UNLV has picked up a verbal commitment from wide receiver Sean Linton (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) of Helix High in La Mesa, Calif.
To read more about Sean check out the story on RebelNation.Net.

http://rebelnation.reviewjournal.com/wr-sean-linton-verbally-commits-to-unlv

UNLV got some good news on Tuesday regarding the injury status of starting quarterback Omar Clayton.

Turns out Clayton, who was complaining of a sore right (throwing) shoulder after UNLV’s 30-27 loss at Wyoming on Saturday, didn’t need to undergo an MRI after all. Instead, a second set of X-rays revealed no damage to the shoulder and Clayton is expected to resume practice on Wednesday.

“I thought it was an MRI but it was a different kind of X-ray,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said after practice Tuesday night. “It was completely negative.”

Sanford said he is “even more optimistic today than I was (Monday)” that Clayton will be able to play in Saturday afternoon’s Fremont Cannon game at Nevada. Clayton, who has thrown a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, dressed but did not practice on Tuesday as backup Mike Clausen took the snaps with the first team.

“There was a chance that something was broken in there,” Sanford said of Clayton’s shoulder. “He did not practice today because he was sore. He’ll practice tomorrow and he’ll practice Thursday. I would say it will be a game time decision on (whether he starts or not).”

Meanwhile, the big worry for the Rebels was off the field. Two defensive players from American Samoa — starting tackle Isaako Aaitui and end Daniel Mareko — have not been able to reach family members after a tsunami hit the island on Tuesday killing at least 39 people.

For further UNLV sports information, click on www.rebelnation.net

Omar Clayton is scheduled to have an MRI done today to access the damage on his right (throwing) shoulder and putting the status of UNLV’s starting quarterback in limbo for Saturday afternoon’s big Fremont Cannon battle at Nevada.

Clayton, who complained of soreness in the shoulder after UNLV’s 30-27 loss at Wyoming on Saturday, did not take part in the team’s short Sunday afternoon practice.He told the media after the game that he did not think the injury was serious.

Clayton had an X-ray done on the shoulder Sunday. There is some concern that he may have suffered some damage to his AC Joint so the MRI was order for today.

“We need to find out exactly what is wrong and if there is anything serious,” UNLV head coa ch Mike Sanford said.

Clayton said he suffered the injury shortly before tossing a 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfe early in the fourth quarter that gave UNLV a 27-20 lead. He was drilled on the play before that while attempting an incomplete fade pass to Phillip Payne and also three plays earlier when he connected with wide receiver Jerriman Robinson for a key third down 14-yard completion.

Sophomore Mike Clausen, who replaced Clayton on UNLV’s final series, would be the starter if Clayton can’t go.

Sanford said he expects co-starting safety Marquel Martin (concussion) to return to action play against the Wolf Pack but was still not sure if starting wide receiver Rodelin Anthony (second concussion this fall) would be cleared to go.

Also, backup defensive end Daniel Mareko will be sidelined for at least four weeks with a broken right arm.

For further coverage of Rebel football, check out www.RebelNation.Net.

UNLV held its final major scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. And after a slow start, junior quarterback Omar Clayton looked in mid-season form.

Clayton, who misfired on his first three attempts against the No. 2 defense, bounced back to complete seven of his next nine passes for 109 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfe. He also ran three times for 37 yards and was intercepted once.

The No. 1 defense stole the show, however, stopping the No. 2 offense on all six possessions and didn’t yield a first down.

“I think we have a chance to be a really good team football team,” head coach Mike Sanford said. “Are we ready to play a game tonight? No. I thought our No. 1 defense came out and did a really good job. Obviously, I think it shows we’ve made improvement on defense.”

Sanford wasn’t as happy with the No. 1 offense, however.

“I thought our No. 1 offense was too sloppy,” he said. “We had too many penalties. … I didn’t think the offense was as sharp as it had been or how I expect them to be.”

Among the stars of the scrimmage:

* Junior cornerback Mike Grant, playing on the No. 2 defense, cut in from of Phillip Payne in the flat for an interception of Clayton.

* Cornerback Quinton Pointer had a sack and an interception.

* Linebacker Jason Beauchamp and defensive tackle Malo Taumua each had a sack and three tackles.

* Linebacker Beau Orth had two tackles and several pressures on the quarterback.

* Wolfe had three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.

* The top special teams performer was senior Kyle Watson who excelled in both punting and placekicking. Watson was a perfect 7-of-7 on field goals including a 48 yarder.

* Junior tailback Channing Trotter had a one-yard touchdown run on a goal line drill and appears to be the favorite to win the starting tailback job. He carried five times for 17 yards.

The Rebels, who begin game preparation for their Sept. 5 opener against Sacramento State on Tuesday,  did not suffer any major injuries in the scrimmage.

