Eight players from the Big Sky Champion and FCS finalist Montana Grizzly football team were honored for their excellence in the classroom and on the field, named Academic All-District on Tuesday by College Sports Communicators.
Kale Edwards, Tyler Flink, AJ Forbes, Trevin Gradney, Levi Janacaro, Nick Ostmo, Carson Rostad, and Corbin Walker were each recognized for their academic and athletic achievement.
To be eligible for Academic All-District status, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and must carry a minimum 3.5 GPA as either an undergraduate or graduate student on a 4.0 scale. They must also have competed in at least 90 percent of the program’s games or started at least 66 percent of games in the 2023 season.
Each of the eight have been key contributors to the team that will compete for the FCS national championship on January 7 in Frisco, Texas.
Kale Edwards, a junior defensive end from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was second on the team in sacks this season with 4.5 and tied for third in tackles for loss with 9.5. He holds a 3.53 GPA and has already completed a degree in management & entrepreneurship, and just finished the first semester of his master’s in business administration.
Tyler Flink, a senior linebacker from Missoula, is third on the team in tackles this year with 77 and currently holds a 3.93 GPA while also working toward his master’s in business administration.
AJ Forbes, a second-team All-Big Sky center from Bellevue, Nebraska, has made 41 career starts and has already earned a psychology degree at UM. He’s also working on his MBA and is carrying a 3.68 GPA.
Billings native Trevin Gradney, a first-team all-conference cornerback who led the Big Sky in interceptions as a junior with five, has already earned an undergrad degree in marketing and is also currently working toward an MBA while holding a 3.83 GPA.
Missoula native and second-team All-Big Sky pick Levi Janacaro has been one of Montana’s top tacklers at linebacker for two seasons now having made 17 career starts with 57 stops this season. He earned an undergrad degree in management and information systems and is working on his MBA with a 3.56 GPA.
Running back Nick Ostmo of Portland, Oregon, will hang up his cleats as one of UM’s most productive rushers ever following the season to pursue a career in project management in the family construction company. He’s already earned a management & entrepreneurship degree and is working on an MBA with a 3.69 GPA.
Carson Rostad of Hamilton is a junior linebacker who earned a 3.91 GPA in finance and has also gone on to graduate school to pursue his MBA.
First-team All-Big Sky cornerback Corbin Walker, a senior out of Renton, Washington, has made 30 starts in his illustrious career. He also completed an undergrad in management & information systems with a 3.53 GPA and just finished his first semester in the MBA program.
Montana faces South Dakota State on Jan. 7 in the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas, marking the program’s eighth trip to the national championship.