Ochs transfer to Montana confirmed

MISSOULA, Mont., Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Craig Ochs, who decided last month to leave the football program at Colorado, will indeed transfer to Montana, but will redshirt this season.

At the time of his decision to relocate, he still was pondering whether or not to play again this fall after being sidelined again with the concussion he suffered on Sept. 7 against San Diego State.

It was his fourth known concussion overall and third in 13 months.

Because Montana is a 1-AA program, a level below Colorado, Ochs could have played again this season without sitting out a year, as transfers are required to do under NCAA guidelines.

According to a report Thursday in the Denver Post, Ochs had thought about transferring to the University of Washington to play for Coach Rick Neuheisel, who recruited him while at Boulder.

"Craig Ochs has told (Montana) Coach (Joe) Glenn that he plans to enroll here next semester," Montana Sports Information Director Dave Guffey told the paper.

"He called and verbally committed to the University of Montana," Glenn told The Missoulian. "His intent is to register immediately and enroll in classes in January."

Guffey said Glenn was instructed by his school's Compliance Officer not to comment further on the matter. Ochs will not sign a national letter of intent at Montana, since players are only allowed to sign one during their NCAA careers.

Ochs has petitioned the NCAA for a medical redshirt. If granted, he'll have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

This season at Colorado, Ochs, who started 16 games for the Buffaloes over the past two years, Ochs completed 21-of-42 passes for 327 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Ochs had a strained relationship with Barnett for quite awhile.

Reports indicate part of Ochs' unhappiness at Colorado was with the philosophy of Coach Gary Barnett. That might have been linked to his not being medically cleared to continue his football career this season after his latest injury.

The defending 1-AA national champion Grizzlies are 5-0, and have a 19-game winning streak, dating back to last year. Currently, they are the division's top-ranked team.

Montana plays at Weber State on Oct. 12.