All-MWC linebacker Jason Beauchamp (33) will also line up some plays at defensive end this season. (Photo by Steve Guiremand)

While growing up near San Diego, it was only natural that one of Jason Beauchamp’s idols would be Chargers linebacker Junior Seau.

“I watched him every Sunday,” Beauchamp, a first team all-Mountain West Conference linebacker, said. “We’d even go to his restaurant on Sundays and watch his games. … It was a great time to grow up and watch Junior Seau.”

This season the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Beauchamp, who led the MWC with 127 tackles as a junior, will get his chance to do his very best Junior Seau imitation. He’ll line up anywhere from several linebacker spots to both defensive end positions. You can also expect to see him moving around looking for a gap to shoot in his quest to sack the opposing quarterback.

It’s all part of Mike Sanford’s master plan to bring some pass-rushing punch to a defense that garnered a woeful 11 sacks a year ago.

Jason Beauchamp

“I would say Jason is going to be a little more of a hybrid guy this year,” Sanford said. “He is a linebacker and he’ll play linebacker but he’ll also play some defensive end. He’s going to play both positions. He’s a good pass rusher and we want to utilize that in some situations.”

Sanford, an assistant coach at USC when Seau played — current UNLV offensive line coach Gary Bernardi actually recruited Seau to Troy — said Beauchamp will utilized in many of the same ways of the future NFL Hall of Famer was.

“Obviously Junior Seau is going to be in the NFL Hall of Fame and was a tremendous player,” Sanford said. “But that’s the type of hybrid player that Jason has a chance to be for us.”

So what does Beauchamp think of his new responsibilities?

“It’s different,” he said. “I think the key for me is to just understand what the coaches are doing and believe in what they’re doing. If I do what they say, everything will happen as planned.

“I love linebacker. I’m a natural. It’s all I’ve played all my life. This is something new. I’m ready to learn. And this will show my versatility. It will challenge teams that we play. It will be one more thing they have to study up for. I don’t have the type of freedom that Junior had but I’m definitely going to put stress on some opposing tackles like Junior did. It’s a great opportunity. I’m blessed to be in this situation.”

Sanford believes Beauchamp has done a nice job in fall camp of learning his new responsibilities.

“He’s doing a really good job,” Sanford said. “Along with being better in the secondary in pass coverage, we’ve got to improve our pass rush this year. And Jason gives us an element of speed and quickness coming off the edge. And he’s a good pass rusher. It’s something we need.”

CAMP NOTES: UNLV held its final practice in full gear at Broadbent Park this morning. The team has one more workout in helmets and shorts tonight before busing back to Las Vegas on Thursday morning. The team returns to Rebel Park for practice on Friday night. …

Star of the final morning workout was junior corner Mike Grant who had an interception and twice stopped Phillip Payne on end zone routes. “A great day,” Sanford said. “He’s very competitive and doing a very good job. He’s getting better and better. He’s one of the reasons it’s harder to throw on our defense.” …

Tailback C.J. Cox (left hamstring) took part in the first 80 minutes of practice but had to shut it down when he began to start feeling some pain again. “Everything else was fine,” Cox said. “I was feeling pretty good. But then I was running an out route and I started to feel it a little bit. It was starting to get fatigued so I stopped.” Cox hopes to be able to return and take part in 75-percent of the drills in practice on Friday night. …

Kicker Ben Jaekle (back surgery) did some kickoffs for the first time this fall and reported no problems.

Junior tailback Channing Trotter, left, gets a block from Joe Hawley (59) during a run drill Tuesday at Broadbent Park in Ely. (Photo by Steve Guiremand)

ELY — Just one more day to go for two-a-day workouts for UNLV’s football team in this small, friendly and cool (as in weather) mountain town about four hours north of Las Vegas.

The Rebels have two more practices at Broadbent Park on Wednesday before heading back to campus on Thursday morning. Head coach Mike Sanford has called it his best camp here.

So which players have made the most of their nine days in Ely? I asked Sanford that question and, not surprisingly, the first name out of his mouth was junior tailback Channing Trotter.

With expected starter C.J. Cox sidelined the past two weeks with a nagging hamstring injury, the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Trotter has stepped up and been by far the top running back here in the race to replace Frank “The Tank” Summers.

Trotter may be a couple inches shorter and about 45 pounds lighter than Frank The Tank but he has shown an amazing ability to move the pile while also exhibiting the quickness to elude would-be tacklers. He also has good hands, an ability he displayed this morning during a one-on-one pass catching drill where he made two circus grabs.

Channing Trotter returns a punt as assistant Kris Cinkovich looks on. (Photo by Steve Guiremand).

