#unlvfb

[reb4life777]

This is not intended to put the team ,coaches nor players down-

They have an amazing vision and want to brand the team and strive to be a consistent bowl team. They got off to a late start and have only so many spots, less then 25% of the roster make-up , to start to put their mark on the team. This class is a decent class and a start but no where near what they themselves want nor need to get to where they want to go. Ranked near 100 out of 137 teams just wont get much done, specially when the last three classes have been in the 120s. I am excited for what is yet to come and where I think they will eventually get to but honestly this isn't anything to get too excited over yet. I do love the direction the are obviously going in type of player as it will lead to a different style of play. If the mentioned 30-35 m facility gets underway I do believe they can get above the Mendoza line and be top 70 class next year and than the following year it will pay huge dividends, We shall see how staff develop the young and mesh them with the existing and in the end it is wait and see mode.

PS I think the staff is doing an excellent job marketing and getting attention. I think it will continue and expect something different if/when D Davis gets drafted. They seem to know how to maximize their exposure,

 

[New Era Rebel]

More about laying the foundation. Putting processes in place. Putting together what they did in such little time was impressive to me. Prior regime had quit recruiting for some time it appears, so to put together a class that wasn't ranked 130 something at a school with a very poor track record of success, was very tough.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I think these are realistic goals/expectations for this team and this staff..

This season. 4-5 wins. Tough schedule especially early on. I still think the 4-5 wins is possible though. Last season the Northern Illinois game, the New Mexico game and Hawaii game were all games the Rebels could have won, and they should have won the Hawaii game. Even if you only give the Rebels two of those games you get four wins last year. What I would like to see is fewer games that get completely out of hand or turn into blowouts.

Season 2 4-6 wins. Again pretty tough schedule. A second recruiting class of the same caliber or even a little better should be enough to get the Rebels to that mark.

Season 3 6+ wins bowl birth. I do not think that is an unreasonable expectation especially if the booster money that doesn't exist becomes more visible by way of an indoor practice facility and overall improvements to current facilities are made. Those are all big selling points with recruits. If the Rebels get to bowl eligibility by year three I think we may finally see UNLV become respectable in football for years to come.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

(Replying to reb4life777 "Ranked near 100 out of 137 teams just wont get much done.... .... I do believe they can get above the Mendoza line and be top 70
class next year and than the following year")


Top 70? Do you realize that this year the highest ranked non-P5 conference school was 57th and only 6 non-P5 schools made the top 70? That "middle tier" is usually schools like BYU, Boise St, and directional Florida teams. There were no P5 conference schools below 72nd.

It is more realistic (or fair) to compare UNLV to non-P5. UNLV '15 class figures to be about 31st out of 62 non-P5 conference schools - middle of the pack. Not bad, since many of us here feel that it is underrated.

Of course, how high the classes are ranked doesn't truly reflect the quality of the players - it reflects the amount of interest they draw. Since the more interest (offers) players draw tends to sway them toward P5 conferences, the reality is we need to get a "top 80" class that has a significant number of below-the-radar players that can contribute.

 

[reb4life777]

I agree it is high, maybe 80 is a good range depending the year. They are wanting to make a move to the p5, you have to become relevant . They dont want to settle for the norm they want to be a Boise, TCU, BYU, As I said I am not knocking it.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

There are a lot of things pointing to a move to a power 5 conference and we have a lot to offer as well. Medical school is in the works, there has obviously been some influx of booster money in an attempt to help the football program. Basketball despite an up and down year is solid, baseball is on the rise, a number of our other sports are attractive. Not to mention a pretty good sized TV market. The one thing that hurts has been the struggles of the football program. I think if Sanchez and company can get football to where 6-6 is looked at as being a little disappointing rather than a high water mark, a move to either the Pac-12 or Big-12 will happen.

 

[rebelx]

After seeing that most of the starters in the lineups at the superbowl were 3-star recruits and below, I really don't think we know what type of class this is until they suit up and play...it's as simple as that. Obviously college is different than the NFL, but I still think you can find players that aren't "ranked" that can play with the others.

 

[New Era Rebel]

Haucks player development was an improvement on Sanford's, but I believe you will see even greater physical development now. Extended training table and more structured workouts which have expectations of participation etc should elevate current and new players alike.

