Third quarterback commits to Rebels

John Robinson won't be hurting for quarterbacks when fall practice starts in August after all.

The new UNLV head football coach, who took over a program with just one returning quarterback on scholarship in December, landed a verbal commitment from his third signal-caller in a two-week span when Matt Ray (6-3, 185) of Quincy (Calif.) High School picked the Rebels over Boise State.

Ray joins Jason Vaughn (6-4, 205) of Middle Georgia JC, who has already enrolled at UNLV and will take part in spring practice, and Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School's Ryan Hanson (6-2, 210), the Orange County Register's Offensive Player of the Year, on the Rebels' quarterback depth chart which also includes 1998 part-time starter Chris Hayward.

Two other UNLV recruits, Cheyenne High School's Lawrence Turner, the Sun's Offensive Player of the Year, and mid-year enrollee Toby Smeltzer of Cimarron-Memorial High School have also been promised shots at quarterback.

Ray was a four-sport star at Quincy, located about halfway between Reno and Chico off Highway 70 in northern California. He is a nephew of legendary NFL coach Bill Walsh, who called Robinson to recommend the mobile righthander.

Robinson also got a second recommendation from respected quarterback coach Bob Johnson, father of Buffalo Bills and former USC star Rob Johnson, who worked with Ray several times during his quarterback clinics in Mission Viejo, Calif.

"John really wanted a guy with good mobility and Matt has that," Johnson said. "I really liked his feet. He can move around back there. He's a down-the-line kind of guy. He's not going to come in there and start right away. But as he matures and gets stronger he'll help them. Between him and Ryan, who I saw play three times this year, John has two good freshman quarterbacks to work with."

Ray committed to Robinson during a home visit on Monday night, shortly after he scored 13 points (4-of-6 3-pointers) in a little over a quarter of action in Quincy's 74-29 basketball win over Greenville. Robinson also attended the game.

"I could have committed when I was down there (last weekend)," Ray said. "I had a great trip. The facilities were great. It's a program I think is on the rise. I'm not even thinking about 0-11 (which UNLV went in 1998). I was 10-1 last year. I'm proud to be a Rebel."

Ray's commitment likely signals the end of UNLV's quarterback recruiting this year. Arizona State transfer Chad Elliott, who also visited UNLV last week, has been urged to attend a junior college in Mississippi where he could play next fall rather than transferring in at mid-year here and having to sit out the required one year mandated by NCAA transfer rules.

Robinson is spending this week in California making a number of home visits with UNLV recruits.

Only a handful of players are scheduled to take recruiting trips to UNLV this weekend, topped by tight end Jeremy Johnson (6-5, 200) of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High School, called the No. 1 sleeper in California by recruiting expert Tom Lemming of Schaumberg, Ill.

Johnson, who is also one of the nation's top hurdlers, has played football for just one year but was a key member of a Poly squad that was rated as high as No. 2 in the nation by USA Today before losing to perennial prep powerhouse Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei in the CIF Southern Section Division I title game at Edison Field in Anaheim. He has already visited Washington State and has attracted strong recruiting interest from Fresno State and UTEP.

* RECRUITING NOTES: Miami landed perhaps the nation's top offensive line prospect in Vernon Casey (6-5, 315) of Miami Northwestern. ... Tennessee dealt new South Carolina coach Lou Holtz a big blow when the Vols snatched that state's premier prospect, defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth (6-6, 310) of Hartsville, S.C. ... Notre Dame beat out Ohio State and Georgia Tech for a verbal commitment from huge tight end Gary Godsey (6-8, 255) of Jesuit High in Tampa, Fla. ... USC landed one of the top prospects in northern California, linebacker Omar Nazel (6-4, 220) of Oakland Skyline. The Trojans also reconfirmed their commitment with the top JC linebacker in California, Marcus Steele (6-2, 230) of Long Beach City College. ... Florida landed the top WR/CB prospect in that state, Lito Sheppard (5-11, 185, 10.4 100 meters) from Jacksonville Raines. ... Michigan pi cked up two of the West Coast's top prospects, Los Angeles Westchester RB/CB Charles Drake (6-1, 180) and Glendale (Ariz.) Cactus defensive lineman Norman Boebert (6-5, 248).

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