“Keep doing that and we’re going to move you back to wide receiver Trotter,” wide receivers coach Kris Cinkovich joked.

No chance of that happening. Finding a replacement for Summers was offensive priority No. 1 for fall camp.

“I think camp is going great sir,” Trotter said. “I’ve been running with the one’s (first team offense) most of the time. In the live (tackling) situations I feel like I’ve made some plays, things that have set me apart to be the guy for the season

“Coaches have praised me and told me I’m doing all the little things right. I take pride in that and continue to work hard every single day.”

“He’s having a really, really good camp,” Sanford said.

Trotter attributes his ability to break tackles to his hard work in the weight room. He’s closing in on a 400-pound bench press (he also did 22 reps of 225 pounds) and squats 450 pounds.

“I take a lot of pride in what we do in the weight room and I try and transfer it over onto the field,” he said.

Whether Trotter is the starter for UNLV’s Sept. 5 opener with Sacramento State could will likely be determined in the next week.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Cox, who started a game last year as a true freshman and is the team’s top returning rusher (191 yards on 54 carries), will finally return to the practice field on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to take part in about 50 percent of the drills. If that all goes well, he’ll take part in 75 percent of the team’s practice on Friday night at Rebel Park and could be cleared to return to full workouts by the weekend.

“I’ve been sitting around for two weeks now,” Cox said. “I tried to come back too early a week ago and re-aggravated (his left hamstring) so I had to sit another week. I’m kind of excited right now. I’ve been running a lot the last couple of days, doing blocking drills, and it hasn’t hurt me. Right now we’re being a little cautious and hope I don’t pull it again.”

C.J. Cox watches a run drill Tuesday in Ely. (Photo by Steve Guiremand)

Cox, who entered fall camp as co-No. 1 at tailback with senior Chris Brogdon, suffered the injury during the first practice of fall camp.

“I hadn’t even taken a carry yet,” he said. “It was only about 30 minutes into practice and I was running a “go” route just by myself. Then I felt a pop twice in my hamstring. I just fell down. I couldn’t believe it because I had never pulled anything before in my life.”

Although he’s frustrated by not having been able to practice, Cox said he is happy to see Trotter excel in his absence.

“That’s one of my best friends on the team,” Cox said. “I love having competition between us. Even if he does excel more than I do, I’m always going to be up for him. If it’s a one-two punch this year, then that’s great too. That would be just how we are off the field.”

Sanford said he hopes to settle on his No. 1 tailback by the middle of next week.

Other players Sanford singled out for having strong camps here include quarterback Omar Clayton, offensive tackle Matt Murphy, wide receiver Rodelin Anthony, Brogdon, junior cornerback Mike Grant, senior defensive end Heivaha Mafi and junior defensive tackle Ramsey Feagai.

The 6-foot-2, 340-pound Feagai, who began fall camp battling freshman Sean Tesoro for a starting offensive guard spot before giving defensive line a shot, has been one of the biggest surprises of fall camp.

“I think he’ll play for us,” Sanford said. “Obviously Martin Tevasau (an NFL prospect) will start but he’ll play. And in certain situations, like short yardage and goal line, he’ll probably go in there with the first group. That move has been a very positive one for us.”

Defensive tackle Ramsey Feagai (65) has been one of the biggest surprises of fall camp in Ely. (Photo by Steve Guiremand)

ELY — UNLV held its first major scrimmage of fall camp this morning at Broadbent Park here. It was mostly done in a situational format (4th-and-goal at the one, three and nine-yard lines with the game on the line, four minute offense protecting a seven-point lead, two-point conversions, etc.). Still, for the hardy two dozen or so Rebel football fans who made the trip to watch (including newest Las Vegas Locomotives WR Casey Flair), there was plenty to be gained from watching.

Here is my good, bad and ugly from the morning’s action:

THE GOOD

* Wide receiver Phillip Payne: He was my unofficial offensive MVP. The 6-foot-3 sophomore from Western High School scored two touchdowns on his familiar fade route despite good coverage. He truly is amazing in the red zone. The defense knows it’s coming, he is well covered and he still finds a way to catch the ball. He reached over potential starting corner Warren Zeigler for one of the TDs even though Ziegler had his nose in his jersey.

* The secondary: Yes, you read that right. Junior safety Alex De Giacomo, who was wearing the coveted black jersey for his MVP play in Friday’s practice, and senior Ryan Tillman both came up with interceptions on starting quarterback Omar Clayton during goal-line drills. And sophomore safety Chris Jones from Shadow Ridge HS had the hit of the day when he laid out an unsuspecting Payne on a post pattern, drawing oohs and ahhs from his teammates. The good news is that Payne, who missed the final month of the 2008 season with a concussion, bounced up and didn’t miss a play.

