MSU Football Adds Five Newcomers

BOZEMAN, Montana — Montana State added to its 2022-23 football recruiting class on Wednesday with the announcement of two transfers and three high school student-athletes.
Washington wide receiver Junior Alexander and College of the Canyons linebacker Cole Bullock each arrived at MSU for the start of the spring semester. Running back Colson Coon (Sheridan, Wyoming), defensive back Tayden Gray (Arlington, Texas) and defensive lineman Ryder Trujillo (Los Alamitos, Calif.) round out MSU’s prep class.
“We’re really excited to add these five young men to our program,” Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen said. “They help round out a recruiting class that we believe is very talented and extremely competitive. We continue to attract student-athletes who have great character and who want to be part of our championship culture here at Montana State. Cole and Junior are both here on campus and ready to make an impact from Spring Prom Colson, Ryder and Tayden will join the other freshmen next fall and we look forward to seeing them grow from there .

JANUARY TRANSFERS (NEWLY ANNOUNCED)
Lonyatta Alexander Jr., WR
6-3, 200, So, Auburn, WA (Washington/Arizona/Kennedy)
Player Ratings: Played 11 games for Washington in 2022, catching one pass (against Portland State) for nine yards… Played two games at Arizona State in 2021 without stats… Caught 67 passes for 1 328 yards and 24 touchdowns catches in 12 games as a junior at Kennedy High, helping his team score 11-1 and the Class 4A state semis… caught 71 passes for 1,197 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games as a senior … named the No. 33 potential receiver nationally (No. 7 in Washington) by 247Sports.com … Rivals ranked him 59th among receivers and ESPN No. 53. MSU receivers coach Justin Udy: “We’re thrilled to have Junior join us. He’s a guy who we think has great playmaking ability. His size and athleticism gives us the flexibility to move him around and create a Junior is a very skilled road runner with a large grab radius His ability to get a separation and attack the ball in those 50/50 situations is something that really caught our attention. his school career and I know he is motivated to help this football team in any way he can.”

Cole Bullock, LB
6-0, 225, Jr, Chatsworth, CA (College of the Canyons/Sierra Canyon)
Player Ratings: The first-team all-state and all-conference linebacker for College of the Canyons in 2022…led his team with 56 total tackles, including five for a loss, recording one sack. . intercepted a pass, broke up two more, and recovered two fumbles… had 46 freshman tackles, 1.5 for a loss, in 10 games… forced four fumbles, recovered one and intercepted two passes in 2021… team defensive MVP and first-team all-state at Sierra Canyon in 2019, making 100 tackles, 12 for a loss, with four sacks… forced two fumbles and interrupted six passes. From MSU linebacker coach Bobby Daly: “Cole Bullock is a linebacker that comes to us from the College of Canyons in Southern California. He was part of that senior (high school) class of 2020 that didn’t was able to play a lot of football so he was relatively under the radar out of high school and had to go the college route to get a movie he was a very productive player in one of the top junior college leagues in the country He plays fast, he plays physically, he has a flair for football, and we are delighted to bring him in and compete for playing time.”

FEBRUARY HIGH SCHOOL
Colson Coon, AR
5-11, 180, France, Sheridan, WY (Sheridan)
Player Notes: The first two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Wyoming history… twice named to the Wyoming Super 25 team, twice all-state and three times all-conference football…all state and all conference wrestler twice as well…ran for 2,195 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2022, 1,648 yards and 22 scores as a junior the year before…in the halfback state final last November, he gained 517 yards … also played linebacker, kick and kick for the Broncs. From MSU Running Backs coach Jimmy Beal: “I love Colson’s ability to make plays. Whether it’s defense or offense, he’s a great playmaker. He’s a competitor. You see in him as a state champion wrestler he’s a real competitor in whatever situation he’s in. I see him as a guy who when the ball is in his hands can make games. He runs hard and breaks tackles, but he’s sneaky. Plus, he’s a great boy.

Tayden Gray, DB
5-11, 185, France, Arlington, TX (Trinity Leadership)
Player Ratings: In his only game in 2022 for Trinity Leadership High School, he rushed seven times for 163 yards with three touchdowns…at Newman International Academy in 2021, he rushed 33 times for 265 yards and three touchdowns, catching 37 passes for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns… intercepted a pass. From MSU Defensive Backs Coach Willie Mack Garza: “Tayden is a very tough football player. He plays three different sports, he’s great at all of them, an amazing athlete, but I think his most strong (characteristic) is resilience. He is a great running back and great receiver on offense, and a very good defensive back, can play for corner or safety. He is quick, won the state at 200 in the division private school, he can dunk a basketball with both hands. He’s extremely smart and hard-working.”

Ryder Trujuillo, DL
6-4, 250, France, Los Alamitos, CA (Los Alamitos)
Player Notes: Recorded 33 tackles as a senior in 2022, according to MaxPreps, along with two sacks and a pass breakup…also picked up a fumble. From MSU defensive line coach Shawn Howe: “Ryder is a defensive end, with the ability to move to all three technical points on the inside. During his short period of play on the defensive line , he has shown that he is an intelligent football player. He loves the game and works hard at his craft. What I like the most is that he is a blank canvas with plenty of room for growth. Ryder is 6-4 with a great frame, and we have the ability to add weight, speed, agility, he can grow in all areas.”