UNLV football puts Las Vegas ‘stamp’ on 22-recruit class

Barry Odom made several promises when he sat down at his introductory press conference Dec. 7, 2022. Two of the UNLV football coach’s vows stood out among the rest.

His first pledge was to compete for conference championships. The Rebels made their first appearance in the Mountain West championship game in Odom’s first year as coach.

Odom’s second oath was to recruit locally, building a program that represented the city of Las Vegas and took advantage of its position as one of the biggest football recruiting hotbeds on the West Coast.

“What we want in this program is to get back to the Mountain West championship game and win it,” Odom said. “This group will help us do that.”

Odom took a step toward fulfilling his second promise Wednesday, as UNLV received national letters of intent from 22 high school prospects to open the early signing period. Seven of the players who pledged to join Odom and the Rebels are from the Las Vegas Valley.

Linebacker Charles Correa joins from Bishop Gorman. Tight end Jae Beasley, linebacker Kahekili Pa’ao’ao and edge rusher Andre Porter played at Liberty. Defensive back Jaylen Allen and running back Greg Burrell arrive from Desert Pines, while kicker Caden Chittenden played at Faith Lutheran.

It’s the most local prospects signed by UNLV since 2009, when Mike Sanford signed eight Las Vegas recruits.

“We’re just getting started with what we think is going to be a long-standing opportunity for the city of Vegas,” Odom said. “For the kids that grow up here that want to be part of our program, this group of seven guys will put a stamp on that.”

UNLV has the second-best recruiting class in the Mountain West according to the 247Sports composite rating, slightly behind Colorado State. The Rebels’ class ranks 69th nationally, sixth-highest among Group of Five schools.

Odom’s local focus is the culmination of more than a year of building relationships with local high school programs and coaches. Some coaches said Marcus Arroyo, Odom’s predecessor, didn’t emphasize recruiting Las Vegas, so Odom made sure to reach out early and often.

The UNLV coach said two-way trust is only created with time and effort. Odom has an open-door policy with local coaches, and said he encourages them to come watch their kids continue to develop and grow at the college level.

Odom added his coaching staff will always spend the first day of open recruiting periods at local high schools. Having starting quarterback and 2023 Mountain West freshman of the year Jayden Maiava, a former Liberty standout and Las Vegas native, as a spokesperson for the program has also validated Odom’s claims that anything a local prospect might want to achieve in college football can be done at UNLV.

Local football camps at UNLV have also helped the Rebels recruit Las Vegas better. All seven of their local prospects previously attended a camp session last summer, Odom said. He specifically mentioned Porter as a player who launched himself onto UNLV’s recruitment board because of his performance at a camp during the summer.

“Amazingly enough, there’s still a number of kids in the city that have never been on this campus,” Odom said. “I think it’s my responsibility as a head football coach to help our enrollment numbers, to sell the brand of UNLV, not only to Vegas but across our state.

“This can be — and is — a special place.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.