by Bruce Feldman

ESPN The Magazine.com

Even though its football program is better-known for turning out SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne and notorious rap mogul Suge Knight than it is for NFL standout Randall Cunningham, UNLV is poised to make a huge statement on the gridiron this fall. The Rebels, under John Robinson's eye, are also trying to mount a Heisman Trophy campaign for their latest star, Jason Thomas. Sound crazy? Not if you know anything about the 6'5", 235-pound junior QB.

UNLV figures to be a Top 25 team and Thomas will be Robinson's ringmaster. The former prep basketball star's right foot is finally healthy, which means anyone who marvelled at Thomas' athleticism last season hasn't really seen anything yet.

Thomas severely sprained the foot late in the first half of the Rebels' Oct. 14 game at Colorado State. He fought through the pain to help lead UNLV to its first bowl game since 1994, a 31-14 rout of Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl. The bad wheel notwithstanding, Thomas still ran for 599 yards and 11 TDs, while ranking second in the Mountain West and 15th nationally in pass efficiency with a 138.1 rating, completing 106 of 201 passes for 1,708 yards, 14 TDs against nine INTs. The tender foot also hampered Thomas' throwing mechanics too, since he struggled coming down on his follow through.

But the early returns out of Vegas have been impressive, and Robinson is planning on unleashing his strong-armed left-hander on defenses this fall. "It's just too much damn fun watching him," says Robinson.