RECRUITING: Las Vegas’ Henderson picks UNR over Rebels

Las Vegas High quarterback Hasaan Henderson was pleasantly surprised on his recruiting trip to UNLV last month, but not enough to be swayed to stay home.

Henderson committed to upstate rival UNR on Monday, saying he wanted to leave town and that he preferred the Wolf Pack’s football and academic programs. Henderson, though, called the decision  “really tough.”

“I saw a lot that I didn’t know about (UNLV), and it made it a lot tougher,” he said.

Henderson (6 feet 4 inches, 210 pounds) is a Rivals.com three-star prospect. He completed 64 percent of his passes last season for 1,459 yards and 18 touchdowns, with five interceptions. Henderson also rushed for 642 yards and seven touchdowns.

“He’s physically gifted, multitalented,” Las Vegas High coach James Thurman said. “He’s competitive. Hopefully, he could be the next (Colin) Kaepernick if it all works out.”

Kaepernick, now with the San Francisco 49ers, was a dual-threat quarterback who frequently tormented UNLV and also led UNR to a 13-1 record in 2010.

Though Henderson acknowledged UNR’s program is ahead of the Rebels, he said UNLV is a “program on the rise.”

“He was impressed with UNLV,” Thurman said. “But he wanted to see a different climate and environment.”