Aug. 3, 2007
LAS VEGAS - UNLV kicked off the 2007 football preseason with a practice for newcomers, which included scholarship freshmen and transfers who were not enrolled in the spring, along with new invited walk-ons.
The group of 22 players took part in the morning session and head coach Mike Sanford said it was a positive first effort.
"We are excited to get our newcomers out here this morning," Sanford said. "We feel really good about the group of players we brought in and it's great to finally see them wearing a UNLV uniform."
Sanford, who is running his third August camp in Las Vegas, said he was especiallty impressed with his first looks at freshmen defensive backs Shane Horton (Chatsworth, CA/Notre Dame HS) and Will Chandler (Los Angeles/Birmingham HS), as well as quarterback Mike Clausen (Riverside, CA/North HS) and offensive lineman Matt Murphy (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro HS).
The Rebel veterans will return to Rebel Park Friday evening for 22 five-minute scripted periods.
While the newcomers and vets will play together for the first time, the squad will be split into two on Saturday for day two of the acclimation process. The Scarlet goes in the morning from 8:45-10:45 a.m. while the Gray practices from 6-8 p.m. Practices this week are open to the public.
REBEL CAMP NOTES:
-EX-COUGAR COMES TO CAMP... UNLV picked up yet another transfer from the Pac-10 Conference with the arrival of former Washington State player Preston Brooks (6-2, 275). The big defensive end out of Los Angeles' Dorsey High School will sit out the 2007 season per NCAA transfer rules but then have three years of eligibility remaining. He originally signed with the Cougars after drawing interest from Arizona and Boise State.
-ANOTHER SEWARD IN THE SCARLET & GRAY... A player with a familar last name is part of a talented group of walk-ons who had their first practice with the team Friday. Mark Seward (6-0, 235) is a linebacker from Saddleback Junior College but he is also the younger brother of all-time UNLV tackler Adam Seward (433 from 2001-04), who now plays in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. The younger Seward graduated from Bonanza High School in Las Vegas and then accepted a scholarship to play at Nevada, Reno. After a couple years up north, Seward moved to the California JC and now has joined the Rebels. The legacy does not end there, however, as Mark's father, Tom Seward, was a member of the UNLV coaching staff from 1986-89.
-ZACH ATTACK... Zach Davis, a former standout athlete at Moapa Valley High School has joined the Rebels to compete this fall at punter and receiver. The versatile Davis was a first team all-state place-kicker for the Pirates in 2004 and then played at Arizona Western College.
