UNLV hopes to sway recruits

UNLV’s pressing desire to beat UNR in Saturday’s football game is about more than winning state bragging rights.

It’s about winning over more hearts and minds after the Rebels beat out the Wolf Pack for four of five recruits this year.

“That’s a big thing to us,” UNLV coach Mike Sanford said.

The gut reaction — based on UNR’s 31-3 rout last season, its second consecutive victory over UNLV — is to say the rivalry game has little effect on recruiting.

But Sanford said last year’s situation was different and that recruits looked past the one-sided loss and saw greater potential at UNLV.

UNR won’t concede it came out far behind the Rebels in the battle for recruits who were considering both schools.

Wolf Pack recruiting coordinator Jim Mastro did not return messages Wednesday.

In a Reno Gazette-Journal story shortly after signing day, though, Mastro strongly denied that UNLV beat UNR for four players. He acknowledged only two — offensive tackle Matt Murphy and defensive back Will Chandler — were players the Wolf Pack coveted.

Mastro called a Review-Journal article with a different set of numbers “a bunch of lies.”

But, in addition to Murphy and Chandler, quarterback O’Ryan Bradley and linebacker Nate Carter, both out of Las Vegas High School, said in February they considered UNR before deciding to stay home.

At his signing-day news conference, Sanford said the Rebels beat UNR on “four out of five guys.”

Perhaps there is truth to both sides of the story. Maybe UNR recruited the two Las Vegas High players but backed off when it saw they weren’t going.

Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault loves to claim recruiting victories in Southern Nevada, so UNR probably would have found room for Bradley and Carter had it signed them. They are grayshirting and will enroll full time at UNLV in January.

The Wolf Pack’s one head-to-head recruiting victory was for offensive lineman Jeff Meads, who is expected to redshirt. Meads was not available for comment because Ault would not allow his players to speak to out-of-town media this week.

Murphy already is making an impact, having broken into the starting lineup last week. Murphy said he sensed a mood at UNLV he did not experience on his recruiting trip to UNR.

“When I came here, there was a lot more excitement,” Murphy said. “It was really a better trip than when I went to UNR. UNR was kind of dull.”

Chandler, who probably will redshirt, said he had a similar feeling.

“It felt more like home here,” Chandler said. “I felt like I was welcome to the family before I even decided on where I was going to visit.”

Recruiting season is still early for next year’s class, and Ault downplayed the impact this weekend’s result will have on prospects’ decisions.

“Recruiting is selling, and there are a lot of guys who are good salesmen,” Ault said. “This game gives you bragging rights in the state … but in terms of recruiting, in this day and age, the people we’re recruiting against in the Pac-10 and such, it opens doors, but I don’t know if it gives you an advantage.”

Ault already has a recruiting victory for a player out of Las Vegas. Desert Pines High running back Michael Ball committed to UNR, though he said he will take trips to San Diego State and Colorado.

Ball did not consider the Rebels because he said his parents weren’t happy with UNLV’s late entrance into the recruiting process.

Ball said a Wolf Pack loss Saturday wouldn’t cause him to change his mind.

Maybe the winner won’t gain a significant recruiting advantage, but coaches for both sides would much rather take a rivalry-game victory into the living rooms of the athletes they visit.

* NOTES — The game is expected to sell out by Friday. … Because the game will not be televised, local fans can pay to watch on UNR’s Web site.