Robinson sticks to Horton's promises

Spring semester classes begin today for UNLV students. And for four football recruits from the Las Vegas area, the thought of doing a little homework once again is something to look forward to.

Dion Jackson, Toby Smeltzer, Shane Lockhart and Joel Menendez signed letters of intent to attend UNLV last February. But the four local residents were all part of ex-coach Jeff Horton's 5 1/2-year program, which meant they had to wait until this spring to get their scholarship instead of last fall, like most recruits did.

When Horton was fired following the first 0-11 season in school history, the four were left to wonder whether new head coach John Robinson would honor those scholarship commitments.

A few days after Christmas, the quartet got the good news that Robinson would indeed stand by Horton's commitments.

"I was kind of worried about that a little bit," said Smeltzer, who quarterbacked Cimarron-Memorial to an 11-2 record as a senior. "All I could really do was wait and see what happened. Luckily, Coach Robinson was a good guy and decided to honor the commitments."

"Yeah, I was concerned," added Jackson, the Sunrise Division player of the year after leading Valley High to a division title in 1997.

"When the coaching change happened, you didn't know which coaches would stay or what they would do with the recruits. When I got the word that I was still getting a scholarship, it definitely eased my mind."

Menendez, a 6-3, 260-pound offensive lineman from Silverado, and Lockhart, a 6-4, 275-pound offensive lineman from Valley, also will start classes today as will a fifth mid-year freshman, defensive back Jamal Wynn (6-0, 185) of Sweetwater High in National City, Calif.

Jackson, who finished with more than 3,000 yards in total offense while quarterbacking the Vikings to the Sunrise Division title, said the layoff provided him with some much-needed time in the weight room.

"I gained a couple of pounds, but not as much as I wanted," said the 6-0, 160-pounder, who will probably end up playing wide receiver. "I had never lifted real seriously before. But I've added about 70 pounds to my bench press, so it was a big help there."

Still, Jackson, who also worked part-time as a counselor at the Doolittle Community Center, said he would have preferred to be playing at UNLV last fall.

"It was kind of boring just sitting around," he said. "I haven't played football in over a year and that's a long time. I'm looking forward to getting back on the field in the spring."

Smeltzer, who was recruited by Horton to play defensive back, said Robinson told him he'd get a shot at quarterback this spring despite his lack of height (5-10).

"I'm pretty excited about that," Smeltzer said.

"I wanted to at least have a chance at playing quarterback here and now I'll get it. Because we're short on quarterbacks, Coach Robinson said he'd let me play there at least this spring. If he feels I'm capable to still keep playing there in the future, he'll keep me there. If not, I'll probably get switched to safety.

"I'm really looking forward to the start of classes and spring practice. It seems like I've been waiting forever for this day. I'm not used to sitting around like this. I can't wait to get started."

One of Smeltzer's first jobs for the Rebels could be convincing his former Cimarron teammate, defensive line star Kawika Sagapolu, to join him at UNLV. Sagapolu is considering Oregon, Arizona State and BYU, besides the Rebels.

"He's one of my best friends," Smeltzer said. "He lives right around the corner from here. We work out all the time together. It would be great if he decided to attend UNLV, too."

* RECRUITING NOTES: Notre Dame, on the verge of one of the nation's top five recruiting classes, landed a commitment from the top player in Colorado, offensive lineman Neal Ambron (6-7, 280) of Littleton. ... UCLA, which had one of the nation's two best classes a year ago, added commitments from two of the top prospects on the West Coast, linebacker Marcus Reese (6-2, 215) of San Jose (Calif.) Oak Grove and cornerback Ricky Manning (5-8, 175) of Fresno (Calif.) Edison. The Bruins are also expected to beat out USC for a commitment from the West Coast's top tight end prospect, Mike Seidman (6-5, 240) of Westlake (Calif.) High School. ... USC landed Covina (Calif.) Charter Oak High School wide receiver Steve Stevenson (6-2, 200). ... The top prospect in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle Kennedy running back Paul Arnold (6-0, 200), is expected to pick Washington over Notre Dame. ... UCLA is battling Michigan for the top player in the Midwest, linebacker T.J. Duckett (6-3, 240) of Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Mi

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