 

[LVRebel2000]

It's amazing to me that the football team doesn't/didn't have a structured workout program. Our baseball team used to have very structured workouts, including tracking how much weight you were doing for how many reps, so you could track your progress each month and year. And that was 15-20 years ago, so you'd think it would have only improved since then.

 

[willlevi]

Losing Sydney Hodge, Kenny Penny and Tahj Hasson is huge at corner. That's four years plus of starts at the position. Myles is not a 4* or 5*, he is a small corner that fits as a nickel guy in a conference returning a great group of tall young pass catchers.
You also have a defensive line that returns just 2.5 sacks with no depth along with the worst run defense in college football.
Baer is an experienced coach but Colorado still had one of the worst defensive units in college football last season with Pac 10/Big 10 talent. If he can improve the defense then that would be great but it is more likely to take a step back as this team is deficient of pass rushers and has no depth at defensive tackle.

Offensively, the Blake Decker and Devonte Boyd combination can be a beast but Timm Rosenbach is gone.
The focus of the new staff will be to establish the run where the team averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Keith Whitely hasn't shown himself capable of being a primary back. Xzavier Campbell and Lexington Thomas (22.86 200m) are the new additions to the backfield but neither were able to establish themselves as high volume backs on the high school level.
Cotton is an old school and has been traditionally an I-formation guy as a run game coordinator at Nebraska and OC for Iowa State. In that offense, you live and die by establishing the line of scrimmage and its unlikely he will develop into a high octane spread type of coach as an older guy. At Iowa State they never developed an efficient offense but they are a Big 10 team.
As for quarterback development, Ron O'Dell did a great job with Anu Solomon. Tate Martell was a polished guy when he arrived to play but the program struggled getting Randall Cunningham and Danny Hong to play up to their physical talent as passer so the jury is out as to how that will translate to the college game. Decker has the potential to be very good.

At Gorman, Sanchez had a roster of better talent among his starters than what he will take to the field with at UNLV. They played a high school schedule but college football is more like an all-star game. Everybody is big, physical and fast with the best high school football players now meshed into 85 man rosters.
With a tough schedule, new offense, a coaching staff that has never worked together, a generally young former high school coach and a defense that may have even more growing pains with heavy losses at corner; you shouldn't expect a better season than last year.
Even the Idaho State team isn't a push over. They have a 1500-yard back and one of the top pass catchers in the FCS coming off an 8 win season.
Anything is possible but this is a team in transition and a good season will be three wins but it wouldn't be crazy if the team goes win less. This is a building process.


This post was edited on 2/5 12:10 PM by willlevi

 

[reb4life777]

Myles along with Mctyer and add Mouton and White the dbs will be better than last year

They have added depth and speed to the d line

Baers defensive stats were scewed because of the pac 12 amazing depth on offense

Dont need one back to do it all, think this will be an area of improvement the line will be much better as well to run behind along with the scheme.

By retaining the wide receiver coach and adding a QB specific coach along with other positions I think development will be vastly improved.

you say 0-3 wins i say 2-4 wins how about I take over 2.5 and we make it interesting

 

[RunninSince88]

I don't see how losing a core group that made up one of the worst pass defenses is a bad thing. I look at it as addiction by subtraction. Experience is valuable but you had Hodge coming back from injury and was never the same, a converted safety in Hasson who was a hit one year and a bust the next, and really no one from that group who I deem irreplaceable. I think Peni Vea returning is a good thing and hopefully this staff can sure up Keys technique in coverage. Better secondary play will improve the rush and vice versa but they can't both stink at the same time.

 

[RebelBuzz]

"Addiction by subtraction" ... that's deep.

This is a tough one, because while the incoming players look solid and seem to have good speed, you certainly can't teach a year of Division 1 football experience. As far as RIGHT NOW results go, I'd almost always take a below average returning player over a high-potential true freshman.

Gonna be an interesting/exciting season, that's for sure.

 

[willlevi]

NG Brandon Willis 6'2 300 (4-Star UCLA transfer), DT Asten Koki 6'3 275, DE Siuea Vaesau 6'4 250, DE Josh Shirley (4-Star Washington transfer) and DE Jordan Sparkman 6'5 270 graduated taking 10.5 of the team's 13 sacks by linemen with them.

