March 16, 2015
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - It was a big day on campus Monday as it marked the UNLV football team's first official practice under the direction of new head coach Tony Sanchez. The weather was perfect, the crowd was large and the enthusiasm was evident all around Rebel Park.
Sanchez, who turned 41 in January, was named the 11th head coach in UNLV history back in December and today became just the fourth man to directly move from the high school level to leading the spring practice of an FBS program. You could tell it was a milestone moment for the reigning national high school coach of the year.
"You talk about a dream come true and the American dream," Sanchez said. "You show up the first day on the field making the transition from high school to college and I couldn't be more excited and proud and appreciative of all of the people who helped in getting us to this point.
"Running through those gates today was a huge, huge accomplishment in my life and for all the people who helped me get here."
DAY ONE DONE
After running a two-hour-plus first session, Sanchez met with the media to assess how the first day went in the eyes of the man now charged with building the UNLV program.
"The guys did a really good job of adjusting to the tempo ... moving around, flying around, transitioning from drill to drill. There were a lot of mistakes made, obviously -- a lot of paralysis by analysis -- but the attitude was great, a lot of individual plays were being made out there and I think overall I'd probably give it a B-minus. It wasn't a terrible day but it certainly wasn't going to be our best day. I liked the way our kids worked and the attitude they brought to the field."
Sanchez said with an almost entirely new staff now teaching new schemes and techniques, it's going to be all about the basics for the Rebels - for now.
"This is not our second or third spring, we are really starting from scratch. It's one thing being in a classroom setting and watching film and talking about it but it's another to be out here, full-speed fighting for jobs. It's about getting the players to be comfortable with the system, getting the bones in offensively and defensively, lining up right in these first two weeks so that we can come back after spring break and really start installing more and getting the competition going.
"We have an insertion schedule that we want to follow. We don't want to be a jack of all trades and the master of none. We still have a summer, we still have another camp before the season, so we don't want to rush it. We really want to work on the details. We'll get there. The kids are sharp and we have a great, veteran coaching staff. They've done it before in turnaround programs. This is nothing new. The great thing about this staff is that the passion and drive to get this going is there but we aren't going to rush it. We're going to take the time in the process."
THE GUYS IN THE YELLOW JERSEYS
UNLV opened camp with only three quarterbacks, but it is wide-ranging trio of scholarship players wearing the yellow signal-caller jerseys: senior returning starter Blake Decker, redshirt freshman Kevin Thomson and midyear junior-college signee Kurt Palandech. Only Decker, who threw for 2,866 yards for the Rebels last fall, has seen D-I action but Sanchez said all three are in the race to be under center in the season opener at Northern Illinois Sept. 5.
"We created a three-man rotation and they went five snaps with each of those rotations," Sanchez said. "We want to make sure they all get equal reps with the ones and the twos. That's not just the quarterbacks but really all of the offensive positions. We want to create a culture of competition around here."
Asked by a reporter after practice how long the staff projects the quarterback competition to last, Sanchez said that the issue is TBD.
"As soon as the cream rises to the top and a guy shows he needs to be your No. 1, we'll make that decision. Whenever that happens is when we'll do it. I'm not afraid to make a decision. When the right guy steps up, he'll be that guy."
SPRING SLATE
UNLV is scheduled to work out for approximately two hours, four days a week (except one) with 4 p.m. practices on Mondays and Wednesdays, 1 p.m. kickoffs on Fridays and 9 a.m. starts on a pair of Saturdays. The squad will take off for spring break during the week of March 30-April 3.
All practices are open to the public but viewing areas are restricted and no use of mobile communication devices will be allowed while at Rebel Park. Please note that times are subject to change.
The public is invited to attend the FREE family-friendly Spring Showcase, which moves to a Saturday this year and will kick off at 12 p.m. The event will again be held on campus at UNLV's soccer complex at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
The Showcase on April 18 will be preceded by the popular biennial UNLV Athletics Inventory Clearance Sale staged inside the McDermott PE Complex's North Gym. Brands available include Nike, Russell and Adidas for official men's and women's team apparel such as game uniforms, jerseys, warm-ups, coaching shirts and athletic shoes as well as other memorabilia. The unique sale will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cash and major credit cards will be accepted and all proceeds benefit the UNLV Athletics Department.
UNLV 2015 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE -- OPEN TO THE PUBLICPLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
March 18 Wednesday Practice 2 No Pads 4:00-6:00 pmMarch 20 Friday Practice 3 Shells 1:00-3:00 pmMarch 21 Saturday Practice 4 Pads 9:00-11:00 amMarch 23 Monday Practice 5 Pads 4:00-6:00 pmMarch 25 Wednesday Practice 6 Pads 4:00-6:00 pmMarch 27 Friday Practice 7 Pads 1:00-3:00 pmMar 30-Apr 3 Spring Break No PracticesApril 6 Monday Practice 8 Shells 4:00-6:00 pmApril 8 Wednesday Practice 9 Pads 4:00-6:00 pmApril 10 Friday Practice 10 Pads 1:00-3:00 pmApril 11 Saturday Practice 11 Pads 9:00-11:00 amApril 13 Monday Practice 12 Shells 4:00-6:00 pmApril 15 Wednesday Practice 13 Pads 4:00-6:00 pmApril 17 Friday Practice 14 No Pads 1:00-3:00 pmApril 18 Saturday Practice 15 SPRING SHOWCASE 12:00-1:30 pm on campus
