TV show helped Sanchez put together first recruiting class at UNLV

By Taylor Bern

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 5:30 p.m.

For a high school coach making the leap straight to Division I college head coach, UNLV’s Tony Sanchez had a pretty recognizable face on the recruiting trail. He, and Rebels supporters, can thank ESPN and Snoop Dogg for that.

On Wednesday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center, Sanchez announced his first recruiting class on the first day of the national signing period, detailing the players who will fill all 22 of the Rebels’ available scholarships. Sanchez didn’t officially become UNLV’s coach until Dec. 16, when the Board of Regents unanimously approved the hire of the man who led Bishop Gorman High to six straight state titles, and the timing meant he and the new staff had a lot of ground to make up recruiting.

But something he contributed to while still leading the Gaels actually helped that process. Starting on Jan. 14, ESPN began airing a five-part miniseries called “Snoop & Son: A Dad’s Dream” that centered on Gaels receiver Cordell Broadus and his famous, football-loving father.

That might be the main focus, but featured prominently in the show is Sanchez, who was able to showcase some of his abilities as a coach and mentor without even having to step into a recruit’s living room.

“We were all over the place and everyone was tuned into TV on Wednesday nights. Everyone,” said assistant Cedric Cormier, the lone member of Bobby Hauck’s coaching staff who remained at UNLV. “You would be surprised how many people watched this show.”

One of the episodes features the Broaduses hanging out in Sanchez’s home with his wife, Tessie, making cookies so good that Snoop wanted to take them with him. It’s great exposure for any coach, but especially for one in a new position making a transition from high school to college head coach that only four other Division I coaches have done.

“It’s helped quite a bit,” Sanchez said from his office Monday. “Everyone’s brought it up. All the kids we’re recruiting and all the parents say, ‘Hey we DVR it, we watch it every week.’ I wish the episode was Tuesday night rather than Wednesday this week. It’s a great episode coming up Wednesday.”

Even without the extra benefit of tonight’s episode, Sanchez and his staff were able to put together a class (full list below) filled with kids from seven different states that 247sports.com's composite rankings placed sixth in the Mountain West, though still 108th overall. Some of the intriguing prospects include a pair of running backs from Texas — Xzaviar Campbell and Lexington Thomas — and Silverado High grad Justin Polu, who could make an immediate impact on the offensive line.

Cormier, who’s the receivers coach, has been one of UNLV’s best recruiters for years and as the staff started to come together he figured out some of the different ways to sell the program. Obviously, things like the minor upgrades to facilities already taking place as well as the bigger ones still coming help, but no matter where he was people not only wanted to talk about seeing Sanchez on the show, they told him how important it was to them.

“That was a big selling point for one of the receivers we ended up signing,” Cormier said, “the fact that his parents felt comfortable just by knowing coach Sanchez from TV.”

From his personality to the team’s new social media presence, including an Instagram shot of coaches out recruiting on a private jet, the excitement around the program is at a level not seen in a long time. If ever.

The recruiting class adds to that, although at this point it only looks good on paper. Sanchez was thrilled to have his first class wrapped up by 10 a.m. this morning and he knows how much having his face on ESPN several times helped with that. But now that this hurdle has been cleared, he closed this afternoon’s press conference with the next major challenge facing the program.

“Now we’ve got to go win a game,” Sanchez said.

Note: All players entering as freshmen unless otherwise noted.

NEVADA (3)

• Melvin Johnson, DL

6-foot-4, 250 pounds

Sanchez: “We need to get him going in the weight room, but we feel we got a diamond in the rough.”

• Justin Polu, OL

6-foot-4, 310 pounds

Sanchez: “Justin Polu is one of the top local recruits in the Class of 2015, and we’re proud that he chose to stay home and help us build UNLV into a consistent winner. He is a big, athletic player with a huge upside.”

• Zack Singer (SO, Kent State), DL

6-foor-3, 300 pounds

Sanchez: “Zack is going to be a great addition to the Rebel family. He’s a powerful, hard-nosed player who will bring a physical presence to our team.”

CALIFORNIA (8)

• Evan Austrie, DB

6-foot, 180 pounds

Sanchez: “The things we love about Evan Austrie are his length and his competitiveness.”