* Linebackers not named Jason Beauchamp: Junior Ronnie Paulo, another Western High product, had a sack, another tackle for loss and recovered a fumble. Sophomores Nate Carter from Las Vegas High (sack) and Beau Orth (forced fumble) of Bishop Gorman also made big plays.

* Junior tailback Channing Trotter. Was easily the best running back in the scrimmage. I had him for 33 yards on five carries including a one-yard TD against the first team defense in a 4th-and-one drill. He also had a 14-yard run against the No. 1 defense.

* Defensive tackles Martin Tevaseu and Isaako Aaitui. Forget about trying to run up the middle on these big 300-plus pounders. The second team offense tried a handful of times and it wasn’t pretty.

THE BAD

* The second team offensive line: Keep your fingers crossed that the starting offensive line, which looks very good, can stay healthy because these is a big drop off after that. Freshman center Jason Heath struggled with his long snaps all morning and the rest of the line failed miserably when it came to trying to open holes for running backs. True freshman tailback Bradley Randle, who saw most of the carries with the No. 2 offense, finished with minus-15 yards on six carries and was lucky to get back to the line of scrimmage. Welcome to D-1 football Bradley.

* Clayton, who was not “live” all afternoon, had the two interceptions which was a major surprise. He made up for it however with the two TDs passes to Payne and another to Jerriman Robinson. He also hit Rodelin Anthony for a two-point conversion and did a nice job running the four-minute drill. No worries here.

THE UGLY

* Junior Brendon Lamers, a JC transfer who failed to beat out backup QB Dack Ishii last year, was easily the worst of the three punting prospects (PK Kyle Watson and left-footed walk-on Daniel Ayers are the others). He averaged about 10 to 15 yards less per boot than Watson and Ayers and also fumbled a snap.

* Senior wide receiver Renan Saint Preux had two dropped passes and compounded that by fumbling a handoff from backup QB Mike Clausen on a flanker reverse.

NOTES AND QUOTES

* No major injuries were suffered during the scrimmage. Wide receiver Ryan Wolfe, who has a sore knee, played just two series but is fine.

* Jones on his big hit on Payne: “In high school I played against Phil in a scrimmage. I’ve always wanted him to come inside but he never did because he was always catching balls over our corners. … I did what I had to do. That’s my job. … After I hit him the first thing that came to mind was “is he going to be okay?” We obviously want him to be healthy for the season.”

Said Payne: “It was a speed-post and the corner was behind me. I didn’t even see Chris coming. He made a good play. He popped me. … I didn’t really feel it but it was a good hit.”

“Obviously (Payne’s concussions last season) are a concern but it’s football,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said. “You’ve got to play.”

* Here’s one for the believe it or not file: Two scouts from the New England Patriots attended the first half of the scrimmage. They seemed to be focusing most of their attention on Beauchamp and Tevaseu.

* Sanford said that Jordan Barrett, the team’s top linebacker recruit last year who took wide receiver Marcus Sullivan’s spot on the roster when Sullivan failed to pass his high school math proficiency test, will play tight end this season. “In high school he played linebacker and tight end,” Sanford said. “We have a lot of depth at linebacker right now and we think the best opportunity to help this football team right away is at tight end. … He’s good with it.” Barrett, who originally was going to grayshirt, also will play on special teams.

ELY — My hotel room won’t be ready here for another hour or so. The good news is that thanks to modern technology I can jog down a few notes from this morning’s Rebel football practice at Broadbent Park here while sitting at a picnic table under the shade of a large oak tree while also enjoying the 75-degree weather and a nice cool breeze.

* The star of the morning practice was undoubtedly junior college cornerback Mike Grant, a fall enrollee from Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif.

JC transfer Mike Grant starred at corner on Friday morning.

Grant had several impressive pass breakups during various passing drills and also had an interception during an 11-on-11 passing drill, jumping in front of Jerriman Robinson on an out route for what would have been an easy pick six.  He and another junior college corner, Warren Ziegler, played on the first team defense most of the morning.

I asked UNLV head coach Mike Sanford if we would be seeing No. 25 (Grant) starting at corner on Sept. 5 against Sacramento State at Sam Boyd Stadium and he just chuckled.

“It’s too early (but) that’s kind of a deduction a lot of people have,” Sanford said. “It’s too early, though. We still have a lot of competition going on at that position. We have personnel groups. We have regular and we have nickel. He and Warren Zeigler were playing with the one’s in nickel and dime today but that’s an ongoing thing. We won’t make any of those decisions until guys are consistently people. You can’t have a bad day.”

After his impressive practice, several teammates joked that Grant should prepare for wearing a black jersey, emblematic as the top defensive performer in practice.

