Montana State safety Caden Dowler is the 2025 Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year, the league announced Wednesday .

"It's pretty cool," Dowler said Wednesday. "It just means that everyone else around me has been doing their job, from coaches to the D-line to the linebackers making life easy for me so I could fly around out there. Really grateful for everyone."

The Billings West graduate is the second consecutive Bobcat to win the award and the third in five seasons. Defensive end Brody Grebe (a Melstone native) earned the honor last year, and linebacker Troy Andersen (a Dillon native) received it in 2021.

MSU linebackers coach Jody Owens, who coached safeties last year, told Dowler, "Welcome to the club," after Wednesday's practice. Owens was the 2012 Big Sky defensive MVP

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