Can ‘Vegas Vic’ bring star power to UNLV football defense?

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 | 2 a.m.

UNLV football has a star in junior quarterback Armani Rogers. He is one of the highest rated recruits in program history, the offense is built around his formidable skill set, and his teammates look to him to set the tone.

In the 2018 finale, it was Rogers who put the Rebels on his back and carried them to victory, totaling five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in a memorable comeback win over rival UNR.

On the first day of spring practice, Rogers exuded that broad-shouldered star power. He flashed a big smile and expressed his confidence that the offense will put plenty of points on the board in 2019.

Rogers could be right. He could be wrong. But what really matters is that his teammates completely believe in his ability to make it happen. That’s what star players do — they draw in their peers and lead from the front.

And that’s exactly what UNLV has lacked on the defensive side of the ball during Tony Sanchez’s tenure as head coach. Sure, the Rebels haven’t been overly talented on defense, but those issues were exacerbated by a lack of personality, a lack of identity — the absence of an “it” factor.

What the Rebels could really use is a Rogers type on defense. And they may have it in Vic Viramontes.

Viramontes is probably the highest-profile recruit of the Sanchez era — only Rogers can challenge him for that title — and he has the outsized personality to match. A 4-star linebacker who played at Riverside CC last year, Viramontes committed to UNLV in December and immediately endeared himself to Rebels fans by tweeting a photo of himself dressed as the “Vegas Vic” cowboy.

Viramontes carried that flashy persona onto the field for the first day of spring ball, where he lined up at middle linebacker with the first team and looked “really good,” according to Sanchez.

The middle (or Mike) linebacker is a position that carries leadership responsibilities, and Sanchez thought Viramontes fit in with his new teammates like a natural.

“He’s a confident dude,” Sanchez said. “He knows the game. He’s studied it. So to come on out and be as communicative as he was on Day 1 is kind of surprising since he hadn’t been out there before. But sitting there at that Mike spot and getting the defense lined up and talking the way he did, I was really impressed.”

An athletic specimen at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Viramontes recorded 66.0 tackles and 1.5 sacks in junior college last year, and he intercepted a pass. But more than stats, the Rebels are looking to him to galvanize a defense that showed flashes under first-year coordinator Tim Skipper last year, but ultimately allowed 37.2 points per game.

After one practice with the team, Viramontes thinks UNLV has the pieces in place to turn things around.

“I think we have a lot of talent on this defense,” Viramontes said. “We’ve got to start Day 1. We got Day 1 done, and we’ve just got to continue through all these practices, continue in the weight room tomorrow. But this defense has a lot of potential. Especially with this defensive staff here, they’re going to coach us up and they’re going to put us in the right spot to make plays.”

When asked how he can contribute, Viramontes said his leadership will extend off the field.

“A lot of energy,” he said. “I love to work out, so I’m going to be in the weight room pushing all the guys. And when we’re on the field we’re going to do what we’ve got to do.”

Can Viramontes live up to the hype? Even Sanchez seems to be buying in.

“He kind of created it,” Sanchez said. “He called himself Vegas Vic, right? So it’s like, you’d better put up now. He’s got that type of a personality. I think he’s going to be fun for [the media] to talk to. He’s like that all the time. He’s got a great energy.

“Heck, we’re expecting him to be as good as he says he is.”

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