And if I were a betting man, I would put a small wager on Mr. Grant starting at corner for the Rebels this season. …

* Speaking of corners, junior Quinton Pointer, who gutted his way through most of last season with a bad elbow, also played well today at linebacker in the team’s dime package.

“He’s had some good days up here,” Sanford said.

* Ho hum. Remember “The Catch” that Western High product Phillip Payne had to help the Rebels upset Arizona State last year? Well Payne had another one-handed beauty today, reaching out to his left while falling backward with corner Kenny Brown closing in on him. And he made it look easy … again.

“He’s a very good player,” Sanford said of Payne. “The one thing we need him to become is to continue to improve and be an all down and all field player. He’s obviously very good when it comes to laying the ball up there and making a play in the end zone.”

* Quarterbacks were not “live” during a third down drill featuring the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense. And defensive end Malo Taumua wasn’t exactly too thrilled about that fact.

After safety Terrance Lee pulled up as a scrambling Omar Clayton ran out of bounds, a fired-up Taumua screamed at Lee: “Bleep that! Tackle his (butt)! That’s bull (fill in the blank)!”

“I’m sure Malo would like to see Omar stay healthy for the start of the season,” Sanford said.

Sanford added that he will make his quarterbacks live for at least part of Saturday morning’s big 10 a.m. scrimmage here.

“A portion they’ll be live,” he said. “Right now we just don’t know what portion it will be.”

* Congratulations to former Rebel wide receiver Casey Flair who announced on his Facebook page last night that he has signed a contract to play for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.

* It was just one pass-rushing drill but redshirt freshman offensive tackle Yusef Rodgers did a nice job of tying up all-MWC linebacker Jason Beauchamp.

B.J. Bell hopes to charge on to the Rebel football scene this fall.

Junior defensive end B.J. Bell is the third member of his family to put on the UNLV football uniform.

Oldest brother Zach was a linebacker for the Rebels under John Robinson in 2001-2004. And you might have heard of his other brother, Beau, who was the 2007 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year before heading off to the NFL to play for the Cleveland Browns.

B.J. bears a striking resemblance to Beau facially. However, at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, he is already about 25 pounds heavier than Beau. And unlike his two older brothers who played linebacker, he’s a pass rushing defensive end who garnered 10 sacks last year at Santa Ana (Calif.) College en route to first team J.C. Gridwire All-American honors. That’s one less sack than the entire UNLV team registered in 12 games a year ago.

B.J. Bell

“I think he has a tremendous future,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said. “He’s going to play for us this year. Every day he just has to learn what we’re doing a little bit better. He’s got a ton of ability and we’re excited about him.”

B.J. Bell, who initially received strong interest from Pac-10 schools but eventually picked the Rebels over offers from Kansas, San Diego State and Marshall, says he’s excited to add to the Bell football legacy at UNLV.

“It feels pretty cool,” he said. “I’m glad I can be a part of a legacy. I’ve got some big shoes to fill but I also play a different position than Beau and Zach played. I feel I can make a name for myself and not just live off my brothers’ names. I’ve just got to go out and play to the best of my abilities.”

B.J. Bell used to attend Rebel football camps when he was younger. At that time he wasn’t particularly interested in joining his siblings in wearing the Scarlet and Gray.

“I thought it was too hot,” he said with a smile. “I never really wanted to come. But now that I came here I’m having a great time. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

He said his older brothers didn’t push UNLV on him as hard as some might expect.

“Beau and Zach both wanted what was best for me,” he said. “They said they’d support me with whatever decision I made. I thought about how they both came here and liked it a lot so why not me?”

B.J. and his new Rebel teammates take part in their first practices in the small mountain town of Ely today. He was asked what kind of advice Beau gave him on surviving the next nine days up north.

“Beau said to just do everything full speed,” he said. “He warned me that it is going to be cold (lows in the low 40’s) in the morning. The difference is I love the cold so I don’t really mind that.”

Obviously B.J. Bell has a mind of his own. Now the question is can he make a name of his own in UNLV football lore?

Ryan Wolfe

UNLV senior wide receiver Ryan Wolfe was one of just three players from the Mountain West Conference to be selected to the Biletnikoff Award ’s “watch list” today.

The award, presented by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, recognizes the top wide receiver in college football. The winner will be announced as part of ESPN’s College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10th.

Wolfe, a two-time all-MWC pick, is already UNLV’s all-time leading receiver with 209 career receptions for 2,735 yards. He also holds the school mark for career 100-yard receiving games with 10.

BYU tight end Dennis Pitta and Colorado State wide receiver Rashaun Greer, a product of Mojave High in North Las Vegas, were the other players from the MWC to make the list.

