New Rebels get chance to shine on gridiron
ELY — Practices in this town have been a proving ground for determining the identity of the UNLV football team’s top newcomer.
Last year, it was wide receiver Phillip Payne catching fade passes in the end zone at Broadbent Park before doing the same in the regular season, notably helping to beat Arizona State and Iowa State.
In 2007, tailback Frank "The Tank" Summers bowled over UNLV defenders before later knocking down a slew of Utah players and gaining nearly 1,000 yards that season.
And in 2006, wide receiver Ryan Wolfe caught pass after pass in August and in the season wound up as Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year with a league freshman record of 911 yards.
Their successes weren’t short-lived, either. Wolfe now is the conference’s top receiver, Summers is with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Payne is having an outstanding training camp for the Rebels.
So it figures this camp will produce another player to match those types of accomplishments.
These are the top five candidates in order, with a tie for the top spot:
1-2. Alex De Giacomo, safety, junior, 6 feet 1 inch, 185 pounds.
The way he has been practicing, it seems like only a matter of time before coaches elevate him from second team to first. De Giacomo constantly is around the ball, showing his ability to read a play in Saturday’s scrimmage. Quarterback Omar Clayton scrambled and tried to throw a touchdown pass that De Giacomo zipped in front of to intercept.
"It’s always good to do that, especially in a critical situation in the red zone," De Giacomo said. "I read the back-side tight end come out. He was wide open, so I jumped and picked him up."
1-2. Mike Grant, cornerback, junior, 5-11, 185.
Coach Mike Sanford singled out Grant when the newcomers hit the practice field for the first time this preseason. Grant has continued to shine, taking and retaining a spot on the first-team defense even while the other cornerback spot has been less settled.
"He’s got a feel for the position," Sanford said. "He’s very competitive. He’s quick. He’s got good ball skills."
3. Warren Zeigler, cornerback, junior, 6-0, 170.
He spent the spring doing what UNLV cornerbacks rarely did last year — stick to receivers. This preseason, Zeigler has been overshadowed by Grant, but he has practiced well enough to run with the starting unit for much of camp.
"I feel good about the way things are going," Zeigler said. "I’ve got a lot of good corners that are playing all at the same time … and I just try to make the best of what I can get."
4. Bradley Randle, tailback, freshman, 5-8, 190.
A fair evaluation of Randle has been difficult because he has operated behind the second- and third-team offensive lines and had little room to maneuver. But Monday, Randle showed enough that Sanford called it his best day, and he has had other moments that remind everyone why he was highly recruited.
"If one of the third-string O-linemen get beat, I have to make something happen, and that’s what I’m used to doing," Randle said. "That’s what I like to do. That’s the type of runner I am — make something happen. I get the oohs and aahs of the crowd, and that’s what I do."
5. B.J. Bell, defensive end, junior, 6-2, 260.
Like Randle, Bell struggled early to adapt to a higher level of football. And like Randle, Bell is starting to show why opinions were high of him. Bell is contending for the No. 2 spot in the nickel defense alignment — which the Rebels probably will play the most this season — and is putting himself in position to go after the starting job, where he would be the rush end.
"I get to pass rush more, and I love pass rushing more than anything," Bell said, "because I can get around that corner, and I can get around the corner on anybody."
