Dec. 21, 2005

LAS VEGAS - UNLV welcomed four new football players during the first day of the early signing period, second-year Rebel Head Coach Mike Sanford announced Wednesday.

Signing national letters of intent and scheduled to enroll at UNLV in January and compete in spring practice were linebackers Adrian Bradley and Bradley Niles, and defensive linemen Malo Taumua and Jeremy Geathers.

"We put a big emphasis on getting mid-year players and we feel great about this group," Sanford said. "They are all defensive guys because we needed some immediate help at linebacker and D-line and we are excited to fill those needs."

Taumua (6-2, 280) is the only member of the early class not coming from a junior college. A 2005 graduate of `Aiea High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Taumua sat out last season and will be a freshman next year.

"Malo Taumua is a really strong physical player that is a load to block," Sanford said. "He is a guy who just loves to play football and will be a really good interior tackle for us."

Niles (6-0, 240) hails from Gavilan College in Gilroy, Calif., and was named the Coast Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore for the Rams. "We needed an inside linebacker that is a big tough physical run guy who plays downhill and we got that in Bradley Niles. He will create a lot of competition at the linebacker spot this spring."

Bradley (5-11, 220) comes from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla. He led the Norsemen with 64 solo tackles while adding 66 assists and six sacks for a team that finished 9-3 last fall.

"Adrian Bradley is a very quick, hard-hitting outside linebacker and will be right in the mix to compete for a starting spot." Geathers (6-2, 250) spent just one season at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, and will have three years of eligibility remaining. The South Carolina native posted 7.5 quarterback sacks for the Grizzlies in 2005.

"Jeremy Geathers plays really fast and could be a great defender for us. We lost a lot of ends and this guy can come right in and compete to start."

UNLV FOOTBALL 2005 EARLY SIGNEESPLAYERPOS  HGT    WGT   2006    HOMETOWN        PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Adrian BradleyLB   5-11   220   JR-TR   Tulsa, OK       Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Jeremy GeathersDL   6-2    250   SO-TR   Georgetown, SC  Butler County CC
Bradley NilesLB   6-0    240   JR-TR   San Jose, CA    Gavilan College
Malo TaumuaDL   6-2    280   FR-HS   Honolulu, HI    `Aiea HS