Jan. 18, 2013

Kade Rannings has been selected as an assistant football coach at The University of Montana, announced UM mentor Mick Delaney today (Friday, Jan. 18).

He will coach the tight ends at Montana, and he will also assist with video production.

Rannings has spent the past five seasons as an assistant football coach at Colgate. Last season he worked with the tight ends and fullbacks. He had previously served as the running backs and assistant special teams coach since April 2008.

"Kade is a dynamic, very, very intelligent and energetic young football coach," Delaney said via a phone interview. "He has a background at Oregon State with both coach (Dennis) Erickson and (Mike) Riley, and worked with (former Griz offensive coordinator) Jonathan Smith there, and then has been at Colgate the last five years.

"He did an outstanding job in his time at Colgate, in fact the coach there said that Kade was as outstanding as any coach he had and he hates to lose him, but he understands that he has a great opportunity to come and coach with the Griz," Delaney said.

Colgate running backs led the Patriot League in rushing three times (2008, 2009, and 2010) under Rannings. The 2012 Colgate team won its second Patriot League title and made its second NCAA playoff appearance (a 31-20 loss at Wagner).

Last summer (2012) he participated in a Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coach Fellowship with the Detroit Lions, working with the tight ends.

Prior to his position at Colgate, he was the wide receivers coach and video coordinator at St. Josesph's College in Indiana for two seasons. In his first season with the Pumas, the team finished 8-3 and won the Great Lakes Football Conference championship.

He joined Jim Harbaugh's staff at the University of San Diego in 2005, and the Toreros finished 11-1 that year and won the Pioneer League title.

A 2005 graduate of Oregon State, he started his coaching career as an undergraduate with the Beavers. During his four-year stint at OSU, the Beavers participated in three bowl games.

Rannings, who grew up in Albany, Ore., is the third new assistant coach joining the Griz football program. He joins Jake Cookus, who was recently named the Grizzlies' safeties coach, and Torrey Myers, who was named UM's wide receivers.

"I am really excited that he (Rannings) is joining and coming aboard with the other two new coaches, Torrey Myers and Jake Cookus," Delaney said. "We are anxious and ready to go for spring (practice). I am anxious to get them to meet our players."

Rannings began his new job today (Friday, Jan. 18).