Replacements DT Salanoa-Ala Wily 6'0 265-290 (2-star) primarily a high school running back/defensive end, DE Gabe McCoy 6'1 190-210 (2-star) red-shirt candidate and DT Melvin Johnson 6'4 250 (2-star) red-shirt candidate

At cornerback this team lost a ton of starts with Kenny Penny (5'11 175) (33 career pbu), Tahj Hasson (6'1 195) (22 career pbu) and Sidney Hodge (5'8 180) (23 career pbu) all graduating.

Replacements Darious Mouton 5'10 170 (2-Star) high school wide receiver, Jay'Onn Myles 5'8 175 (3-star) 10 total pass breakups JC and Jericho Flowers 5'10 155-170 (2-star) red-shirt candidate

Experience alone makes it a huge loss on both sides and the corners got a little smaller defensively. The defensive line incoming versus out going is a lot weaker at least going in to this season.

 

[rebelbuck]

Coming back at on the D-Line- All of these guys are at varying stages of experience but most listed have at least Special teams expereince. Sizes are off the fall roster so most these guys will probably look a little different as the new Strength/Conditioning Coach gets through with them.

Soph Antonio Zepeda 6'6" 265, Junior Charles Howard 6'5 325 , Soph Jacobie Russell 6'5 240, Soph Michael Hughes 6'4 310 , Junior Dominic Baldwin 6'5 240 , Junior Tui Malaota 6'3 270, Senior Tuli Fakauho 6'1 300 , Senior Sonny Sonitoa 6'3 260 , Junior Jeremia Valaoga 6'6 260 ,Senior Najee Johnson 6'4 220 , RS FR Joseph Salazar 6'6 210

The Secondary Returns lots of experience and JD Williams Recruited most of the older guys when he was still on staff so he will have a lot of familiarity with them

Fred Wilson CB , Peni Vea SAF , Brandon Baker CB , Blake Richmond SAF , Kenny Keys SAF , will all be seniors. .

Torry McTyer CB , Troy Hawthorne SAF , Johnavaughn Williams SAF/DB will be Juniors in the Secondary.

Guys who will be looking to get into the rotation- Tim Hough CB , Dominique Fenstermacher CB JT Nettleton ATH, Chazz Eldridge CB . All will be RS Freshman or Gray shirts.


I Think we are a bit thin up front but there is some talent/experience to work with. The secondary has some good young talent that will be given every opportunity to succeed. Safety is a very Veteran group, CB is young but the spring will start to show how guys have progressed.




This post was edited on 2/5 2:20 PM by rebelbuck

 

[reb4life777]

They lost a lot of experience at losing and being the worst defense in the nation. Not something hard to replace. Should be no problem to eclipse 13 d line sacks

 

[New Era Rebel]

I know due to someone's personal feelings toward Sanchez/Gorman there is a belief/hope of failure. I think people want to see some progress but also realize the schedule is difficult and it could be a tough yr overall. I won't be discouraged. I watched "Mr Secret" keep everything from media and the public, out of fear of his pears, but the collateral damage was to sap every bit of energy and fan interest out of the program. While others had big public NSD events using social media, which kids today are focusing on for everything, he put up the iron curtain, and kept fans from knowing much about who might be coming to UNLV. Kids want it to be special and to be recognized beyond the brief bland presser. I agree with others who say that even if he doesn't work out, the financial investment and improvements still lay a better foundation. Doing the same thing as before would finally kill the program.

 

[RebelsDen]

This ^^^

 

[rebelx]

This why people don't like your propaganda FYI there are 10 underclass men Dl's returning I dont think the guys you listed have to burden the load. Same in the secondary, your bias is so ridiculous it ruins any objectivity people have towards your rants. Also I haven't heard you congratulating the staff for having 7 offers out to Vegas kids for 2016 already.
Dude I get it I grew up in Vegas Gorman has always got the best local athletes but your job is to be objective stop with the half information slants it's not fair to the people that don't know you only use partial info.

