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Nevada's Freddie Banks, USC's Shawn Howe to join Montana State Bobcats' coaching staff

Freddie Banks
Posted at 3:52 PM, Feb 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-16 21:34:29-05

BOZEMAN — As new Montana State head football coach Brent Vigen works on finalizing his coaching staff, sources tell MTN Sports that Nevada's Freddie Banks is set to become the Bobcats' new defensive coordinator. Sources have also told MTN Sports that Shawn Howe will join MSU's staff as the defensive line coach.

Banks has experience at both the FCS and FBS levels, most recently serving time as Nevada's cornerbacks coach for the 2020 season.

At the FCS level, Banks served as the recruiting coordinator for Stephen F. Austin from 2018-19. Prior to that, Banks was the recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at NCAA Division II Midwestern State from 2016-18.

Banks played cornerback at North Dakota State from 2008-10 while Vigen served as the Bison's offensive coordinator.

Banks will succeed Kane Ioane, who was MSU's defensive coordinator in 2019, the last season the Bobcats played. Ioane left MSU in January to become the co-defensive coordinator at Boise State.

Howe will replace Byron Hout, who had been MSU's defensive line coach since 2016. Hout appeared to bid farewell to the Bobcats on his Twitter account on Tuesday, writing, "Thank you to the community, to all the fans, and most importantly the players of Montana State Football for the amazing past 5 years! Looking forward to the next opportunity!"

Howe has been a defensive quality control analyst at Southern California since 2019, his second stint with the Trojans. He previously spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with USC as a defensive assistant.

An Oregon native, Howe played defensive end at Rocky Mountain College in 2002-03 and began his coaching career with the Battlin' Bears as the outside linebackers coach in 2004 and 2005. After leaving Billings, Howe spent time at North Caroline State (2006), Memphis (2007-09) and Tennessee (2010) before his first stint at USC.

Howe coached the defensive line at Humboldt State in 2013 and 2014, and then became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Dixie State from 2015-17. He coached the defensive line at Coastal Carolina in 2018.

Vigen is expected to have his coaching staff finalized by the end of the week.