New punter earns high marks from Robinson

Of the dozen or so new starters on UNLV's football team this year, true freshman Ryan McDonald will have the biggest shoes to fill.

Make that the biggest shoe to fill.

The 5-11, 170-pounder from Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City must replace the school's first-ever consensus and unanimous first team All-American, punter Joe Kristosik.

Kristosik was one of the few bright spots in an 0-11 season for the Rebels, averaging an NCAA-leading 46.2-yards per punt. It was the second highest average in NCAA history with a minimum of 75 attempts. The Bishop Gorman product had an amazing 27 punts that went 50 yards or longer and eight more that traveled 60 yards or longer.

Enter McDonald, who averaged just 37.8 yards on 56 punts as a senior but is a rare two-step punter better suited for pinning opponents inside the 20.

In his final prep game, McDonald had a 51-yard punt that went out at the one, a 53-yarder that bounced out at the six, and three other kicks that were downed inside the 20.

"I would have liked to have met (Kristosik) on my recruiting trip here," McDonald said Sunday at the Lied Athletic Complex. "Those are some big shoes to fill, but I think I'll be all right."

So does UNLV head coach John Robinson.

"The thing I liked most about Ryan is that he was so technically proficient," Robinson said. "He's not physically mature yet, but we really like his technique. He gets the ball off fast and, as he grows each year, I think his range will increase. I think he has a chance to develop into a really outstanding punter for us."

McDonald, who turned down a chance to walk on at Oklahoma State and to enroll at Army, developed a strong reputation at a number of prep punting camps across the nation. One of those camps, in fact, was held at North Texas University in Denton, Texas, where McDonald will make his college debut on Sept. 2.

"It's less than two hours from our house," McDonald said. "I've kicked in that stadium before, so I'm comfortable there. It's a new turf and a good stadium."

The following week, McDonald's family and friends will make the four-hour drive to Waco to see UNLV play Baylor.

"I'm lucky that we are playing those games so close to home," he said. "It'll be great for my family to see me play."

His family won't see the punting coach who helped to recruit McDonald to UNLV, however. Jeff Kearin left UNLV two weeks ago to become the head coach at Cal State Northridge.

"I'm happy for him because he got quite a bit better offer to leave," McDonald said. "I hadn't had a lot of interaction with him, but it was disappointing to see him leave. But I like Coach (Steve) Johns and I think everything will be fun."

* RUNNING BACK TRANSFER: Jabari Johnson, a 6-0, 220-pound running back who played at the University of Washington last season, has decided to transfer to UNLV.

Johnson, a product of Dobson High School in Mesa, Ariz., must redshirt this season but will provide some much-needed depth at running back in 2000. Because he redshirted as a freshman at Washington, he will have just two years of eligibility.

Johnson carried twice for minus four yards last season. With sophomore star Willie Hurst being joined by Las Vegas Sun Super 11 running back Paul Arnold this fall in Seattle, his chances for playing time were slim.

* THOMAS ARRIVES: Although he failed to get an NCAA eligibility release which would have allowed him to play this fall, USC quarterback transfer Jason Thomas was in an upbeat mood Sunday at the Lied Athletic Complex.

"I can accept this," he said of redshirting this season. "It's no big deal. I look at it as a positive. It's a year for everybody to learn the system and to get the ball rolling."

Although he dominated USC's bowl game practices at scout team quarterback last winter prior to the Trojans' stunning loss to TCU in the Sun Bowl, Thomas said the extra time off will also enable him to work on rehabbing an ankle injury he suffered his senior year at Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif.

"Right now it feels about 85 percent," Thomas said. "When I was playing and active it was about 95 precent. But once I stopped being so active, the scar tissue started to build up. I think the year off will give me a chance to get completely healthy again."

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