UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez gets defensive on recruiting trail

UNLV’s offense was ahead of its defense last season. So it’s no surprise the defensive side of the ball took a priority on the recruiting trail.

Rebels football coach Tony Sanchez announced that nine more players had signed on Wednesday’s traditional signing day. Seven are defensive players who will have an opportunity to make an immediate impression under new coordinator Tim Skipper.

“If we improve on that side of the ball, and I think Tim Skipper was the right guy coming in to add a whole new level of energy, I think if that unit plays better and our offense continues to grow, we have a chance to have a really good season,” Sanchez said during a news conference at UNLV.

The Rebels’ 22-player class — 13 signed during the new early signing day in December — was ranked fifth in the Mountain West, according to Rivals.com. Boise State was No. 1, followed by San Diego State, Colorado State and UNR.

The website adjusted its rankings late Wednesday and moved UNLV to No. 4, ahead of the Wolf Pack.

Sanchez still has three scholarships remaining, which he expects to be filled by players who are available or become available, such as graduate transfers.

He indicated there is a possibility of adding an experienced cornerback, a return specialist and an offensive lineman.

Sanchez hopes the defensive line was fortified in the recruiting process. He added five players to the group, including two high school players, two junior college players who will be juniors and a third who will be a sophomore.

All will be counted on to help a depleted unit.

“They need to be impactful,” Sanchez said. “We’ve got two returning guys on scholarship that are really good football players. You need a whole lot more than that, and we believe the three junior college guys can be very impactful right now, right away. There’s not a guy coming in that hasn’t played football at a very high level. If we’re going to have a good season and accomplish our goals, we’re going to have to be better up front.”

Of course, the Rebels had other issues, and Sanchez said he thinks his staff shored up the depth chart.

“I’m really excited about the group overall,” he said. “When you have 25 (scholarships) to give, it really gives you an opportunity to have the flexibility to address some specific needs with the junior college players, but also build for the future by bringing in the majority of the guys from high school.”

Sanchez signed 15 high school players and six junior college players along with Keenen King, an offensive lineman who transferred from Washington State and must sit out the 2018 season before playing as a sophomore in 2019.

The coach, entering his fourth season at UNLV, has improved his win total each year from three in 2015 to five in 2017.

He said he thinks this large class has finally helped bolster the roster numbers to the point that his recruiting philosophy might soon change.

“You’re going to start to get to a point where we can recruit in that ‘athlete’ category, which we really haven’t been able to do the last few years,” he said.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.