• Mark Finau (SO, LA Valley College), OLB

6-foot-3, 230 pounds

Sanchez: “He’ll be a defensive end for us and we need him to compete right away on our line.”

• Jericho Flowers, DB

5-foot-10, 170 pounds

Sanchez: “When you watch Jericho Flowers on film you see that he’s an explosive kid with play-making ability and has some attitude to him. I also think he has the best name on the whole roster.”

• Bailey Laolagi, LB

6-foot-1, 215 pounds

Sanchez: “We had no idea who we was on Thursday. … We found not a diamond in the rough but a player.”

• Gabe McCoy, DL

6-foot-2, 210 pounds

Sanchez: “Gabe McCoy kind of burst on the scene his senior year and ended up being North Coast Defensive Player of the Year after he had 17-and-a-half sacks.”

• Jay’Onn Myles (JR, Pierce College), CB

5-foot-8, 175 pounds

Sanchez: “He’s a colorful guy with a great personality. He had a lot of other options so we’re obviously pleased he decided to become a Rebel and we expect him to help us immediately.”

• Brandon Presley, WR

6-foot, 175 pounds

Sanchez: “He put up some amazing stats this past year. He was all over the field. We see him becoming a dynamic playmaker for us at the receiver position.”

• Javin White, DB

6-foot-3, 180 pounds

Sanchez: “He was looked at as a wide receiver by a lot of people, but we see him as more of a defensive back. He gives you that type of length and speed needed in the secondary.”

TEXAS (4)

• Xzaviar Campbell, RB

5-foot-11, 220 pounds

Sanchez: “He has the type of body that he can come in and add depth in the backfield immediately. We expect him to fight for time right away.”

• Darius Mouton, DB

5-foot-10, 170 pounds

Sanchez: “Darius Mouton could have been the most highly recruited kid on our entire roster right now. We got to know him toward the end of the process and he thought it was a great fit at UNLV, so we’re excited about him coming in and competing right away at the corner spot.”

• Lexington Thomas, RB

5-foot-9, 170 pounds

Sanchez: “He is the most explosive guy on this list and he is probably the fastest guy in the class.”

• Darren Woods Jr., WR

6-foot, 210 pounds

Sanchez: “He’s got the athleticism and physicality needed to compete right away and to also contribute on special teams.”

ARIZONA (2)

• Will Kreitler (JR, Scottsdale CC), OL

6-foot, 290 pounds

Sanchez: “Will Kreitler is a junior college All-American and when you watch him play, he is a nasty guy in there in the middle. We want every single one of our players to compete with the same kind of moxie that he does.”

• Dalton Sneed, QB

6-foot, 180 pounds

Sanchez: “Dalton Sneed was the one kid who was committed to UNLV when we got here and the more we watched his film and got to know him, the more we saw that there was no reason to change that.”

HAWAII (2)

• Soli Afalava, DB

6-foot-2, 200 pounds

Sanchez: “He’s a guy who may develop into an outside linebacker but we brought him in as a defensive back and think he will fight for playing time immediately.”

• Salanoa-Alo Wily, DL

6-foot, 290 pounds

Sanchez: “You watch Salanoa-Alo Wily on defense and you see how physical he plays. But then you watch him on offense running the football and it’s unbelievable how athletic and explosive he is. Obviously he’s not going to be a running back here but don’t be surprised to see him in the goal-line packages.”

WASHINGTON (2)

• Nathan Jacobson, OL

6-foot-5, 270 pounds

Sanchez: “He brings that grit and toughness that we’re looking for up front. Nathan is a big, talented guy who I think can compete early in his career.”

• Alex Neale, OL

6-foot-3, 290 pounds

Sanchez: “His team won the state championship this season. It’s obviously a great program with a great history. He also has the chance to win the state championship in wrestling as a heavyweight, which speaks to his toughness.”

ILLINOIS (1)

• Kurt Palandech (SO, Laney College), QB

6-foot-1, 190 pounds

Sanchez: “Kurt Palendach is originally from Illinois but graduated from the same JC that I did — Laney College. Laney produces some tough guys and he did a great job during his one year there and is a great addition to our quarterback group.”

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.