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Sports
Feb. 07, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Sanford pins hopes on prep recruits

UNLV football's 2008 recruiting class has just one juco transfer

By MARK ANDERSON
REVIEW-JOURNAL
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UNLV football coach Mike Sanford addresses the media Wednesday during a news conference to announce his 2008 recruiting class, which consisted of 21 high school players among the 22 signees.
Photo by John Gurzinski.

Many football coaches in Mike Sanford's situation might give in to the enormous temptation of going for the quick fix by signing a bunch of junior college players.

But history has taught Sanford, entering what is expected to be a make-or-break season at UNLV, that signing such players does not guarantee immediate success.

So Sanford, 6-29 in three seasons with the Rebels, recruited like a coach who had just signed a five-year contract extension. He announced a signing class Wednesday of 22 players that includes only one junior college transfer.

"I think there's a false reality about recruiting JC guys," Sanford said. "Everybody thinks they're more mature, they can play faster, but there's also a factor (that) there's a reason why they're in JC. And with recruiting JC players, you don't get to know them as well as you get to know high school players. You don't get to know about the intangibles and the character and all those kind of things, and that's something you are able to do with high school players."

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    • Sanford said the junior college player he signed, defensive end Heivaha Mafi (6 feet 2 inches, 235 pounds) of Laney College in Oakland, Calif., occurred because of a relationship with that school's coach. Jacob Wright, who coached current Rebels standout tailback Frank Summers, recommended Mafi.

    Because Mafi signed in December, he will go through spring practices and possibly become the replacement for Jeremy Geathers, who left early for the NFL Draft.

    Sanford, though, has been burned by other junior college transfers he hoped would become program-changing players.

    Defensive end Larry Dennis and defensive back Lamont Long, two top recruits from last year's class, never became academically eligible. Wide receiver Aaron Straiten, the headline signee of the 2006 class, failed to live up to his hype. And in Sanford's initial class, Jarrod Jackson was signed to be the starting quarterback, only to end his UNLV career as a safety.

    The Rebels' high school signees have had a bigger impact, with 10 freshmen or sophomores starting by the end of last season.

    UNLV's class included a school-record 95 percent prep recruits. Scout.com ranked it fourth in the nine-team Mountain West Conference.

    "I feel great about this class," Sanford said. "I really feel we recruited well."

    Sanford listed several reasons for a successful recruiting season, including current players selling the program to recruits, on-campus tours that showed a growing university, and the effort to show prospects and their families there is much more to Las Vegas than the Strip.

    Sanford said he also went after players who could get into games next season.

    He said he didn't know how many incoming freshmen would have a realistic opportunity to play, but acknowledged it was a selling point.

    "I would say that would be one of the factors," Sanford said. "We have an improved group of players coming back. Our freshmen and sophomores are now getting to be juniors. We're bringing in guys to compete to play."

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

     

    UNLV 2008 football recruits
    Jesse Backerman DE 6-3 230 Marana HS, Tucson, Ariz.
    David Blair LB 6-2 220 McClintock HS, Tempe, Ariz.
    Beau Brence DE 6-4 235 Plano (Texas) HS
    Gordy Cooper WR 6-5 215 San Jacinto (Calif.) HS
    C.J. Cox RB 5-11 190 North Garland HS, Garland, Texas
    Jason Heath OL 6-4 265 Del Oro HS, Penryn, Calif.
    Michael Johnson ATH 5-8 170 Rodriguez HS, Suisun, Calif.
    Chris Jones QB 6-3 190 Shadow Ridge HS, Las Vegas
    Daniel Kaanana OL 6-5 270 Kamehameha HS, Pearl City, Hawaii
    Jason Koontz OL 6-2 295 Santiago HS, Corona, Calif.
    Litani Moimoi DT 6-3 270 Menlo-Atherton HS, Menlo Park, Calif.
    Beau Orth S 6-1 200 Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas
    Phillip Payne WR 6-3 185 Western HS, Las Vegas
    Robert Rowe ATH 6-2 195 Marana HS, Tucson, Ariz.
    Bennielee Shelby DL 6-3 260 Greenville (Texas) HS
    Gerome Surrell WR 5-11 200 St. Mary's HS, Lathrop, Calif.
    Sean Tesoro OL 6-2 290 Baldwin HS, Kahului, Hawaii
    Imari Thompson RB 5-9 195 Cedar Hill HS, DeSoto, Texas
    Travis Trickey RB 6-3 225 Round Valley HS, Springerville, Ariz.
    Shane Watterson OL 6-5 280 Saugus (Calif.) HS
    Alex Young TE 6-4 235 Central Catholic HS, Hughson, Calif.
    Heivaha Mafi DE 6-2 235 Laney College, Oakland, Calif.
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    mr truth wrote on February 11, 2008 10:21 PM: Sanford has lost all the respect of his players..ask any current players about their feelings for Sanford. But has he done anything himself to be respected?!..nope! Its supposed to be one of the greatest times of an athletes life, but lots of players beg to differ.


