Matt Wells came to the University of Montana from Ashland, Oregon as an undersized, deceptively quick wide receiver who spent his prep days catching passes from fellow future Griz Bert Wilberger. When Wells arrived at Montana, he found himself sharing a dorm room with another Griz quarterback: Dave Dickenson.

Entering the 1995 season, the narrative inside the Griz program leaned heavily on how UM would replace Shalon Baker and Scott Guernsey, the two most productive receivers in school history. The 5-foot-7, 160-pound Wells used his ability to shred opponents on screen passes, on the perimeter and over the middle to help the Griz wide receivers erase any doubt. Wells had more than 1,000 yards receiving and caught 10 touchdowns in his senior year in 1995, playing a pivotal role as Montana rolled to the first national title in school history. Wells finished his career with 248 catches, 3,342 yards and 23 receiving touchdowns, all three the most in program history at the time.