Here’s the complete Watch List:

2009 BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST
Kris Adams, UTEP; Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State; Brandon Banks, Kansas State; Doug Beaumont, Louisville; Arrelious Benn, Illinois; Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas; Antonio Brown, Central Michigan; DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss; Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma; Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State; Tyron Carrier, Houston; Eric Decker, Minnesota; Jacoby Ford, Clemson; Cortez Gent, Florida Atlantic; Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati; AJ Green, Georgia; Rashaun Greer, Colorado State; D’Andre Goodwin, Washington; T.Y. Hilton, Florida International; Shay Hodge, Ole Miss; Jerrel Jernigan, Troy; Damaris Johnson, Tulsa; Julio Jones, Alabama; Brandon LaFell, LSU; Detron Lewis, Texas Tech; Kerry Meier, Kansas; Dennis Pitta, BYU; Taylor Price, Ohio; Aldrick Robinson, SMU; Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo; Greg Salas, Hawaii; Jordan Shipley, Texas; Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan; Golden Tate, Notre Dame; Damian Williams, USC; Stephen Williams, Toledo; RYAN WOLFE, UNLV.

Ben Jaekle finds himself mainly kicking a Nerf football from short distances in practice these days. But that’s quite an improvement considering what the junior from Bonanza High School was capable of doing earlier this summer.

Junior kicker Ben Jaekle had back surgery in June.

Jaekle, the Rebels’ long-distance field goal kicker and kickoff man last season, could barely get his foot off the ground a few months ago, much less swing his leg around and kick a football.

“I had a herniated disc off the sciatic nerve,” Jaekle said. “It started not too long after the end of spring practice. The pain was so bad that I couldn’t even bring my foot up more than maybe 10 degrees. I’d get a real bad shooting pain that would go down my leg. I was kind of hunched over when I walked. I couldn’t sleep at night and I couldn’t sit for more than 10 minutes at a time.

“It ruined my whole summer basically.”

Jaekle, who connected on a pair of 52-yard field goals last season, underwent back surgery on June 14th to repair the problem. He said he’s now at about 90 percent and hopes to be back doing his normal kicking routine by around Aug. 19th if he doesn’t experience any setbacks. He’s competing with senior Kyle Watson for the team’s placekicking and kickoff job.

“I had to miss all the summer workouts with the team which really sucked,” he said. “Right now I’m still getting about four treatments a day on my back. I’m extending my kicking distance by about five yards each time I kick. I started by kicking from the goal line (10 yards) and (Sunday night) I kicked some extra points. I’ll take (today) off and kick again on Tuesday.”

Both Jaekle and UNLV head coach Mike Sanford expect him to be ready to go by the team’s season opener on Sept. 5 against Sacramento State.

“We (kickers) don’t usually do a lot of stuff the first part of training camp anyway,” Jaekle said. “I think I should be ready to go in another week or two.”

Jaekle has connected on 7-of-15 field goals in his career and has been very effective as a kickoff man for the Rebels. He booted a 54-yard field goal in high school.

**

The Rebels will hold their first practice in full gear this morning from 8:45 to 11 a.m. at Rebel Park. The team leaves Tuesday morning to continue fall camp in Ely until Aug. 20.

Joe Hawley is all smiles after benching 455 pounds.

As a 260-pound freshman coming out of Esperanza High School in Yorba Linda, Calif., UNLV offensive guard Joe Hawley envisioned seeing his name one day on the team’s strength and conditioning record board in the Lied Athletic Complex.

Now he can look up and see it twice.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior guard broke not one but two major team weight-lifting marks last week.

Hawley broke his weight class (281 pounds and above) mark in the bench press with a lift of 455 pounds, five pounds more than the previous mark held by Ahmad Miller. He also did 33 reps of 225 pounds to set another team mark in the Pro Bench.

“My goal was to get on that board,” Hawley, a preseason second team all-Mountain West Conference pick by Phil Steele’s magazine, said. “I knew I could do it.”

Hawley was benching “only” 425 pounds at the end of spring practice in April.

Joe Hawley makes it on the board.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to get to 455 then,” he said. “Then I benched 437 the week before (post-summer conditioning ended). That’s when I told myself I was going to go for it.

“It was hard. It was heavy. I was real surprised I got it.”

Hawley broke the mark after first tying it with a lift of 450 pounds. John Grieco, the team’s highly-regarded strength and conditioning coach, then added two more 2 1/2-pound weights on the bar.

“I was the last one to go,” Hawley said. “Everybody was watching. That kind of helped me. Everybody was there supporting me.”

Hawley was more surprised by doing his 33 reps of 225 pounds in the Pro Bench.

“We don’t really train for that now,” he said. “I know that is a (NFL) Combine kind of thing, but it’s not a big focus for our football team. To not really train for it and do that many is really good. Hopefully I can do even more at the end of the season when I train for it.”

