AWARDS
2024 Second Team All-CUSA Special Teams
2024 (Senior): Put together one of the greatest single seasons by a place kicker in NM State program history... Montaño concluded the year 18-of-23 on field goal attempts and a perfect 22-of-22 on extra point attempts... With 18 makes, Montaño finished first in the conference in made field goals while his success rate of 78.3% ranked second among CUSA kickers. Montaño also ranked first in field goals per game (1.5) while ranking seventh in the conference in scoring (6.3 points per game) and fourth in the conference in scoring among kickers... Montaño also etched himself into both the NM State and Conference USA record books when he connected on a 59-yard field goal during the Aggies' season finale versus UTEP. The kick against the Miners marked the longest ever in program history while going down as the third-longest in Conference USA history... Earlier in the year, Montaño also split the uprights from 57 yards out to tie the previous program record in a game versus FIU. Against the Panthers, he also hit a 53-yarder which led to the Salinas, Calif., native earning CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Nov. 4. In total, Montaño finished the season with five kicks of 50-plus yards this season to lead all CUSA kickers this season. He was also impressively accurate from short range as he finished a perfect 8-for-8 inside 40 yards.
2023 (Junior at Fresno State)
Did not participate ... member of the Fresno State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
2022 (Redshirt Sophomore at Fresno State)
Appeared in 12 games, sitting out two to injury … was Fresno State’s primary kicker in the first five games of the season, handling kickoffs, field goals and PAT attempts … was 34-of-35 in PAT attempts … was 12-of-19 in field goal attempts … had 25 kickoffs for 1,567 yards with 11 touchbacks … averaged 62.8 yards per kickoff ... became the first Bulldog kicker since 2017 to make four field goals in a game as he kicked four (six attempts) against Oregon State (Sept. 10) … six field goal attempts tied the program record (held by Jimmy Camacho in 2017) … had a career-long 43-yard field goal against the Beavers ... MW scholar athlete ... Fall Academic All-MW.
2021 (Sophomore at Fresno State)
Appeared in four games … stepped in as the primary kicker in three games early this season … played at then-No. 11 Oregon (Sept. 4), versus Cal Poly (Sept. 11), at then-No. 13 UCLA, and against Boise State (Nov. 6) … was 5-of-5 in his field goal attempts on the year … had a career-long 39-yard field goal twice … remained perfect with a 14-of-14 PAT mark … totaled 29 points kicking … on kickoffs, had 24 kickoffs for 1,412 yards … averaged 58.8 yards per kickoff … had five touchbacks … retained a redshirt season.
2019-2020 (Freshman at Hartnell College)
(2020) No football in the fall. (2019) Went 6-of-11 kicking field goals and 32-of-33 on PATs in 10 games played … longest field goal made was 50 yards … punted 22 times for an average of 25.6 yards … two punts were placed inside the 20-yard line while seven were fair caught ... was the team's special teams player of the year ... completed two semesters with a 4.0 GPA en route to earning his associate's degree in communication.
HIGH SCHOOL: Former Alisal High School all-league soccer player … CIF champion on the soccer field - earning the first title in school history ... All-Star soccer game selection ... was the soccer team's player of the year as a senior.
PERSONAL: From Salinas, California ... son of Jose Alfredo and Aida Montano ... has three siblings - Aylin, Enrique and Vanessa ... enjoys playing soccer as a hobby because it was his first sport, and he played it for 15 years ... also recruited by San Jose State ... chose to attend Fresno State because they showed interest and pursued him. He says it reminds him of his hometown. He also has friends here and it is the alma mater of his oldest sister ... majoring in mass communication and journalism.
