MISSOULA — Johnny Barthel, a high school senior from suburban Seattle, was getting looks from teams like Boise State and Nevada, but he never got an offer from them.
The Montana football coaching staff seemed to think he should've been getting those FBS offers, and they swooped in with their own offer on Oct. 30. Forty-one days later, Barthel committed to the Griz on Monday after a visit to campus this past weekend.
“They did an in-home visit, and coach (Bobby) Hauck said the offensive line coach (Chad Germer) thought I should have been offered by UW (Washington) and that I could go to the NFL if I really wanted to and dedicate myself,” Barthel said. “Him saying that, that was cool to hear a college coach say that.
“I felt appreciated by them. They really made me feel wanted. I talked to a lot of schools, and (the Griz coaches) were consistently wanting to talk and come to visit, so I felt they were good recruiters.”
Barthel is the first commit in the class of 2019 who’s expected to play on the offensive line, a position of need for the Griz. He said the coaching staff told him he’ll redshirt in 2019 and should be in line to start by his redshirt sophomore season in 2021.
Barthel is expected to play left tackle at Montana after switching over from right tackle. He started on the offensive line the past two years at Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Washington, and also started on the defensive line in 2018.
“Left tackle is the more important position, so I like having that responsibility,” he said.
Barthel chose a full-ride scholarship from Montana over an offer from Air Force and plans to sign with the Griz later this month. He was primarily recruited by Germer and safeties coach Shann Schillinger, and he mentioned the facilities, stadium and players he met as other factors in his decision.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Barthel knows he’ll have to add weight and muscle before he takes the field for the Griz.
“As a player, he’s maybe the most athletic lineman I’ve seen come out of Bellevue,” said Bellevue head coach Michael Kneip, a Bellevue alum who played offensive line for the Washington Huskies. “His athleticism and length are rare. His potential is high. He’s still long and lean and can put on 30-40 pounds. Montana got a gem.”
Barthel has primarily been a run blocker in the Wing-T offense for Bellevue, which passed the ball 10-15 times the entire season, Kneip estimated. It was there he played alongside current Griz linebacker Jace Schneider and current Montana State running back Isaiah Ifanse.
Bellevue regularly ran sweep plays, and Barthel was also responsible for trap blocking and pulling to block a cornerback or outside linebacker. He’ll have to learn more about pass blocking, but Kneip thinks Barthel has the hand use and foot movement to pick it up well.
“He’s coachable, enthusiastic and hard working,” Kneip said. “He’s a tough kid and is a hitter first and foremost. He can strike well. He’s what you want in an offensive lineman. He’s also intelligent academically and football-wise.”
Kneip added: “I think he someday could be All-Big Sky on the O-Line. I could also see him being a D-Lineman as a 3-technique because he’s so athletic. Wherever he is, I expect Johnny to play tough football. He has a chip on his shoulder and plays with a nasty streak.”
Barthel is Montana’s 14th-known commit in the class of 2019 and the seventh from outside the state of Montana. The Grizzlies’ other out-of-state commits are Joey Elwell and Kale Edwards from Idaho, Jacob McGourin and Corbin Walker from Washington, and Alex Hurlburt and Nick Ostmo from Oregon.
Montana’s in-state commits are Ryder Meyer from Fairfield, Ryan Tirrell from Loyola, Noah Ambuehl from Great Falls Central, Garrison Poetzl from Billings Senior, Trevin Gradney from Billings West, Kris Brown from Bozeman and Elias DeWaters from Sentinel.
Frank Gogola covers Griz football and prep sports for the Missoulian. Follow him on Twitter @FrankGogola or email him at
[email protected].