Hawley doesn’t own the overall team record in the bench. That mark is still owned by former walk-on fullback James Kraham (467 pounds), a power-lifter who never played for the Rebels. So Hawley’s mark is a school record for any player who actually has lettered.

Other school records included:

* Sophomore linebacker Matt Kravetz (6-1, 245) of Durango High School doing 28 reps of 225, best ever for someone in the 226-255 weight class.

* Junior safety Calvin Randleman (6-0, 195) doing 22 reps in the Pro Bench to break the team record in his (181-200) weight class.

* Freshman linebacker Robert Adell (5-9, 210) of Green Valley High School clearing 400 pounds to break the record in the 201-225 weight class.

MORNING PRACTICE NOTES:

* Head coach Mike Sanford couldn’t have been happier with the weather that greeted his Scarlet team (mainly first and third team players) this morning at Rebel Park. Temperatures were in the mid-80’s with a nice cool breeze. “The weather was great this morning,” Sanford said. It was even better in Ely where the Rebels will train for 10 days starting Tuesday. Morning temperatures were in the 60’s there.

* WR Marcus Sullivan may not learn the results of his high school math proficiency exam until Wednesday according to Sanford. He won’t be admitted to UNLV until he passes that test.

* DT Malo Taumua reported no problems with the right hand he broke in June moving furniture. In fact, there is a large bump of bone mass where the break has healed. “It’s kind of like a club,” Taumua joked. The junior defensive tackle said he was told by doctors that the break would probably have required surgery if he had come in at the time of injury. Taumua waited almost three weeks before seeking treatment and by that time the injury was already healing properly on its own.

* Redshirt freshman tight end Alex Young, expected to compete for playing time this season, quit the team after one day of practice. “He just said he was tired of playing football,” Sanford said. Young had helped lead Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic High School to three straight section titles and a three-year record of 37-3.

RB Bradley Randle listens to some instruction from running backs coach DeAndre Smith on Thursday morning at Rebel Park.

UNLV held its first fall practice for newcomers this morning at Rebel Park and as expected it was rather unremarkable.

Much of the time was spent on how to do certain drills with a lot of emphasis on hustling from one drill station to another.

Two key newcomers — wide receiver Marcus Sullivan of Cheyenne High School and defensive end B.J. Bell — did not practice.

Bell, the younger brother of 2007 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Beau Bell, had an 8 a.m. summer school class and instead will work out tonight with the veterans at 6 p.m.

Sullivan, the 2008-09 Review Journal Athlete of the Year who is expected to make an immediate impact at wide receiver and on special teams, still has not been officially admitted by UNLV. The school is still awaiting the results of his state of Nevada high school math proficiency test that he took on July 14th. He has already met minimum NCAA entrance requirements but must pass the exam (as do all Nevada high school seniors) to earn his high school diploma.

Sanford said it could be up to a week before the proficiency test results are learned.

“It’s out of our hands,” Sanford said. “We’re hoping it’s soon.”

Sanford said he was generally pleased with the first practice for the newcomers.

“We were careful to do a lot of instruction and not run them into the ground,” Sanford said. “We’ve had a bad experience in the past with not many guys out here and just getting excited and running guys into the ground. We were careful today but got a lot done.”

Sanford singled out junior college corner Michael Grant for his performance.

“Mike Grant stood out today,” Sanford said. “He was the one that stood out as one who could make a contribution.”

Some other practice notes:

* RB Bradley Randle’s father, ex-big leaguer Lenny Randle, was on hand filming his son’s first practice and held court with the media.

* Three newcomers who passed the “look” test: Randle (much thicker than I thought), DB Courtney Bridget and OL Thomas Kilgore.

* Former NFL defensive line star Leon Lett is a volunteer assistant working with the defensive line. Assistant head coach Andre Patterson coached Lett both with the Cowboys and Broncos.

* The veterans are scheduled to practice tonight from 6 p.m. to 8:05 p.m.

UNLV’s football players report this afternoon for the start of fall practice. Newcomers hit the Rebel Park practice field for the first time on Thursday morning at 7:40 with the veterans practicing for the first time that night at 6 p.m.

The team will be broken in up into two groups, Scarlet and Gray, with each group practicing once per day on Friday and Saturday. The first whole team practice is Sunday night at 6 p.m. while the first practice in full gear — to me the real start of fall practice — is Monday morning at 8:45. The Rebels leave the next day for Ely where they will practice until Aug. 20.

“We had a great off-season, the best since I’ve been here,” Mike Sanford, who begins his fifth season as head coach, said. “It was the best combination of attendance, hard work, attitude and leadership. It was a great summer.”

The Rebels, who were 5-7 in 2008, were picked fifth in the Mountain West Conference preseason media poll behind TCU, BYU, Utah and Air Force.