 

[willlevi]

Most of the DL depth are player that have been converted but largely ineffective. It's the reason Hughes had to burn his redshirt last season. Most are just bodies but aren't guys that will bring high level play
At defensive end, the Johnson and Baldwin are the clear cut top guys but generally aren't guys that play behind the line of scrimmage.
The worst part is that after you get past the top four, there seems to be a big drop off.

At corner there is more potential than production though McTyer should be the top guy in the unit with the only significant playing experience. Wilson is also a a good candidate. Fenstenmacher and Hough will also compete in the spring after redshirting.

That said, that high probability of a poor pass rush and a poor run defense will make any defensive backfield struggle.
Hughes and Sanitoa will need to play big.

Remember, being objective is also accepting the shortcomings

 

[rebelx]

I understand that you seem to be a little biased against anything UNLV imagine if you highlighted the shortcomings of the Vegas kids you are always hocking in your objective analysis the same way you did everything UNLV. Hmmmmm objective should be a constant wether analyzing UNLV or A high school player.

 

[New Era Rebel]

Assessing based on a bias or personal vendetta isn't being objective. Hurts the persons credibility.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Will has a lot of knowledge about the local kids and does post some informative stuff.

What sucks is he hurts his own agenda and his credibility by doing things like this..

In one thread he bashes the school for not taking local players and mentions how great he thinks Al Lake would be. I asked could he play defensive back mainly corner. Will says sure he was a real play maker. Al Lake is about 5'9 175 lbs.

In another thread he says Jay'Onn Myles at 5'8 175 lbs is just way to small to ever be anything more than a slot corner and will not be able to stand up to some of the taller more talented receivers in the Mountain West.

We get it. You do not like Sanchez. We get it..You have built relationships with kids in Las Vegas and want to see them do well. But when you completely contradict yourself and show your bias, you lose all credibility.

He complained about Sanchez not recruiting Las Vegas this year. Hammered that point in nearly every thread. Or he brought up a Las Vegas player who he thought was so better than the kid they brought in from California, or Texas or wherever else. Yet when Sanchez is quoted as saying he already has 7 offers out for next year to local recruits not a peep.

 

[rebelx]

Also you need to know years ago will had a brother that was a pretty good player that UNLV never even looked at and he ended up playing for San Diego State I think he only played a couple of seasons and failed out or quit, but he's been grinding that Axe for over 10 years now. That was my point Will only uses the information relevant to what he's after his objectivity is far from consistent which really taints his evaluative credibility.


So add that to the Gorman thing and you now have a better picture of why Will does what he does which is really too bad because I am positive that Las Vegas has overlooked recruits just like everywhere does, but UNLV needs much more then a few hundred family and friends of marginal HS players from LV to fill the stands they need excitement and a brand to attract players from the West and Las Vegas.




I love what we are seeing from Sanchez thus far. I love the upgrade in speed TCU has made a huge national impact going for speed. Even the thread above about Phillipi moving to FB shows that Sanchez gets it, if you watched any UNLV Games last year you saw the lack of speed that really hurt the defense.

This post was edited on 2/6 4:42 AM by rebelx

This post was edited on 2/6 6:44 AM by rebelx

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Ok so basically he does in fact have an agenda.

 

[rebelx]

Yes he does

 

[Moscurry91]

I said this exact thing in another thread, but to Will's credit, he does not engage. I do appreciate a contrarian view from time to time, so his posts are, at the very worst, relevant.

 

[reb4life777]

I think the biggest part will be them getting new improved technique and being developed over spring and fall ball. The scheme will lend itself to better opportunities to make plays and by mid season they should gel and be a cohesive unit. just having the extra specialized coaching, improved training table and academic help will lend to being better prepared. (yes, academic help leaves them more time for football and is a huge plus)

As i said in the original post im not complaining but I dont think this is near where they need to be. So I do agree this isnt a class to fix it. It is however a foundation and a plan moving towards speed , grit and kids that win at state level. I dont expect an over night turnaround specially when starting late. i commend them for what they did accomplish and just hope this is the beginning and not pinnicle so to speak. I will also agree losing experience is huge and it will take time for them to replace that. so hauck got that group to win 2 games. and they lose most of their experience lets see if coach can match with less or improve

 

[willlevi]

16 years ago I had a brother that choose between San Diego State and Oregon State for college. There was no bad choice and he never failed out or quit college. That said, it's not my place to discuss his life and I won't get into a tit for tat.

