Last week, former Montana State football players Christian Anaya and Garrett Coon announced their commitments to new teams. Anaya is transferring to Western Illinois University (WIU) in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Coon is headed to the University of South Dakota (USD) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Both institutions compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the same division as Montana State.
Christian Anaya, a 6-foot-1, 182-pound redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Chandler, Arizona, had limited playing time at MSU. During his redshirt 2022 season, he caught one pass for 11 yards. In the following season, he made two catches for 38 yards over six games. Initially listed as the first-string “Z” receiver on three of MSU’s first four 2023 depth charts, Anaya was later demoted to backup “X” receiver and eventually dropped from the two-deep roster by the season’s end.
Garrett Coon, a 6-foot, 195-pound redshirt junior running back from Sheridan, Wyoming, also saw limited action at MSU. He had one carry in one game during the 2021 season. In 2022, he rushed for 307 yards and a touchdown on 50 carries, and last season, he tallied 65 yards on 10 carries. His brother, Colson Coon, is a rising redshirt freshman at MSU.
Anaya and Coon are part of a group of 10 known Bobcats who entered the transfer portal since the 2023 season concluded. Others include offensive lineman Omar Aigbedion (signed with Baylor), defensive back Kendric Bailey (still in the portal), defensive back Kade Cutler (Montana), linebacker Jace Fitzgerald (Montana Western), offensive lineman Jacob Kettels (Kennesaw State), DB/LB Aidan Parks (Montana Tech), offensive lineman Rush Reimer (Cal), and defensive lineman Sebastian Valdez (Washington).