Jan. 11, 2005
LAS VEGAS - UNLV football signed three junior college players during the early signing period, new head coach Mike Sanford announced Tuesday.
Signing national letters of intent and scheduled to enroll at UNLV later this month were quarterback Jarrod Jackson and defensive backs John Guice and E.J. Whitley.
All three will take part in spring practice and are expected to compete for starting spots with the Rebels this fall.
"I feel very good about the guys we signed early because we addressed some immediate needs," Sanford said. "We knew we needed to add a quarterback and a corner heading into spring and we got what we needed at those key positions."
Jackson and Guice both hail from Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., where they played for head coach Dave Jordan and helped the Griffins to an 11-1 record in 2004.
Jackson (6-1, 205) guided Grossmont to two Foothill Conference championships and passed for 4,671 yards and 36 touchdowns over two seasons after graduating from Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. Despite missing a significant portion of his senior season because of an ankle sprain, Jackson earned Second Team All-Foothill Conference honors as a sophomore.
"We watched a lot of tape and looked all over the country for the best mid-year JC quarterback and Jarrod Jackson emerged," Sanford said. "He is an athletic, accurate passer who is simply a winner. His team went undefeated his senior season of high school and then he rarely lost at Grossmont College."
Guice (5-9, 180) was a J.C. Grid-Wire First Team All-American selection last fall after posting 55 tackles and a league-leading seven interceptions that he returned for 160 yards in only nine games. A native of Georgia, Guice graduated from Creekside High School in Atlanta.
"John Guice is a high-character guy who is extremely quick," Sanford said. "We looked at a lot of JC corners and thought he was the top guy out there so we are excited he is joining us."
Whitley (5-9, 170) played at Victor Valley College in Victorville, Calif., under head coach Dave Hoover. The speedster also competed in track for the Rams as part of the Foothill Conference. The Texas native graduated from Del Valle High School, which is located outside of Austin.
"E.J. Whitley is another great cover guy with a good vertical jump who is going to help us immediately," Sanford said. "Schools such as North Carolina and Illinois were interested in him so we feel good that he chose UNLV."
