MISSOULA — As a member of a defensive unit that returned zero starters from 2024, sophomore cornerback Kyon Loud is a rare familiar face.
The Bay Area native played in 13 of Montana’s 14 games as a true freshman, earning 18 tackles (12 solo) and a pair of pass breakups. In his collegiate debut against Missouri State, he registered a solo tackle.
Loud picked up where he left off in the Grizzlies’ season opener, earning defensive player of the game honors from UM. He totaled five tackles (two solo), one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Perhaps his biggest highlight from the day came when he swatted up an end zone shot from Central Washington that landed in the hands of safety Kade Boyd.
The redshirt sophomore took the ball back to the 25-yard line, shifting the momentum and preventing a CWU score.
He continued his hot start to the 2025 season with a six-tackle performance in Montana’s comeback win over North Dakota. He also broke up two passes and registered one quarterback hurry.
Loud sat down with 406 MT Sports prior to Montana’s game against Indiana State Saturday in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: Now that you’re in “season mode” and most weeks have the same schedule, does anything start to slow down for you?
A: I would say it kind of speeds up, just because it’s more repetitive every day. The turnaround for the game is faster than fall camp. It was like three weeks before we played our first game, so it sped up a little bit.
Q: Do you enjoy that consistency, though?
A: Oh, yeah, definitely. I feel like practicing every day and, you know, going at it, it prepares us for the games, and it goes by so much faster because we’re so busy. We kind of lose track of time.
Q: The interception you helped force for Kade against Central Washington was one of the biggest highlights from the season opener, but I feel like people missed that you tried to get him to kneel down in the end zone at first. Was that going through your mind?
A: Yeah, actually it was. I see him catch it, he’s in the end zone, so I was like, ‘Go down,’ because if you come out, it’s a risk. He came out, and it surprised me. So I had to go off, go find someone to block, and then I end up tripping.
Q: That was the other part I noticed, you got tripped up behind the play.
A: Yeah, I got tripped up. But, you know, luckily, he got to like the 20-something, 25-(yard line) so it ended up working out.
Q: You entered a program last year that rarely sees true freshmen play as large of a role as you did in your freshman season. Was that something you expected coming to Montana?
A: Honestly, no. They told me when they first came to visit my house, because that’s what they do when you commit, they told me I’d redshirt. So I used that as motivation. Before I reported, I worked out a lot, you know, tried to get my mental right, my body right. I wanted to play. I came in and played as a true freshman, so it was just a blessing.
Q: What was the biggest lesson you learned in year one?
A: It’s all about confidence at the end of the day. If you go out there scared, you’re gonna play scared. Building confidence and acting like you know you’re that guy is very important.
Q: Who did you learn from the most in your freshman season?
A: Honestly, I got to say my coach, coach (Kim) McCloud. He supported me. As soon as I came in, first thing I did is I went straight to his office because I wanted to play. And then the two starting corners from last year, RJ (Ronald Jackson) and Trevin (Gradney), they played a very important role in getting me ready for a big freshman season.
Q: As a Bay Area native, who are your sports teams from the region?
A: I’m a Warriors fan. I’m a big Steph Curry fan. We’ve had a great basketball team, and then I am still a Raiders fan, even though they left the Bay.
Q: Is Steph your Bay Area sports G.O.A.T?
A: Yeah, most definitely.
Q: Does anyone else come close?
A: I’m a big Michael Crabtree fan too, even though I’m a Raiders fan. I used to play receiver in high school, so watching the Niners — and you know how good they were — Michael Crabtree was a very important role model.
Q: What do you miss most about the Bay?
A: I miss In-N-Out. I’m a big In-N-Out guy, that’s my favorite place to go. Out here, you know, it’s kind of non-existent. You got to pick and choose where you go. Then I’d say my family. I miss my family a lot every day, so I try to get through it every day. And then, just the water, the ocean, you just drive on the bridge and you see the beautiful bay. It’s just very different.
Q: On the flip side of that, what’s your favorite thing in Montana you wouldn’t get back home?
A: Honestly, the beautiful lakes. There’s a lot of beautiful lakes and rivers out here. You don’t get that in California, just because it’s so busy.
Q: What are you doing when you aren’t playing football?
A: I’m usually sleeping a lot. I like to sleep. I play the (video) game here and there, talk to my family, just hang out. I’ll go bowling sometimes with my teammates.
Q: Playing on a PS5?
A: Yeah.
Q: What’s your most frequent game?
A: NCAA. I’ll play (NBA) 2K here and there. I used to play Fortnite a lot. I’m off that. I’ve matured pretty much.
Q: When you’re playing NCAA and rebuilding a program, which one are you usually picking?
A: I’ll say Cal Berkeley. I’m from the Bay, they’re in Berkeley, not too far from my house. I try to make them top tier, you know, because they’re not good like that.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: I’m a big rap guy, like Lil Baby. I’m also a big R-N-B guy, just depends on my moods.
Q: Any Bay Area rap, E-40 or anything like that?
A: E-40, Too Short, all of ’em, man, I like all of ’em.
Q: You moved from wearing 14 to 5 this season, what went into that decision?
A: Honestly, I wanted 5 last year. But because I was a freshman, I didn’t want to come in and, you know, wearing a single digit. I wanted to work my way up. So this year I picked 5 because it’s a legacy number for my family. My dad wore 5 at Cal Poly, actually, and he played here. So I wore 5. Just represents a lot to me and my family.
Carson Cashion is a sports writer for 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @CarsonCashion or contact him at carson.cashion@406mtsports.com.
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