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Shay Smithwick-Hann is off to play quarterback at the University of Montana. He will sign his letter of intent on Feb. 3. Derek Crittenden, a running back and linebacker from Whitefish, will join him.

I have enjoyed watching Smithwick-Hann mature as a quarterback over the last three years. As the only quarterback in Glacier High School history, he holds a variety of school records, a few of which I don't think will be broken anytime soon. His career numbers after his three years as starting quarterback for Glacier are: 451-for-861 passing for 5,584 yards and 37 passing touchdowns. He holds multiple single-game and single-season records as well, including most rush yards in 2009. He finished the 2009 regular season with 724 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns.

Smithwick-Hann, at 6-4 and 215 pounds, has a good body for a college quarterback. He will join a slew of other quarterbacks competing for playing time down the road, including highly prized recruit Jordan Johnson out of Oregon. The Grizzlies seem to make sense for Smithwick-Hann, since he has a family history at the school. According to the Missoulian, his father, Jim Hann, played for UM in the early 1970s and his great-grandfather Burly Miller was the dean of students. Miller is the namesake of Miller Hall dormitory.

I'm disappointed that I'll no longer get to watch him here in Kalispell, but I look forward to watching his career at UM. Good luck to him. And here's a little YouTube clip to show what he can do at quarterback.

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