Quarterback race continues entering UNLV’s Spring Showcase

The Spring Showcase has arrived, but UNLV hasn’t stopped the quarterback race.

Rebels coach Tony Sanchez had hopes of making a confident decision in March on his starting quarterback entering fall camp.

The calendar has turned, and Sanchez isn’t ready to name a winner, giving the three quarterbacks another opportunity to prove why they should lead the Rebels in 2017.

Armani Rogers, Johnny Stanton and Kurt Palandech will split snaps under center during Saturday’s Spring Showcase at Peter Johann Soccer Field on the UNLV campus. The scrimmage, which is free to the public, starts at noon.

“We’re in no rush,” Sanchez said about naming a starter. “When we get done, we’ll sit down as a staff, watch film, talk together, and as soon as it’s appropriate, we’ll go ahead and make that decision.”

The competition is still going on, but there’s a quarterback depth chart. Rogers is expected to play with the first team, with Stanton leading the second unit.

Rogers, a 6-foot-5-inch redshirt freshman, received the bulk of the first-team snaps during the 14 spring workouts. It’s evident he has the tools to be the star quarterback the Rebels have longed for, with his athleticism and arm strength, but his lack of experience hasn’t allowed him to separate from the pack.

“Armani has had more reps at the one,” Sanchez said. “We’ve kept that consistent, it doesn’t mean he’s the anointed starter. There hasn’t been a ton of mystery of what’s going on. We just haven’t named a starting quarterback yet.

“We are grooming (Rogers) to eventually be the starter one day. That’s the idea.”

Stanton, a senior, has worked at a faster pace than Rogers and displayed a strong connection with the wide receivers, especially Brandon Presley.

Sanchez is pleased with Stanton’s improvement from a year ago and isn’t ready to rule out Palandech.

“For the first time, and we gotta stay healthy, we got three guys who have done some really good things,” Sanchez said. “Kurt maybe the lesser of the three when it comes to the natural passing game, but he runs the ball so well, makes the right checks, gives us a chance.

“Johnny has a heck of an arm, but just has to be more consistent in some of those reads. Sometimes he puts those balls in jeopardy. That’s kind of been the things he has struggled with at times, but he’s done some really good things.”

The quarterback competition will get the bulk of the focus Saturday. But Sanchez is more concerned with keeping his players healthy.

After an injury-riddled 2016 season, the Rebels didn’t come out of the spring fully healthy. UNLV lost its new starting center, Sid Acosta, who is scheduled to have knee surgery next week. Sanchez remains optimistic Acosta could return in the fall.

“Spring game is great,” Sanchez said. “You got fans out there, and you loved to see some explosive plays on the offense. You’d love to see the defense have an exciting play or two. But the biggest thing is. … you want to come out healthy.”

The Rebels will start out with two goal-line situations from the 8-yard line, then play two 25-minute halves. The 2017 recruiting class will be introduced to the fans during a five-minute halftime break. Gates open at 11 a.m.

UNLV ATHLETICS APPAREL SALE

The popular biennial UNLV apparel sale returns Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the North Gym inside the Paul McDermott Physical Education complex on campus.

The event will feature official men’s and women’s team apparel, including game uniforms, jerseys, warmups, coaching shirts and athletic shoes, as well as other memorabilia for sale. Prices range from $1 to $50.

Follow all of our UNLV football coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Rebels and @RJRebels on Twitter.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.