HELENA — The man who protected Merek Mihelish’s right during a Gatorade Player of the Year-caliber season officially became a Montana State Bobcat on Wednesday.
Vaughn Wirkus, Helena Capital’s 6-foot-6 right tackle, was tabbed a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ranked the best offensive lineman in the state of Montana’s 2025 class, and the fourth-best recruit overall.
All three recruits (Grant Vigen, Vinnie Souza, Malachi Claunch) ranked ahead of Wirkus join him in Bozeman.
“It feels amazing, committing to the team you grew up watching,” Wirkus said. “Now you get to play for them? It’s a pretty great feeling…
“The DonJoy Mafia, [MSU’s] O-line, it’s a pretty crazy group and I’m really excited to play for them.”
Wirkus was a two-year starter and three-year contributor for the Bruins, helping pave a path for a team that averaged 6.8 yards per carry and scored 31 rushing touchdowns during a state championship-winning 2024 campaign.
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Committed since July, Wirkus officially signed early Wednesday morning, becoming one of 24 athletes to sign early with MSU and one of four offensive linemen.
Helena Capital OT Vaughn Wirkus was one of 24 athletes to sign with Montana State University football on Wednesday as part of early National Signing Day. Wirkus started at right tackle during the Bruins’ 11-1 Class AA state championship-winning 2024 campaign.
Those other three offensive lineman are: Nicholas Maloff (Meridian High; Idaho), Nate Thornton (North Kitsap High; Washington); Ben Winters (Kalispell Glacier High).
“It’s pretty surreal,” Wirkus said. “You wake up in the morning and you sign the real document…
“You’re like, ‘man I’m a Bobcat.’ It’s pretty crazy to go from a Bruin to a Bobcat.”
Wirkus was a second-team All-Conference selection a season ago, honors likely improved upon with 2024 Class AA football honors teams still unknown.
Weighing between 240 and 250 pounds, Wirkus said his priority this off-season and after stepping foot on campus will be adding size and speeding up footwork to match the Division I level.
Helena Capital OT Vaughn Wirkus was one of 24 athletes to sign with Montana State University football on Wednesday as part of early National Signing Day. Wirkus started at right tackle during the Bruins’ 11-1 Class AA state championship-winning 2024 campaign.
“That all comes with coaching,” Wirkus said. “The facilities there at Montana State are really fantastic, so I don’t think I’ll have any problem doing that.”
Wirkus reunites with former Capital players Tom Carter and Talon Marsh at MSU, standouts on the Bruins’ 2022 title-winning team. He is Capital’s second Division I offensive line signee in three seasons, joining Austin Buehler, who signed with the University of Montana as part the Griz’s 2023 recruiting class.
Other recent Capital offensive line commits include: Cole Dawes (Montana Tech, 2024), Barrett Hageman (Montana Tech, 2024), and Jack Gollehon (Montana Tech, 2025).
“He’s been a solid part of that offensive line here for three years,” Capital head coach Kyle Mihelish said of Wirkus. “We’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of Vaughn, he’s a good football player…
Helena Capital OT Vaughn Wirkus was one of 24 athletes to sign with Montana State University football on Wednesday as part of early National Signing Day. Wirkus started at right tackle during the Bruins’ 11-1 Class AA state championship-winning 2024 campaign.
“He has good feet. Usually guys who are that size don’t have good feet. He’s quick, he can move, he can run. The Bobcats got a good one.”
Email Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com and find him on X/Twitter @IR_DanielS.
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