Sanford gives incoming class passing marks

Calling it the best of his five UNLV recruiting classes, coach Mike Sanford officially unveiled his 22 newest players Wednesday.

"I believe that the foundation has been laid for our football program, and I felt like we had to fit in pieces to improve our program to take the next step," Sanford said. "That's what this recruiting class is all about."

UNLV is coming off a 5-7 season, its best since 2003.

The major scouting services agreed with Sanford's assessment of signing day, with Rivals.com and Scout.com each ranking the Rebels' recruiting class fourth in the Mountain West Conference behind those of football powers Brigham Young, Texas Christian and Utah.

More important than impressing the recruiting services, Sanford and his staff filled their needs.

He laid out six priorities, in order: improving the secondary and team speed, signing a top pass-rushing defensive end, quarterback and running back and adding depth to the offensive line.

To address the secondary, UNLV added four junior college defensive backs, including three who signed early.

Sanford also landed several fast skill players as well as speedy linebacker Reggie Umuolo (5 feet 10 inches, 205 pounds) of Centennial High in Peoria, Ariz.

B.J. Bell (6-3, 250) of Santa Ana (Calif.) College is the rush end. The younger brother of former UNLV linebackers Zach and Beau Bell was ranked by Rivals as the nation's No. 45 junior college player, and he had 241/2 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, last season.

"He's a difference maker as a pass rusher," Sanford said.

Caleb Herring (6-4, 175) of Citrus Hill High in Perris, Calif., is ranked by Rivals as the No. 34 pro-style quarterback and by Scout as the No. 64 overall QB. UNLV's first commitment of this class, Herring turned down a late pitch by Oregon.

"That's one of the things we've talked about in the past is character," Sanford said. "That's a great example of it -- giving somebody your word. We've been in the process of recruiting guys with character, guys that you can trust."

Bradley Randle (5-8, 195) of Vista Murrieta (Calif.) High is rated by Rivals and Scout as the No. 50 running back.

"He is a Barry Sanders type of back," Sanford said. "I'm not going to say he's as good as Barry Sanders, but he is very fast, very elusive, makes people miss."

Sanford added depth to the offensive line by signing four players. Doug Zismann (6-3, 285) of Shadow Mountain High in Phoenix is ranked the No. 18 center by Rivals and No. 29 by Scout. Thomas Kilgore (6-4, 310) of San Joaquin Memorial High in Fresno, Calif., chose the Rebels over UNR, San Diego State and Bowling Green.

Beyond meeting needs with quality recruits, Sanford also picked up linebacker Jordan Barrett (6-3, 225) of Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Scout rated Barrett as the nation's No. 12 strong-side linebacker, and Rivals listed him as the No. 47 inside linebacker.

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