I never boast or pump people just for the sake. I have had 11 family members that have gone on since that time to have successful college athletic careers. One is a current two year starter at DT for USD, one is Air Force 1000 yard back, one is currently starting for SUU, one played as a freshman last year for SOU national title team and a senior tennis star at Temple. That said, no one would ever know that and I have never pumped them here or anywhere due to being family.

Overall, I voiced my opinion of the UNLV recruiting class. This is my opinion of a few things and why:

When you see Myles, you will find he is closer to 5'7 which is very short. I feel he could have been had as a walk on. I see a corner that is effective versus poorly thrown balls but isn't a leaper which can make him a liability versus larger FBS styled pass catchers. He is flashy and has good energy with a tendency to make plays on his highlight film but LA Pierce was a 3-7 team giving up 42 points per game

With Xzavier Campbell and Lexington Thomas, you have two backs that never separated themselves on the high school level.
Campbell is big but went for just 777-yards. They had a three man show with the quarterback and other back actually producing similar numbers. He seems more like a fullback than a tail or I-back
Thomas rushed for just 689-yards as a senior in his top year. He has good speed running a 22.86 in the 200m but the production isn't there to lock him in for 5 years. He seems more walk-on or junior college watch than FBS ready.

Salanoa-Alo Wily and Soli Afalava.
In Wily, he is an agile player but at 6'0 with shorter arms, he is a nose guard prospect that hasn't played nose guard. He is a physical bully against smaller player but he will be a smaller player in college. You also never see him take on double teams which is the staple of playing on the interior and he has the heart of a running back more than a true lineman. With him talking of being possibly homesick already, you toss out an offer to his friend to secure his services though the friend you actually don't have a specific position for.

I like McCoy at linebacker but I don't feel he will develop into an end. If he was 185 last spring, I have a hard time seeing him being effective beyond 215. He also has to learn to play in space and comes from a team that was full time pressure based loading up on sacks but he will have to develop fundamentals to play off the line.
He does play for the last team Tony Sanchez lost to at California HS before he left for Bishop Gorman after finishing 7-5 which is a little side note.

The early JC guys had some flaws that I mentioned before. Flowers and Woods were also kids that were a bit of a reach IMO but the remaining class I like. I just don't think they grabbed many kids that should play right now.

As for the local thing, if this program wanted to be in play for top locals in the future they had to do a noticeable job with this first class.
IMO, Sanchez needed at least 4-5 players to build the type of PR to be in play for the top guys before he is locked in as the UNLV coach rather than Bishop Gorman coach. There were big time athletes on the board that will be major standout in college. A few will be either signing late with programs or taking the junior college route first but to land just two linemen and no Gael players looks pretty bad going into the future.

I also don't feel the team has a capable go-to caliber running back on the team to allow the program to be competitive next season out of the I formation. Cotton isn't a pass first style coordinator and if the team is forced to go in that direction it will struggle but it will also struggle trying to run without a legit threat at running back.
The defense isn't going to turn into an elite defense overnight and a bunch of three and outs can make things ugly quick. We will see how it all plays out but this isn't some sour grapes talking.
If you aren't wearing rose colored glasses, I think what I'm saying is pretty obvious.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

"With Xzavier Campbell and Lexington Thomas, you have two backs that never separated themselves on the high school level.
Campbell
is big but went for just 777-yards. They had a three man show with the
quarterback and other back actually producing similar numbers. He seems
more like a fullback than a tail or I-back"

He also rushed for 16 TDs. He ran for 1000 yards as a junior. You have no insight as to why there was a drop in production. Thomas played in an offense where the QB ran far more often than he threw (he has a highlight film on hudl as well) those carries bit into his production. Also do not compare Texas football with Las Vegas high school football. There are different levels whether you want to believe that or not.

If Myles is so limited why did he have offers from power 5 schools..

Wily will most likely bounce between defensive end and defensive tackle. I can see a scenario if we go to a 3 man front he plays defensive end. In a four man front he plays defensive tackle and attacks gaps rather than try and hold up and occupy blockers that will be Michael Hughes job.. Pretty bold statement for you to say what type of heart he has. Sanchez already said, he can see Afalava playing either linebacker or safety so they do have something in mind for him. (Afalava also had an offer from Hawaii.)

