Rebels coaches find ‘backers

Displeased with the secondary and pass rush, UNLV's coaching staff signed five junior college players in December and February to provide immediate help in those areas.

The situation was strikingly different at linebacker, where coaches chose to continue developing the existing players.

The Rebels' linebackers have justified that faith in them this spring.

Sophomore Nate Carter wore the black jersey Monday as the standout defensive player from the previous practice. He beat out two fellow linebackers for the honor: senior Jason Beauchamp and junior Ronnie Paulo.

UNLV might field one of the better linebacking units in the Mountain West Conference.

"That will be proven in the season, but I think they have a chance to be," coach Mike Sanford said. "I want to reserve judgment on that until the season. I want them to know we have an extremely high standard and they haven't done anything yet."

The return of junior Starr Fuimaono in August should help the linebacking corps meet its coaches' expectations.

Fuimaono can only watch spring practices after suffering a major injury to his left knee in the second game of last season. But he said he isn't worried about falling behind.

"I know the plays," Fuimaono said. "Besides the plays, I still know everything."

The Rebels need Fuimaono on the strong side because they run much of their defense through him.

The other starting linebackers are Beauchamp on the weak side and Paulo in the middle.

Beauchamp's 127 tackles led the conference last season, and Paulo was second on the team with 90 tackles.

Paulo said the experience gained by UNLV's linebackers was crucial.

"It definitely helps the learning curve," he said. "We're out here playing fast because we already know what we're doing."

The Rebels also have depth at linebacker, most notably with Carter on the weak side and sophomore Beau Orth on the strong side. Orth is listed at No. 1 this spring, but that doesn't take into account Fuimaono.

Redshirt freshman David Blair also could play his way into significant minutes. Scout.com rated him the nation's No. 16 middle linebacker in last year's class.

"At all three linebacker positions ... we're three-deep," Blair said. "Any one of us could be a starter."

The linebackers have a new position coach: Jed Stugart, who was 26-7 in three seasons as head coach at MidAmerica Nazarene, an NAIA school in Olathe, Kan. Defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell, who coached the linebackers last season, now oversees the safeties.

Still learning the personnel, Stugart is happy to walk into a situation with so much talent and experience rather than a major rebuilding job.

"It's a great problem to have," Stugart said. "Basically, don't mess things up."

• NOTES -- UNLV tight end Luke Plante hopes the NCAA will grant him an extra year of eligibility after he missed nearly an entire season of junior college ball. Sanford is encouraged after the NCAA let Plante practice but called the chances of the petition being approved "barely above 50 percent." A ruling is expected in about a month. ... Preston Brooks has moved from backing up fellow junior Isaako Aaitui at one defensive end spot to No. 1 on the other side, ahead of sophomore Matt Kravetz.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. For UNLV football practice updates, go to lvrj.com/blogs/unlv_sports.