Monday night's FCS national championship game will interest many Texas High School football fans, not only because the game is located at Toyota Stadium in Frisco but also because the North Dakota State and Montana State rosters feature 19 former Texas high school football players combined.

Before someone jumps to any conclusions about the transfer portal, 16 of the 19 players signed with the Bison and Bobcats out of high school. Montana State coach Brent Vigen prioritized recruiting the state of Texas when he took control of the program before the 2021 season.

“When I got this job, it was clear to me that we needed to increase our efforts down there in recruiting,” Vigen said. “One of the big things for me and our staff has been those Texas guys love the game of football,” Vigen said. “In most cases, they get a chance to be in high school programs where their football team’s success is paramount. They come up here and really gravitate towards what we have here in Bozeman.”

Vigen’s focus on Texas is noticeable, with 15 former Texas high school football players on the roster. Senior safety Rylan Ortt leads the Bobcats' defensive backfield. However, the remainder of the backfield played high school in Texas. Senior Simeon Woodard (San Antonio Veterans Memorial) and sophomore Andrew Powdrell (The Woodlands College Park) are starting at cornerback. Junior safety Dru Polidore (Katy Tompkins) rounds out the secondary at free safety.

Woodard and Powdrell have routinely locked down wide receivers this season. Woodard leads the Bobcats with eight pass breakups this season, while Powdrell is second with seven. Polidore missed the first six games this year after suffering an injury during the spring. Still, the Air Force transfer is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two.

Other Montana State players on the team’s two-deep roster include senior starting punter and kickoff specialist Brendan Hall (Springtown/SMU), redshirt freshman Tayden Gray (Trinity Leadership Academy) at nickel back, and sophomore backup receiver Jacob Trimble (Fort Worth Christian). Of the 15 former Texas high school players on the roster, 11 are underclassmen.

For North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek, the program’s history of success since the championship game moved to Frisco helped spur the Bison to recruit Texas high school players. Monday’s game will be the 15th played in Frisco since 2010. The Bison are making their 11th appearance and seeking their 10th national title during that period.

“Going all the way back to 2011, as our brand continued to grow nationally, we felt like starting in Frisco, in the Frisco area, (and) Dallas was very important for us (to gain) recognizability and get in there and start to cultivate some back and forth knowledge,” Polasek said. “Us gaining knowledge on high school football in Texas (and) them gaining knowledge on how we operate and how we run our football program was critical.”

Wide receiver Braylon Henderson (Plano East) has started 10 games this season and is listed as a starting wide receiver for the national championship game. The senior is third on the team with 323 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 28 receptions. Junior wide receiver Chris Harris (El Paso El Dorado) is listed as a backup on the two-deep roster but is second on the team with 392 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions. Junior Ryan Jones (Frisco Reedy) will likely see time at safety.

Three of the four former Texas high school players on NDSU’s roster are from Frisco and Plano, which Polasek said is not an accident.

“The whole country would love to take advantage of the great high school football played in Texas,” Polasek said. “Right now, we focus primarily on Frisco, and then we kind of work our way from there. We try to keep it pretty tight so that our reputation is known. We want to be known in those areas, and we want to know the area very well. We’ve been fortunate to come across some really good players.”

NDSU's and MSU's focus on recruiting Texas ensures plenty of eyes in Texas will tune to ESPN at 6 p.m. Monday, hoping their favorite former high school player captures a ring.