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| Ty Montgomery led John Carroll in receptions and receiving yards, in his first full season in Division III. John Carroll athletics photo by Sean Finucane |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Ty Montgomery always wanted to ball.
He just didn’t envision he’d be doing it on a football field, and not a basketball court.
Flash back to his senior year of high school in Woodlands, Texas, and quiz Montgomery on where he thought he’d be in five years. “In Cleveland, Ohio, playing college football,” would not have been the answer to that question, no matter how many times you asked.
Now, Northeast Ohio is where one can find Montgomery, who is starring as one of the country’s top pass catchers for John Carroll.
“I am truly blessed,” he said. “I am so happy I am here.”
Montgomery burst onto the scene last fall with the Blue Streaks. He caught 57 passes for 1,071 yards and a program-record 17 touchdowns. That effort earned him Ohio Athletic Conference first-team honors. And, it landed him on the D3football.com preseason All-American first team this fall.
Not bad for someone who has only been playing football for a handful of years – and not in high school.
Montgomery grew up starring in basketball. After graduating from Woodlands High School in 2019, he went to LSU as a basketball walk-on player. However, academic troubles made him return home after one semester.
After a while, he turned his attention to football and catching passes from younger brother Kam, now a freshman quarterback at Eastern Kentucky. So, he decided to turn a casual activity into his main sport. He saw a flag football team in Las Vegas was looking for players. He inquired and made the team. Later, he enrolled at the University of Houston and hoped to walk onto the football team there. However, COVID-19 hit, which interrupted those plans.
A couple years later, Montgomery enrolled at Nicholls State and joined the football team as a walk-on. After a redshirt year, he saw action in eight games in 2023 before an ankle injury sidelined him. He finished the campaign with 12 catches for 171 yards.
He decided to find a new program after that and entered the transfer portal. He reached out to Eddie Franca, who ran the flag football team to see if he had any contacts. Franca’s brother, Eric, played at Division III Union and was a senior the year before Jeff Behrman took over as head coach in 2016. Behrman became head coach at John Carroll in 2023.
“It’s crazy how it all happened. Over the years, Eddie would reach out to me about recruits from Belen Jesuit in Florida where he was an assistant coach. In December of 2023, Eddie called me about Ty Montgomery and sent me some film. I only had to watch one play to know we were interested in him,” Behrman said with a laugh. “He goes from playing catch with his brother in the backyard to realizing he might have something he could pursue. I give him a lot of credit for sticking to it. There’s no guarantee it’d work out for him. He made that connection over Facebook, went to Vegas and played in a flag football tournament. The next thing you know, he’s in a college football program.
“He came here with a not a lot of playing experience and football experience. To his credit and the coaching staff’s credit, he really improved. He wanted this really bad and he put everything he could into making sure he got prepared and ready. He kept learning as last year went. It’s so good when you see something like that work out for someone that’s a really good person. He is very respectful and humble. He is a really strong worker, too. We are proud of him,”
Montgomery arrived at John Carroll and immediately felt at home.
“I love it here,” he said. “I’ve been a few places. This is, by far, the most amazing one. I am really, really enjoying my short time here. I’ve been building great memories here. However it all happened, I am just beyond glad it did.”
Last fall, there was a lot of learning on the fly for Montgomery and the Blue Streaks, who welcomed quarterback Nick Semptimphelter via the transfer portal, too, from Bucknell.
“It definitely took a minute,” Semptimphelter said. “We got to know each other in the summer and threw the ball around for a bit. When it’s a quarterback to wide receiver, it’s tough to build chemistry right away. We had to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. As the season went along, we started to figure it out.”
Both players continued their upward trends throughout the season. Semptimphelter completed 76.1 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 38 touchdowns – all of those figures led the OAC, John Carroll’s former conference. This past week, Semptimphelter set the Division III single-game record for completion percentage, going 25-for-26 (96.2%) against Waynesburg.
“They have a really close relationship. I think that’s what is really, really important in order to have that chemistry,” Behrman said. “They have done a great job, put in a lot of extra work together and are always talking and communicating. Nick is like a coach on the field, which is awesome. He is an extension of myself and our offensive coordinator.”
Montgomery is thankful for Semptimphelter’s teaching and support in learning the team’s offense – and how to play the receiver position.
“I feel like anything that is good takes a bit to get going. He was very patient with me,” Montgomery said. “My coaches and Nick let me learn from my mistakes. I just tried to be a student of the game and soak in all the knowledge I could. It was a lot of film study and late nights just trying to be the best player I could be.”
The connection took off late in the season. Montgomery had a six-game span where he racked up 13 touchdown catches.
“There were times last year where I joked with him saying I forgot he had only played for couple years. Seeing his growth in the sport has been tremendously fun to watch. I enjoy seeing him understand the game more and more and get better,” Semptimphelter said. “He is an eager learner. He asks the right questions and is a tremendously hard worker. He’s done a great job.”
Montgomery’s comfort and confidence rise with each game.
“I would say I took a big step, football IQ-wise, heading into this year,” he said. “Sometimes I’d get the ball last year and things would be like one frantic movie. After repping things out and learning more, I can see the game at a calmer pace.”
His play helped the Blue Streaks reach the second round of the NCAA playoffs. However, they dropped a 42-7 decision to Mount Union.
“I am grateful and happy with seeing all my hard work pay off,” he said. “But, I went into this season hungry as ever. I want to be the best I can be for the team. I want to stay humble and grateful and help my team get some wins. I want my teammates to love me because I love my teammates. I want to win as a team.”
While John Carroll has an abundance of talent, opponents will be sure to know where No. 4 is on the field at all times.
“You have to get the ball to your playmakers. It’s a team sport, but he will get his opportunities throughout the year,” Behrman said. “We have a lot of other great players here and they will benefit from Ty. We have to evolve our offense and find ways to move guys like him around. That’s been part of his evolution. He can play inside and outside and do different things. He’s been doing great with that.”
Montgomery doesn’t feel any pressure with the added attention.
“You just have to trust the work you’ve been putting in, just keep your eye on the prize and stay together,” he said. “I started playing football because it was fun. I am just out there enjoying the game. I feel beyond blessed for what God has given me.
“I would say basketball is my first love,” he continued. “Me failing in basketball has helped me look at football in a different spotlight. I just love the game. This is what I love, honestly.”
This fall marks his final year of college football eligibility for the 6-1, 190-pound Montgomery, who has drawn interest from pro scouts. He began the campaign with six catches for 80 yards and added a 23-yard scoring run in a 48-14 win at Waynesburg.
“Really, I am just staying in the moment,” he said. “Last year, I was kind of always looking to the future. This year, I am just enjoying my time with my teammates and coaches. I just want to make the most of it and enjoy it.”
“Last year was a lot of fun playing with Ty. We did a lot of great things together. We’re both really excited to have another year to play together,” Semptimphelter said. “This is our last year of college football and we’re enjoying every day for what it is. We’re just trying to be where our feet are.”
