Cheyenne High graduate Torrie Coleman has decided to transfer from UNLV after a redshirt season with the Rebels. Photo by John Gurzinski.

UNLV pulled off a recruiting coup in February 2005, finally convincing a local football player to stay in town rather than rush off elsewhere.

Torrie Coleman from Cheyenne High was more than just a local player, however. He was one of the top signees in coach Mike Sanford's first recruiting class, a running back with the potential to elevate the Rebels.

But Coleman knew he was taking a chance by staying in Las Vegas and being around friends and family, facing the possibility that his focus on football might be diverted. That was apparently the case, and Coleman said Monday he will transfer from UNLV.

"At first I thought I was choosing a school where I could be here and do it and be able to handle it," Coleman said. "Then I thought maybe I can't. I gave it a year. At the end of that time, I felt I needed to grow up.

"It's nothing against UNLV. It's nothing about playing time. I have too many distractions in Vegas. I've been here all my life. I feel I couldn't really reach my potential in Las Vegas."

Sanford was out of the country on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Coleman said he hasn't decided where he will transfer, but said Oregon State is a possibility. His original choice came down to UNLV and Oregon State, a school that has taken a lot of talent out of Las Vegas, including St. Louis Rams starting running back Steven Jackson.

Coleman was quite a catch for the Rebels. Rivals.com rated him the nation's No. 54 running back after he rushed for 2,100 yards as a senior.

However, a knee injury forced him to have arthroscopic surgery in November and sit out as a redshirt. Coleman said the knee is healed.

Even so, during UNLV spring practices, he and three other running backs were fighting for the No. 2 spot behind Erick Jackson. The backup role will be determined in training camp next month.

Coaches thought Coleman was too heavy, wanting him to lose about 20 pounds, and he said he has done so, trimming down to 207. Coleman blamed his weight gain on a lack of exercise while rehabilitating the knee.

Coleman said he's ready to fulfill the promise he brought to UNLV at his new school.

"I know my time will come," he said.

Nevertheless, leaving his hometown school wasn't easy. Coleman said UNLV's program is on the rise and he will root for the Rebels to do well.

"I was out running with the guys, and they're looking great," he said. "(Transferring) is kind of hard for me, but it's something that had to be done."