I caught up with Montano this afternoon. He is slated to come in as grad transfer from Brown and start at center next season, allowing Corey Dublin to go back to guard. If Montano is as good as advertised, I like that move because Dublin' snapping was average and the snapping needs to be perfect.
Coaches are not allowed to talk about grad transfers until they arrive on campus, so Willie Fritz could not comment on Montano this morning.
What were the main reasons you decided to come to Tulane as a grad transfer?
"So the whole thing that happened was this originally was going to be my fifth year at Brown. I was a redshirt senior this year, but I had a foot injury which sort of ended my season right there in the first quarter of the first game. At that point I knew I wanted to continue playing football. My dream was always to play in the NFL, so in order to continue playing I needed to try to get a sixth year in order to get the film and have a good redshirt senior season. Thankfully through the compliance office at Brown and just working with my coaches there, they were able to get me in touch with some other schools. It sort of just came across Tulane. It was always a school that I was interested in based on its level of athletics and academics. When I visited two weekends ago, I had a great time with coach Atkins and coach Fritz. It really felt like home, and I know my mom and I, we really liked the city itself."
What do you do best as an offensive lineman and as a center in particular?
"I had great coaches at Brown and they really taught me the intellectual side of football, being able to identify defenses, being able to see what you think the defense is going to do next so you're not just reacting to it. You're able to anticipate it and then sort of have a better first step. Definitely one of my strong suits is being able to read defenses. It helps the entire offense out a bit more."
What other schools did you consider?
"I looked at Villanova a bit. I looked at Northwestern. I looked at Vanderbilt."
So you played center every year except last year, when you played tackle, right? Is that your most natural spot?
"Correct. I played center every year except for my redshirt junior. I think I'm just a little more of the size of a center, being around 6-foot-4. Against better pass rushers on the edge I could struggle, and also I just like having the ball in my hands, being able to control the pace of things, being able to be sort of the middle and see both sides of the defense, the left and right side of the field."
People have images of the level of football in the Ivy League. When I found out you were transferring, I texted somebody wanting to know if you would be a scholarship player or a walk-on. They texted me back that you would be one of the best linemen on the team, so scholarship. How do you feel like you'll be able to handle the adjustment?
"I think the FCS and Ivy League in particular does get a little bit underrated there. I've obviously a bit biased. I've been here the past four years, but I've really enjoyed it and I think it is a great level of football. If the winner of the Ivy League got a bid to the FCS playoffs, I bet you they'd be a quarterfinalist every year at least. They really do get some good recruits up there. But the step up from the FCS to the FBS is probably one of the things I'm most excited about for this coming season. I'm really excited to play against what they call Power Six guys, and we'll play Auburn next year, so I'll get to be down there at a big SEC school at a big stadium. The challenge is what makes it exciting and what makes it fresh."
Tulane is going to be expected to reach another bowl game next year. How exciting is that prospect?
"That's awesome. The day that I told coach Atkins I'd be happy to be a part of the team, I told him that next year we ought to get the American Conference championship and then get that bowl game afterwards. He was right on board with me there, so that's what he's most excited about."
Are you arriving for the beginning of the spring semester?
"Correct. Classes start the 14th for us, so I'll be down the 10th or the 12th to move in."
What is your graduate degree going to be?
'I'm going to be an MBA. My undergraduate degree is economics."
How important is your education to you?
"The education is the most important part of it all. At the end of the day, if I make it to a rookie camp in the NFL and have a great, successful career, I'm going to have something beyond football and I'd love to be in a great position to have a good business career afterwards."
How soon did you start at Brown?
"I was in the two deep until our fourth game when our starting center went out with a concussion. Then I finished the rest of our season, six more games."
Did you play every game since then until the foot injury?
"I missed two games with a concussion, but otherwise, yes, I made them all."
Coaches are not allowed to talk about grad transfers until they arrive on campus, so Willie Fritz could not comment on Montano this morning.
What were the main reasons you decided to come to Tulane as a grad transfer?
"So the whole thing that happened was this originally was going to be my fifth year at Brown. I was a redshirt senior this year, but I had a foot injury which sort of ended my season right there in the first quarter of the first game. At that point I knew I wanted to continue playing football. My dream was always to play in the NFL, so in order to continue playing I needed to try to get a sixth year in order to get the film and have a good redshirt senior season. Thankfully through the compliance office at Brown and just working with my coaches there, they were able to get me in touch with some other schools. It sort of just came across Tulane. It was always a school that I was interested in based on its level of athletics and academics. When I visited two weekends ago, I had a great time with coach Atkins and coach Fritz. It really felt like home, and I know my mom and I, we really liked the city itself."
What do you do best as an offensive lineman and as a center in particular?
"I had great coaches at Brown and they really taught me the intellectual side of football, being able to identify defenses, being able to see what you think the defense is going to do next so you're not just reacting to it. You're able to anticipate it and then sort of have a better first step. Definitely one of my strong suits is being able to read defenses. It helps the entire offense out a bit more."
What other schools did you consider?
"I looked at Villanova a bit. I looked at Northwestern. I looked at Vanderbilt."
So you played center every year except last year, when you played tackle, right? Is that your most natural spot?
"Correct. I played center every year except for my redshirt junior. I think I'm just a little more of the size of a center, being around 6-foot-4. Against better pass rushers on the edge I could struggle, and also I just like having the ball in my hands, being able to control the pace of things, being able to be sort of the middle and see both sides of the defense, the left and right side of the field."
People have images of the level of football in the Ivy League. When I found out you were transferring, I texted somebody wanting to know if you would be a scholarship player or a walk-on. They texted me back that you would be one of the best linemen on the team, so scholarship. How do you feel like you'll be able to handle the adjustment?
"I think the FCS and Ivy League in particular does get a little bit underrated there. I've obviously a bit biased. I've been here the past four years, but I've really enjoyed it and I think it is a great level of football. If the winner of the Ivy League got a bid to the FCS playoffs, I bet you they'd be a quarterfinalist every year at least. They really do get some good recruits up there. But the step up from the FCS to the FBS is probably one of the things I'm most excited about for this coming season. I'm really excited to play against what they call Power Six guys, and we'll play Auburn next year, so I'll get to be down there at a big SEC school at a big stadium. The challenge is what makes it exciting and what makes it fresh."
Tulane is going to be expected to reach another bowl game next year. How exciting is that prospect?
"That's awesome. The day that I told coach Atkins I'd be happy to be a part of the team, I told him that next year we ought to get the American Conference championship and then get that bowl game afterwards. He was right on board with me there, so that's what he's most excited about."
Are you arriving for the beginning of the spring semester?
"Correct. Classes start the 14th for us, so I'll be down the 10th or the 12th to move in."
What is your graduate degree going to be?
'I'm going to be an MBA. My undergraduate degree is economics."
How important is your education to you?
"The education is the most important part of it all. At the end of the day, if I make it to a rookie camp in the NFL and have a great, successful career, I'm going to have something beyond football and I'd love to be in a great position to have a good business career afterwards."
How soon did you start at Brown?
"I was in the two deep until our fourth game when our starting center went out with a concussion. Then I finished the rest of our season, six more games."
Did you play every game since then until the foot injury?
"I missed two games with a concussion, but otherwise, yes, I made them all."