Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

recruiting:

UNLV football lands commitments from Gorman linemen prospects

New Rebels coach Sanchez offering scholarships to Southern Nevada’s top high school players

Garcia

Twitter photo

Bishop Gorman High linemen Julio Garcia II and Jaron Caldwell take a photo in UNLV jerseys during an unofficial visit to campus Feb. 28, 2015. Both 2016 prospects committed.

When Bishop Gorman HIgh’s Julio Garcia II picked up his first football scholarship offer last week, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman felt like committing on the spot.

Hometown UNLV was the school he wanted to attend, and more important, has the coach he admires.

Gorman teammate, lineman Jaron Caldwell, clearly felt the same.

They each verbally committed to UNLV and former Gorman coach Tony Sanchez this afternoon to give the Rebels their initial two commitments for the class of 2016.

“It doesn’t matter (if other schools offer),” Garcia said last week. “I like UNLV. That’s the place for me.”

Sanchez, who was hired last December at UNLV after leading Gorman to six straight state championships, has made good on his promise to recruit local products. He’s offered scholarships to the area’s top 2016 prospects — linemen Keenan King of Arbor View and the Desert Pines duo of Anthony Smith and Samuel Poutasi, and Gorman linebacker Ikem Okeke. He’s also offered two from the class of 2017 in defensive line prospect Greg Rogers of Centennial and offensive lineman Poutasi Poutasi of Desert Pines.

Sanchez’s 2015 recruiting class included just two locals — Justin Polu of Silverado and Melvin Johnson of Canyon Springs — and he missed out of the lone Gorman player he offered.

That trend will clearly change in 2016, potentially opening the door for more recruits from mythical national champion Gorman to find their way to UNLV.

Garcia, who was sporting a UNLV hat at last night’s state championship basketball game, will surely help recruiting others. He’s one of Gorman’s most respected players for the class of 2016.

“He’s not 6-6, 290. He got there because of working hard, grinding and doing the right things,” said Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez, the brother of Tony Sanchez.

Garcia was rated in February as Nevada’s 47th overall prospect for the class of 2016 by Rivals.com. The evaluating site didn’t even issue him a star grade in its ranking system, overlooking a player who could be one of Nevada’s top prospects for 2016.

King, Smith and Sam Poutasi will receive offers from multiple major conference schools before the recruiting process is all said and done, but Garcia showed last weekend he also needs to be part of the conversation.

During the Rivals Camp Series last weekend, Garcia dominated defensive line prospects with major offers from other states, catching the eyes of evaluators to be named the camp’s MVP for linemen. It’s an invitation-only event for 250 of the region’s top players.

“That made me kind of mad,” Garcia said of the ranking. “How am I ranked lower than these guys when I am playing better competition and beating better competition?”

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Caldwell stared every game for Gorman last season. With offensive line one of UNLV’s needs in recruiting, both will have the chance to compete for playing time early in their careers.

If they have success, more from Gorman could follow.

“The (offer) meant a lot to me because it is coach Sanchez,” Garcia said. “I’m pretty sure he will turn the program around.”

Verbal commitments are nonbinding until national signing day in February 2016, meaning both prospects can still be recruited by other schools.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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