BOZEMAN — The Montana State soccer crew’s newest dedication has ties to a different new Bobcat.
Offensive lineman Omarrian Aigbedion introduced his dedication to MSU Saturday on Twitter, about two months after he determined to maneuver on from the USA Navy Academy Prep College. The Katy (Texas) Excessive College graduate joins a crew with defensive again Dru Polidore, an Air Drive switch who performed in opposition to Aigbedion in highschool at Katy Tompkins. Aigbedion considers Polidore a pal.
MSU gained Aigbedion over throughout his official go to final weekend. He was impressed with Bozeman, the gamers, head coach Brent Vigen and offensive line coach Brian Armstrong. Assistant line of defense coach Nick Jean-Baptiste, who recruits the Houston space, additionally helped carry Aigbedion to Bozeman.
“The blokes are actual embracing,” Aigbedion instructed 406mtsports.com Saturday. “The teaching employees, I really like them. Coach Armstrong, he is an ideal man. I see how he is creating these linemen, and I knew I wished to be part of that.”
Dedicated! @MSUBobcats_FB pic.twitter.com/MlTfkvyFPi
— ???????? ????????? (@OmarrianAigbed1) April 16, 2022
Aigbedion stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs round 280 kilos. Aggression and footwork are his high expertise, he stated. He’s an inside lineman who will probably play guard at MSU, contemplating what present beginning heart Justus Perkins and backup Cole Sain have confirmed.
At Katy, Aigbedion acquired provides from Military, Abilene Christian, Jap Illinois, Houston Baptist and Incarnate Phrase (Military competes within the Soccer Bowl Subdivision, whereas the opposite 4 are Soccer Championship Subdivision groups). Aigbedion dedicated to Military and ended up at USMAPS, a prep college shaped by Military that has admitted many soccer gamers who don’t have the check scores to get in on to the academy. Aigbedion fell into that class, and the yr at USMAPS didn’t depend in opposition to his 5 years of school soccer eligibility.
West Level’s preliminary attraction, together with an opportunity to play on the FBS stage, wore off for Aigbedion.
“I actually simply did not suppose the army way of life was a life-style I wished to proceed to pursue,” he stated, echoing one among Polidore’s essential causes for leaving Air Drive. “I simply could not see myself being a commissioned officer within the Military.”
Aigbedion reopened his recruitment in February, and his selection primarily got here all the way down to MSU and Sam Houston. He wasn’t swayed all that a lot by the Cats’ FCS quarterfinal win over Sam Houston, which can transfer up from the FCS to the FBS in 2023. However that sport on Dec. 11 shed some gentle on Aigbedion’s choice.
An introduced 7,565 folks attended that playoff sport in Huntsville, Texas, and plenty of had been MSU followers. The Cats solely had one dwelling sport with an attendance under 19,000 final season, and that quantity — 15,327 within the playoff opener in opposition to UT Martin — was greater than twice as giant as Sam Houston’s on Dec. 11.
“That’s undoubtedly a soccer city,” Aigbedion stated of Bozeman. “I liked it there. The followers, the folks there in the neighborhood, they had been simply so supportive of me, so welcoming.”
Omarrian Aigbedion (66), pictured throughout a sport when he performed at Katy (Texas) Excessive College, has dedicated to Montana State.
Aigbedion will be a part of a crew that misplaced each of its beginning guards: Zach Redd and All-Huge Sky choice Taylor Tuiasosopo. Aside from Perkins and Sain, who performed some heart and guard when wholesome final season, the Cats don’t have a lot inside O-line expertise on their roster.
Whether or not or not Aigbedion will get enjoying time within the fall stays to be seen.
“Everyone thinks they’re going to compete for a job, in order that’s my mindset coming into it. I need to compete for the job and I need to get on the sphere,” he stated. “However on the finish of the day, in the event that they suppose it’s greatest for me to redshirt, then I’ll don’t have any drawback doing that.”
The Polidore connection and the USMAPS expertise make Aigbedion be ok with his capacity to acclimate to his new dwelling.
“I simply got here from New York. I am used to the chilly climate,” he stated. “I am wanting ahead to getting up there.”