MISSOULA — Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe is leaving the Bobcats for a position in the NFL, MTN Sports has learned.
Howe, who has been with MSU since 2021, is set to coach the outside linebackers and edge defenders with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sources said. The Steelers recently hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach.
An Oregon native, Howe played defensive end and linebacker at the College of the Redwoods in California before finishing his playing career at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. He got his coaching start with the Battlin' Bears in 2004.
He bounced around college football with stops at North Carolina State, Memphis, Tennessee, USC, Humboldt State, Dixie State, Coastal Carolina and again at USC before landing in Bozeman. Howe was the Bobcats' defensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2021-24, the co-defensive coordinator in 2024 and the solo DC in 2025.
As the co-DC in 2024, he helped Montana State to a school-record 15 wins and berth in the FCS national championship game. The Bobcats ranked 11th in FCS scoring defense (18.1 points per game), 24th in FCS rushing defense (121.2 yards per game) and first in the Big Sky Conference in sacks (2.1 per game).
In 2025, Montana State ranked 15th in the FCS in scoring defense (19 points per game) and 20th in total defense (328.8 yards per game) on its way to winning the FCS national championship. The Bobcats tied for third in the country with 27 takeaways.
During his MSU tenure, Howe coached All-Americans Paul Brott, Kenneth Eiden IV, Brody Grebe, Daniel Hardy and Chase Benson.
Montana State previously lost defensive assistant coaches Trenton Greene and Kiante Goudeau this offseason. Greene, who coached cornerbacks, left to become the defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona, and Goudeau, who was an assistant defensive backs coach, joined the staff at Portland State.
Jordan Lee was hired to succeed Greene as MSU's cornerbacks coach.
Wide receives coach Sam Mix also left in the offseason. He was replaced by James Price.
