UNLV backs, including Las Vegas freshman, held to high standard

By Callie Lawson-Freeman Las Vegas Review-Journal

3 months ago

UNLV running back Greg Burrell (5) is driven out of bounds by defensive back Saadite Green Jr. (23) during football practice at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Henderson. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

UNLV running back Greg Burrell (5) runs up the field during football practice at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Henderson. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams (6) hands the ball off to running back Jai’Den Thomas (9) during the first day of football practice at the Fertitta Football Complex field on Friday, Aug 2, 2024, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

UNLV running back Jai’Den Thomas (9) runs up the field during football practice at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Henderson. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

UNLV running backs coach Cornell Ford didn’t sugarcoat his impressions of his group’s performance after Wednesday’s practice.

“Today, we dropped too many balls,” Ford said. “You got to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield. That’s huge against good defenses.”

Ford said his running backs should view themselves as the “heartbeat of the team,” which means they need to be consistent. If Ford has enough running backs that match that description, he said he’ll utilize as many as six this season.

Returning sophomore Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas and locally developed freshman Greg Burrell are likely to be part of that rotation.

Burrell, who graduated from Desert Pines in December, turned down offers from Brigham Young, Utah, Colorado State and Fresno State to commit to the Rebels.

He enrolled at UNLV in January, participated in spring practice and already has a big goal in mind: beating Thomas’ records.

Thomas holds the top spot for a freshman in UNLV’s books with four rushing touchdowns in a game. He also holds the school record for freshman rushing scores in a season with 12, which was more than any freshman in college football last year.

Thomas and Burrell are like siblings — which means plenty of jokes, especially from the younger of the two.

“I’m chasing him for sure,” Burrell said Wednesday. “That’s one thing we’ve talked about. I’m coming for him. I’m on his neck.”

Offseason work

When the pair addressed reporters following practice Wednesday, Burrell made sure to sneak in as many wisecracks as he could.

He called Thomas his “little big brother,” one of frequent quips referencing his 6-foot, 225-pound build compared to Thomas’ 5-9 stature.

It was a fun example of Ford’s critique that Burrell still “acts like a high school kid” sometimes.

“He’s such a young pup, but he has a hunger to get out on the field,” Ford said. “We feel like we got a great one there, but he’s got to continue to grow in maturity. We just got to try to bring him along and understand that he’s a young guy, but we expect a lot of great things (to happen) this year.”

Ford added that Burrell is tough, athletic with the ball in his hands and a strong blocker, but he needs to get stronger and faster — a task Thomas faced this offseason.

Thomas worked with the quarterbacks to become an every-down back and followed up with focused work in the weight room. He is listed at 180 pounds, but said Wednesday that he gained nearly 10 pounds in the offseason, extra weight that he feels will help him be more “durable” this year.

Burrell did the same, working with UNLV strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish to prepare for the next level.

“It was very important to me,” Burrell said. “I know I’m going to play right away, because that’s my goal, and I felt like my body wasn’t where I needed to be. So I felt the need to come in early, get with (Fish), and I felt like I did exactly what I needed to do.”

Backfield depth

UNLV ended last season with a program-record 39 rushing touchdowns. Ford said the team is “bringing more to the table” this year in preparation for opponents targeting the run game.

The Rebels have plenty of options outside of Burrell and Thomas in senior Kylin James, junior North Carolina State transfer Michael Allen, redshirt freshman Darrien “DJ” Jones and top freshman recruit Devin Green. Ford said UNLV also will use wideout Jacob DeJesus as a ball carrier.

Ford called Jones as a “nice surprise” for the Rebels who played well in the team’s first scrimmage Aug. 10. Ford said he wants to see him stack those performances.

“I’m anxious to see how he plays for us and what his role becomes in our offense this season,” Ford said.

Green, who chose UNLV out of Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California, despite offers from the likes of California, Oregon State and Washington State, is still finding his footing.

“He struggled a little bit early in camp on the physical inside, which is typical of most high school kids. It’s a big jump from high school to college and college to the pros,” Ford said. “And so he’s still figuring that out.”

Ford said that Green had his best two practices over the past two days, a trend that could work in his favor as the team holds its second scrimmage Saturday in preparation for its opener at Houston on Aug. 31.

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.