University of Nevada Las Vegas

Football Athlete (2006-09)

Still the school’s and league’s all-time leader in receptions, Ryan Wolfe was just the third UNLV football player to be named First Team All-Conference three times in career. Not bad for a kid from Santa Clarita, California, who only received one scholarship offer coming out of Hart High School back in 2005. Wolfe even had to sit out a year, delaying his college career as a grayshirt under Rebel head coach Mike Sanford. The wait, as they say, was worth it. In his first UNLV game, Wolfe racked up a stunning 160 yards through the air, including a 71-yard touchdown catch and sprint, and the records immediately started to fall. His 176 yards vs. New Mexico still stand as the most by a Rebel rookie, and, after starting all 12 games he became the first freshman to lead the Mountain West in receiving yards with 911. Wolfe was named the league’s Freshman of the Year as well as First Team Freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America. He upped his game as a sophomore, catching 66 passes, including the first of three games with a career-high 11 grabs. As a junior in 2008, Wolfe tied the UNLV record with 88 receptions while becoming just the fifth Rebel to reach 1,000 yards in a season and posting a career-high six touchdowns. As a senior pursuing his master’s degree from the school in 2009, his 118 yards vs. New Mexico marked his school-record 12th 100-yard outing (since broken) as he joined two-time All-American safety Jamaal Brimmer and two-time All-American punter and quarterback Randall Cunningham as the only Rebel football players to thrice be named first team all-league. He was also one of just six players in Mountain West history to accomplish the feat. Despite missing his final collegiate game because of a foot injury, Wolfe finished 12th in college football history with 283 receptions while his 3,495 career yards remains the gold standard for the Rebel program.

WOLFE'S CAREER RECEIVING STATS
YEAR       GP-GS      REC       YDS         AVG         TD
2006         12-12          55           911            16.6            5
2007         12-10          66           784          11.9            2
2008         12-11           88           1,040       11.8            6
2009         11-10           74           760          10.3           2
TOTAL     47-43        283        3,495       12.3          15