UNLV football looking good for recruits despite struggles

A football team with four straight two-win seasons would figure to be stuck near the bottom of its conference recruiting rankings.

But according to one prominent recruiting Web site, UNLV's 2008 class is fourth best in the nine-team Mountain West Conference heading into today's signing day.

Scout.com ranks Brigham Young first in the MWC, followed by Utah, Air Force and the Rebels, who have an 8-38 record the last four seasons.

Brandon Huffman of Scout.com said recruits find UNLV an attractive place despite its stagnant program.

"It's a name kids recognize," Huffman said. "Whether it's because of basketball or it's Vegas, it's a big city and far enough away, especially for the California kids. They play in the Mountain West Conference, a good conference, against good opponents, and a lot of kids are going for it. It's not in a wasteland area with nothing to do."

UNLV will announce its signings at a news conference today. NCAA rules prohibit Rebels coach Mike Sanford from commenting until the letters of intent arrive.

Huffman admits ranking a league such as the Mountain West is considerably different from the Southeastern or Big Ten conferences. MWC coaches often pursue athletes with potential rather than those who can make an immediate impact, ceding most of those to Bowl Championship Series schools.

But UNLV is going for potential and immediate impact. Huffman said the Rebels are picking up a possible impact tight end in Alex Young (6 feet 4 inches, 235 pounds), who played at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, Calif.

Middle linebacker David Blair (No. 16 nationally at his position) and guard Sean Tesoro (No. 58) are three-star players who could be thrown right into the lineup. Blair (6-2, 220) played at McClintock High in Tempe, Ariz., and Tesoro (6-2, 290) attended Baldwin High in Wailuku, Hawaii.

Another highly regarded prospect is defensive end Heivaha Mafi (6-2, 235) of Laney College in Oakland, Calif. He is the Rebels' lone junior college recruit, a midyear transfer the school did not announce as a signee in December.

They could find significant playing time next season as the Rebels look to replace departed starters and improve on a 2-10 season.

UNLV coaches will be manning the fax machine today to see if two players not listed as committed choose the Rebels. Defensive back Marlon Johnson (5-11, 173) of Inglewood (Calif.) High is down to UNLV, UNR and New Mexico. Another defensive back, Shiloah Te'o (5-11, 190) of Kahuku (Hawaii) High, could choose the Rebels, but appears headed to BYU.

Surprisingly, UNLV will retain only two of the seven grayshirts from last year's recruiting class -- linebacker Nate Carter (6-2, 215) of Las Vegas High and offensive lineman Yusef Rodgers (6-3, 270) of Crespi Carmelite High in Van Nuys, Calif. The others are no longer part of the program for various reasons, including quarterback O'Ryan Bradley (6-2, 180) of Las Vegas High.

Bradley would not comment on why he left other than to call it "a personal decision."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2914.