Robinson begins revamping of Rebels' woeful defense

With his recruiting needs satisfied at quarterback and wide receiver, new UNLV head football coach John Robinson has turned his attention to filling the holes on a defense that ranked 110th out of 112 Division I teams last season.

The Rebels, who landed highly touted JC defensive end Karman Saulsberry (6-4, 260) of Northwest Mississippi Junior College a week ago, entertained two more heavily recruited JC defensive linemen over the weekend as well as arguably the top high school defender in Ventura County, Calif., this year.

George Heather (6-6, 285) of Alan Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, Calif., and defensive end Willie Sams (6-4 275) of Southwest Mississippi JC both are strongly considering UNLV as well as defensive end Kevin Mack (6-4, 225) of Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, Calif.

Heather reportedly may be leaning toward San Diego State over the Rebels, but Sams, who also has visited South Carolina, Houston and Rutgers, seemed to be leaning toward UNLV. Mack, meanwhile, will likely pick between the Rebels and Oregon.

"I'm very impressed," Sams said. "It's more than what I thought it would be here. I like what they're doing here. They have a new coach and a new attitude. They're trying to move this program up. I really like it here."

Sams was a junior college teammate of UNLV's prized junior college running back recruit, Jeremi Rudolph, at Southwest Mississippi JC. Like Rudolph, rated the No. 2 prospect in talent-rich Florida in 1994, Sams also prepped in the Sunshine State.

In fact, Sams played on two state 6-A title teams at Bradenton (Fla.) Southeast High School. The quarterback on that team was a fellow named Peter Warrick, who isn't doing too badly as a wide receiver at Florida State now.

Although the very broad-shouldered Sams said he was 6-4 and 275, he seemed to tower over UNLV's strength and conditioning coordinator Mark Philippi, a.k.a. the world's strongest man, while taking a tour of the Lied Athletic Complex.

Sams has one more recruiting trip planned to Southern Miss but said he may not take it.

"I want to get this over with," he said. "I've got 23 hours (credits) to pass (to get his Associate of Arts degree), so I need to make a decision soon and concentrate on my studies."

The Rebels are also hopeful that two highly publicized local products, defensive lineman Kawika Sagapolu (6-4, 285) and outside linebacker Arnold Parker (6-2, 210) of state 4-A champion Cimarron-Memorial High School, will also sign letters of intent on Feb. 3.

Sagapolu and Parker both visited BYU over the weekend and are also considering Oregon as well as the Rebels. Sagapolu also visited Arizona State while Parker took a trip to Utah.

"I hope to have a decision by the end of the week," Parker said. "It's tough. I've pretty much narrowed it down to two schools."

Which ones?

"You can guess, but I'm not going to tell you," Parker said with a laugh.

UNLV also reportedly is close to landing one of the nation's top JC cornerback prospects, Alvin Lee (5-9, 180) of Southwest Mississippi JC.

* RECRUITING NOTES: The top prospect in the Pacific Northwest, running back Paul Arnold (6-0, 200) of Seattle (Wash.) Kennedy, called Notre Dame coaches Sunday night to tell them he was eliminating the Fighting Irish because the school was "too far" from his home. Arnold has narrowed his choices to Washington and UCLA. ... The Irish lead for Charlotte (N.C.) quarterback C.J. Leak and also Spiro (Okla.) defensive back Chris Massey (6-1, 200), picked as the Midlands Defensive Player of the Year by talent scout Tom Lemming of Schaumburg, Ill. ... Long Beach (Calif.) Poly tight end Jeremy Johnson (6-5, 200), considered perhaps the top sleeper on the West Coast, is expected to visit UNLV this weekend along with teammate David Word (5-8, 170), a RB/CB. Johnson didn't play football as a junior when he was busy winning the Moore League titles in both the 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediates. Washington State has already offered Johnson a scholarship. "If he had played as a junior, he would have been recruited by a

ll the big schools," Poly coach Jerry Jaso said. "Somebody is going to get a steal."

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