Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

UNLV football hires new running backs coach

UNLV Dominates Jackson State

L.E. Baskow

UNLV’s Xzavier Campbell (35) is praised for his score by head coach Tony Sanchez with teammate Lexington Thomas (3) near versus Jackson State at Sam Boyd Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016.

UNLV announced the hiring of Travis Burkett as the team's new running backs coach today, filling the role vacated when previous RB coach DeAndre Smith left abruptly for North Carolina last week.

Burkett joins the Rebels from Cornell, where he spent the last 10 years serving in a variety of roles. Last season was his fourth as the team's assistant head coach and first as the secondary coach. He had previously been the Big Red's running backs coach, and from 2008-12 he was the special teams coordinator.

When Burkett was Cornell's running backs coach in 2007, the Big Red rushed for 4.2 yards per carry as a team.

It's an important hire for the Rebels, as the UNLV offense is driven by a powerful rushing attack that averaged 241.5 yards per game in 2016 (15th in the country). Top rushers Charles Williams, Lexington Thomas and Xzaviar Campbell return this season.

Burkett is also a noted recruiter with ties on the West Coast. A native of San Luis Obispo, Burkett graduated from St. Mary's in 2002, and during his time at Cornell, his recruiting areas included California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Utah.

UNLV was left with an opening when Smith left to become North Carolina's running backs coach after just three months on the job. Smith joined the Rebels from Purdue shortly after the end of the 2016 season.

Spring practice opens on Wednesday.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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