Palmer High School senior to play football at Montana State-Northern

PALMER - As a son of a coach and player since the third grade, football has always been a big part of Steel Tubbs' life. And it will continue to be.

Tubbs, a Palmer High School senior, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football and at Montana State University- Northern. He will begin his freshman season with the Northern Lights in the fall.

When Tubbs, a second-team all-state linebacker in 2005, dove into the recruiting process there were schools at several different levels of the college football ladder on his list. The range stretched as far MSU-Northern, which competes in the NAIA's Frontier Conference, to a Boise State and Idaho, a pair of Division I schools. But when it came closer to making his decision, Tubbs thought about what his role might be on each one of these rosters. Ultimately he chose the path of the small school.

&#8220I can play the first year,” Tubbs said earlier this week. &#8220I don't want to sit the bench. I want to play right away.”

Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen, who has seen quite a few of his players make the transition from high school to college during his 15 leading the Moose, said the Frontier Conference is a league where Tubbs could flourish. Christiansen compared Tubbs to former Palmer standout Mike Weber. Now at Valley City State, a school that completes in a league that is comparable to the Frontier Conference, Weber found a place in the starting lineup as a sophomore.

&#8220School wise and football wise, this is a good opportunity for him,” said Christiansen, who could see as many as five of his seniors sign letters of intent during the offseason. &#8220Those schools in that part of the country come and recruit here pretty hard. They really liked him.”

On its list of recruits on the school's Web site, MSU-Northern lists the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Tubbs as both a fullback and a linebacker. Tubbs excelled at both positions during his time with the Moose, but ultimately may end up on the defensive side of the ball. Tubbs said he will go into the first practice prepared to play both positions, but feels he may be better suited for defense.

Christiansen sees Tubbs as a defensive guy at the college level.

&#8220He'll be a strong safety, outside linebacker type guy - what he did for us,” Christiansen said.

As a senior at PHS, Tubbs rushed for a team-high 706 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. On defense, he was among team leaders in tackles. Tubbs was a three-year starter for the Moose, and gained his first varsity action as a freshman.

There are several Palmer seniors who, like Tubbs, could find themselves on a college football roster next fall.