    Terrence wrote on February 07, 2008 04:01 PM: Coach Sanford, You need to give a great kid and player like currant Freshman Austin Harrington who won an award on the practice squad this year a Full Ride before we lose him. He has worked hard on the field and in school. Please find a way to make it happen. He really loves the Rebels and UNLV.


    Robert N wrote on February 07, 2008 01:51 PM: I can think of a ton of Vegas kids that have gone to major DI's. A couple of them that I know Stanford never even picked up the phone and called them. In one case the kid would have stayed home if asked. Instead he was a grayshirt at Oklahoma.


    ol66 wrote on February 07, 2008 11:53 AM: National recruiters have called Las Vegas one of the top high school football talent pools in the west. I don't live in Las Vegas and don't follow LV sports on a consistent basis but off hand, I can think of a few Las Vegas kids having an impact at the D-I level: DeMarco Murry (sp?) at Oklahoma, the wide receiver at San Diego State and that really good DE at Oregon State who blocked the pass that beat USC in 2006. Also, doesn't Oklahoma also have a really good LB from Las Vegas? I can't understand why both of the state's universities don't get more kids out of Las Vegas. I can only asume that Sanford has a poor relationship with a lot of high school coaches in Las Vegas.


    Monster.com wrote on February 07, 2008 08:25 AM: "Sanford said the junior college player he signed, defensive end Heivaha Mafi of Laney College in occurred because of a relationship with that school's coach."

    Somebody is looking for a new job already.

    You go Sanford. Go now if you like.


    OUT WITH YOU wrote on February 07, 2008 08:18 AM: WOW!!! Praise to be god sounds an awful lot like sufferin' succotash, what a coincidence? You remind me of Terrell Owens, a cancer, trying to spread your moronic take on UNLV's program. WAIT! WAIT! I'VE GOT IT! Let's put you in charge Sufferin' and when you fail you can blame everyone around you for your downfall, then we can fire another A.D. and coaching staff and start all over again. How ironic you've named yourself Praise to be God on this blog when you're the advocate of SATAN!


    Nick wrote on February 07, 2008 08:17 AM: "Sanford said the junior college player he signed, defensive end Heivaha Mafi of Laney College in occurred because of a relationship with that school's coach."

    Wow. That must be some sort of medical record.


    David Ramsay wrote on February 07, 2008 07:35 AM: What a joke of a program UNLV has become just look at the group of players that signed with Coach Sandford this year. With almost no home grown talent the Rebels will once again be terrible. Look around the MWC and you will see the teams that do well keep the local talent at home. We have good to great talent in Las Vegas and Nevada each year and every year that talent goes elsewwhere. Until the rebels staff and all future coaches learn that to win they need the local kids the program will continue to be terrible.


    Praise Be To God wrote on February 07, 2008 04:10 AM: Sanford will be gone by December 1, 2008. Praise be to god.

    Sanford should have been removed in November 2007 but that fool Mike Hamrick has no clue how to raise money or when to fire a coach. Now UNLV is stuck with a loser for another year.

    Hamrick, Sanford, Gouldsmith and Regina Miller should all be removed during the 2008 calender year!

    Kruger will be gone by 2010.

    Praise be to god.