Grebe Recognized As Campbell Trophy Finalist

Thanks to Brody Grebe, a lot more people know about Melstone, Montana, now compared to five years ago.

The Montana State University lineman’s hometown is called out by commentators nearly every time Grebe is involved in a play. “The Melstone Cowboy,” they call him. Grebe fits the moniker, donning a signature black cowboy hat en route to each Bobcat football game.

Melstone, about an hour and a half northeast of Billings, has a population of fewer than 150 people. The Grebe family has ranched outside of town for three generations, and Brody, who played football, basketball and baseball in addition to running track in his youth, grew up a Bobcat fan along with younger brother Bryce, who is now a Bobcat linebacker.

A defensive force on the field, Brody received an academic honor last week that only five other Bobcats ever have, becoming one of 16 national finalists for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy, colloquially known as the Academic Heisman. The award recognizes the highest- performing scholar athletes in NCAA football who blend community involvement, academic excellence and athletic performance. He traveled to Las Vegas last week for the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner, where he was recognized alongside his fellow finalists, including Jalen Milroe, the quarterback at the University of Alabama who ultimately received the Campbell Trophy.

“It was an amazing trip,” Grebe said. “Meeting them very elite players, elite in the classroom and in the community - to be able to spend some time with them, talk to them, was a pretty fun experience.”

As a Campbell finalist, Grebe received an $18,000 scholarship for post-graduate education. Since his graduation in May, he has been taking classes toward a second degree in community health and is also considering graduate studies in business or engineering.

Part of Grebe’s academic distinction came through the capstone project required of all seniors in MSU’s engineering college. After discussing with his father ways to make the family ranch more efficient, Grebe decided to pursue research and design to create a system for growing algae that could serve as both a source of sustainable biofuel and high-protein feed for cattle. He said the opportunity to explore innovative research projects was a large part of what drew him to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

“I got into a renewable energies class, and we talked about biofuel, wind and solar,” Grebe said. “I had read a bunch of articles where people were doing different open pond research, studying algae to see how efficiently they can get it to grow. But you can’t have open ponds in Montana with the weather, so that’s where I came up with the idea that I need to make something where I can grow algae all year round.”

To address that problem, Grebe tested the concept of vertical canisters, where algae mixed with a slurry of water and nutrients can grow very quickly. When that growth tapers off, the algae can be harvested and the canisters refilled, allowing for cyclical growth in what Grebe called a “carbon-negative” process.

The lipids, or fats, from the algae can then be used as biofuels, and the residual high-protein products from the growth process used as additional feed for cattle.

“Not unlike football, the senior capstone project is a team effort. In both cases, successful teams are those where teammates all contribute, pull their weight, fill in gaps when they arise, and carry through to completion.” said Craig Shankwitz, a research engineer in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering who advised Grebe on his project. “Through his capstone project, Brody has demonstrated that he is the consummate teammate off the field as well. Typical of Brody, he didn’t stop once class was over. His system ran all summer so he could document system yield and reliability. Regardless of the professional path he chooses, he has proven that he will be extremely successful.”

Being nominated for the Campbell Trophy also recognizes student-athletes’ involvement in their communities. Along with his fellow Bobcats, Grebe has spent time reading with students at local elementary schools, worked blood drives with the American Red Cross and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

In acknowledgment of Grebe’s deep love for his home state and his commitment to excellence, he was selected to wear the No. 41 jersey for the 2024-25 Bobcat football team. In recognition of Montana’s status as the 41st state in the U.S. and in memory of the 1941 class of Bobcats, which lost 13 athletes in World War II, the number is bestowed each year on an athlete from Montana who demonstrates onand off-field excellence, leadership and hard work. That show of confidence from his coaches isn’t something he takes for granted.

“It’s special because of how much this state and this program have given me,” he said. “Being a Montana kid, growing up admiring this program, admiring the players that came before me, I came in looking up to the No. 41s that were amazing football players but also amazing in the classroom, amazing in the community.”

Grebe arrived in Bozeman in 2020 and will finish his collegiate football career at the end of this season.