do this fall."
Daly's return was well received by his players, most of which he recruited, including Bobcat linebacker Cole Taylor.
"We love having him back, (he's) really familiar with our defense and familiar with all our calls so he kind of just hit the ground running with us and we never really missed a beat," Taylor said. "He brings a ton of energy (of) hard-nosed, tough football. (We're) ready to keep that going around here and keep the standard up."
And Daly's transition back to Montana State has been seamless compared to his transition last season when he had to meet and get to know a new coaching staff and team.
"That's obviously a tougher task than walking into a building where you know 95% of the coaches and players already," Daly said. " So that piece has been very easy."
With the players' knowledge of the defense, Daly can really push his players in the spring season.
But something special about this team is how they connect off the field as well.
"I firmly believe that if you have a team that enjoys being around each other outside the building, not just inside the building when it's forced, those are the tightest groups and those are the guys who know each other the best and have each other's backs in adversity when it matters the most," Daly said. "So that is a huge piece to being successful, and we've certainly got that right now."