Woods was a Cedric Cormier guy and based on that guys track record I will say not a reach at all. Did not run a particularly good time in the 40 but is a big receiver at 6'0 210 lbs.

You did watch Nebraska the last few years correct. Grant Cotton was not the offensive coordinator but he was in charge of the run game and if I am not mistaken Nebraska like Oregon and Auburn and just about every other team in the country played mostly out of a spread. You make it sound like Cotton is going to try and bring back the days of the wishbone or Tom Osbourne and Tommy Frazier. I also think Cotton being around football long enough knows that his strength right now is his wide receiving corp. Decker showed flashes last season of being a capable QB if he cleans a few things up. I would be willing to bet the offense is going to run our of the Pistol or spread just like everybody else.

No rose colored glasses here. I see the reality of it. This is probably a 3-4 win team this year at best. But I think the needle is pointing up for football based on this staff, their ability to recruit and the booster money we see trickling up. All of which I view as far more important to the health of the program and its success or failure than whether or not they recruited 3 local kids or 10 local kids. The number of kids don't matter, the quality of the kids does. If Nela had stayed Sanchez and company would have brought in three of the top 10 local recruits. Pretty good if you ask me.

 

[reb4life777]

I think Campbell has what it takes to become a go to guy. I think his yardage and carries were limited due to system not his capability

Polu is going to be an anchor on the line in time probably by his second year

McCoy was not 185 as listed he was already 195 at that point and those were old numbers being used. He is currently 212ish and should be around 225 come football season. he is however not needed to start but with that speed and his tenacity I can see him come in special packages to blitz or cover

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I have a feeling McCoy might get a red shirt this year. It really all depends on what the staff wants to do with him. If they want him to strictly be a defensive end, then I think he red shirts and they try and get him up around 230 or so. If they envision some sort of hybrid spot or moving him to outside linebacker I think he has a shot to play this year. By hybrid I mean down and distance will determine if he plays with his hand in the dirt or in a stand up position.

Polu has the size to start although offensive lineman typically get a red shirt year. I actually like Neale as much as Polu. Kreitler was brought in as a stop gap for the next year or two until Neale is ready to take over the job. (no knock intended on Kreitler. Just that Juco guys only have two years and wee needed a center with some experience.) I actually think Kreitler will be solid and brings a real nasty streak with him.

 

[rebelx]

You were very critical of UNLV during your brothers recruitment. There are no Rose colored glasses here my friend just don't have an agenda in evaluations or comparisons. Let's just leave it at that.

 

[RebelBuzz]

If I find the time, I will go through and collect all of Will's takes on this recruiting class and file them away for a while. Same thing with his takes on the Vegas recruits UNLV didn't recruit/sign. Collect them. Stash them away.

We'll have to look at these things 2, even 3 years down the line to see if Will is right or not.

But when there is supposedly a better local player for EVERY recruit Sanchez brings in, it seems to point that there it a heavy-handed agenda at play.

And listen, I've lived in Vegas my whole life, played HS football myself, and have family members currently playing high school football in town. If UNLV could bring in 15 guys a year from Vegas that could produce at a high level, that would be great. We'd love it.

But there are several reasons why this has not happened and will not happen until UNLV sees drastic improvement in the W/L column, facilities, uniforms, coverage, fan support, etc.

1- The best local players, for now, will never consider UNLV. If Oklahoma, USC, UCLA, or Notre Dame are knocking, you'd be crazy to stay home and play for a traditional loser.

2- Many of the next best players want to get away from home and/or don't want to play for a loser. Or they don't want to play for the local team where even Vegas lifers scoff at the team/stadium/players, never show up to games, and say this is only a basketball school

So when you aren't gonna get the TOP guys (yet), and you're not even going to get many of the next-level guys, you're not going to be left with a whole lot of Division 1 talent. That's why you take what you get from Vegas, you go to Texas, Cali, etc. where the talent pool is inarguably deeper, and you take some chances on possible diamond-in-the-rough guys.

All of that, and that's not even getting into the complexities of regional recruiting, keeping connections with HS coaches, etc.

This post was edited on 2/6 4:51 PM by RebelBuzz