“Our expectations are very high,” Sanford said. “The mission statement for this program is to win the Mountain West Conference championship, be ranked in the Top 25, and to get into a bowl game. To me that’s the level of expectations that we have for ourselves.”

Here are three key areas that need to be addressed during fall camp if the Rebels, who open their season on Sept. 5 against Sacramento State at Sam Boyd Stadium, hope to make it to a bowl game for the first time since 2000:

1). The secondary. UNLV tied New Mexico with a conference-worst 24 touchdown passes allowed in 2008. Sanford hit this area hard in recruiting bringing in eight newcomers including three junior college corners in Warren Zeigler, Kenny Brown and Mike Grant and as well as JC safety Alex De Giacomo. All but Grant, who also is a talented return man, took part in spring practice and performed well.

2). Tailback. Replacing steady and hard-nosed Frank “The Tank” Summers, a fifth round pick of the Super Bowl champion Steelers, will be crucial to helping balance Sanford’s Shotgun Spread offensive attack. The Rebels have talent and experience at quarterback (Omar Clayton, Mike Clausen), wide receiver (Ryan Wolfe, Phillip Payne, Rodelin Anthony) and offensive line (Joe Hawley, Matt Murphy, Evan Marchal, John Gianninoto). So the missing piece entering fall camp will be trying to fill the big and powerful shoes of Summers. Five players — sophomore C.J. Cox, senior Chris Brogdon, junior Channing Trotter, redshirt freshman Imari Thompson and true freshman Bradley Randle — will compete for the starting spot. Look for the explosive Randle, the son of longtime Major League infielder Lenny Randle, to make a strong push for immediate playing time.

3). Punter. Longtime backup QB Dack Ishii was a pleasant and much-needed surprise at this spot a year ago after junior college transfer Brendon Lamers struggled out of the gate. Ishii, who averaged a solid 39.7 yards per punt including 16 inside the 20, has graduated leaving the job open again for Lamers (30.0 avg. on 4 punts in 2008), placekicker Kyle Watson and a pair of walk-ons.

Practices through Aug. 19 are open to the public in limited viewing areas.

To keep tabs on how things are going in practice, make sure to check out my updates at www.twitter.com/MrRebelNation.

Kori Babineaux, left, with older brother Brandon.

Brandon Babineaux is one of four talented freshman wide receivers who will be reporting to their first fall camp at UNLV next week. But the rangy 6-foot-3, 190-pounder from Folsom (Calif.) High School was busy playing cheerleader this past weekend.

That’s because his younger brother, Kori, was in town starring for the Nor-Cal Pharaohs in the Reebok Summer Championships basketball tournament.

Kori Babineaux is regarded as one of the top 75 prospects in the Class of 2011 after earning All Star honors at the prestigious Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia earlier this month, one of just 11 juniors-to-be to receive that honor.

Schools like Stanford, Cal, LSU and Oregon State are among those already heavily recruiting Kori Babineaux. Count UNLV, which had assistant coaches Mike Shepherd and Greg Grensing both on hand at the game I attended Saturday afternoon at Coronado High School, as also being in the mix.

Seems the Babineaux family took in UNLV’s impressive 79-62 victory over Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center last December during Brandon’s recruiting trip and came away very impressed with Lon Kruger’s program.

“My brother is always telling me fun facts about the basketball team … trying to persuade me (to attend UNLV),” Kori Babineaux said with a smile shortly after pumping in four second half 3-pointers in a 81-54 win over 707’s Finest. “It’s too early to say right now where I’m going to go to college but UNLV is definitely up there on my list.”

Kori Babineaux, who also plays wide receiver for the Folsom football team, is already 6-foot-3 and weighs 198 solid pounds. In the game I watched he appeared to be an excellent catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter with good basketball instincts, especially when it came to passing the ball. He’s also young (15-years-old) for a junior.

“He sees the floor really well,” Nor-Cal Pharaohs coach Jason Barton, who played college basketball at Chico State, said. “He’s a great point guard with the ability to score. He can get to the hole, is a great defender, is very long and has a great body. He can play point guard or two-guard, whatever we need. He’s also a good student and a great kid from a great family.”

Kori Babineaux said that the fact his brother Brandon is already a Rebel is a plus for UNLV when it comes to his recruiting. Another brother, Chase, is a wide receiver at American River College in Sacramento who also is eyeing UNLV, so it’s possible there could three Babineaux’s on campus one day.

“I’m hearing from a lot of Pac-10 schools basically but UNLV would definitely be great because I would be able to hang out with my brother some more,” Kori said. “UNLV would be a good fit. … I might be a Rebel in the future. (Brandon) going there probably helps out in that regard.”

Stay tuned.