UNLV-committed QB Barnhill to visit Rebels’ campus

Quarterback Taylor Barnhill has already committed to UNLV. Now he gets to visit.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound Barnhill, a Rivals.com three-star prospect from Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, is one of four high school players visiting this weekend.

The others are linebackers Kyle Anderson (6-2, 230) of Silverado and Perry Cooper (6-3, 220) of The Woodlands (Texas) and offensive lineman Tyler Gaston (6-3, 250) of Rancho. All three are Rivals two-star recruits.

Cornerback Tajh Hasson (6-1, 180) committed to the Rebels, according to Rivals. He is a two-star prospect from Cathedral High in Los Angeles. An attempt to reach Hasson was unsuccessful.

Barnhill said Mountain West Conference champion Texas Christian offered him a chance to walk on, but he chose the Rebels for the scholarship. He previously visited Miami of Ohio, establishing a relationship with wide receivers coach Cedric Cormier, who now has the same position at UNLV.

Barnhill said he was concerned about where he might land after Northwest went 0-10 and he passed for 1,027 yards and seven touchdowns.

“It was really frustrating because I knew going into the season I had a lot of interest from schools and colleges and you could tell it was fading as the season went on,” Barnhill said. “If you’re not putting up the wins, then they stop looking at you.”

But Barnhill said he was confident in his ability because of his work in camps, where Rivals also noticed and gave him the favorable rating. Barnhill said at Mississippi’s camp last summer he outperformed some top quarterbacks, including Zach Lee, who has committed to Louisiana State.

“We took it to the center of the field, and I threw the ball better than all of them,” Barnhill said.

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