UNLV injuries create openings

UNLV’s spring football practices might be notable for who’s not available, but their absences also make these drills even more important for the Rebels.

With five starters recovering from offseason surgeries, Rebels coaches will get a closer look at other players.

UNLV opens practices at 3:45 p.m. today at Rebel Park. The team will practice three days a week, taking a week off for spring break at the end of the month, until the spring game April 12. All practices are open to the public.

Senior running back Tim Cornett (arm) is the most prominent player who will sit, and coach Bobby Hauck said he would have limited Cornett’s carries even if he were healthy. Hauck already knows what he’s getting from Cornett, who ran for 1,232 yards and seven touchdowns last season and should be ready when training camp opens in August.

Hauck isn’t so certain what he will get from junior Adonis Smith, a Northwestern transfer who has shown promise in practice. Smith becomes even more valuable with Bradley Randle having declared early for the NFL Draft.

Hauck said others also will try to catch coaches’ eyes at what probably is the Rebels’ strongest position.

“We’ll have a bunch of walk-on kids at running back that are trying to play their way onto the team,” Hauck said. “That will be a great opportunity for them to show what they’ve got. I think we have a pretty solid group of running backs coming in the fall, so I feel comfortable with that, certainly.”

Also out this spring are junior wide receiver Devante Davis (leg), senior defensive lineman Parker Holloway (arm), and junior offensive linemen Brett Boyko (leg) and Robert Waterman (arm). Like Cornett, all are expected to be healthy in time for next season.

Davis led the team in receiving last season with 61 catches for 854 yards and four touchdowns.

With Davis sidelined, junior college midyear signee Jack Killian should get extra time during the spring. Killian might be the deep threat the Rebels have been searching for, catching 55 passes for 992 yards and 14 touchdowns last season at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif.

UNLV also hopes to improve depth on both lines, so younger players will receive extra repetitions. JC midyear signees Pingi Moli and Sieua Vaesau also will receive the chance to make a strong impact on the defensive line.

Hauck, though, hopes to create competition throughout the lineup, including at quarterback, where sophomore Nick Sherry returns. Sherry passed for 2,544 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, but also threw 17 interceptions.

His promising play prompted former starting quarterback Caleb Herring to mostly play wide receiver. Now the senior will be a full-time receiver.

That creates an opening for redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Hawthorne, who impressed coaches for his scout-team play.

“I think he’s a talented kid,” Hauck said. “I think he’s got a lot of the intangibles you’re looking for in your quarterback. I think that will be really interesting to see that competition.”

Hauck, of course, also hopes for a more competitive team overall.

The Rebels went 2-11 last season, the third year in a row they finished with two victories. Now as he heads into his fourth season, Hauck oversees a team made up almost entirely of his recruits.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I think we have a chance to be pretty solid.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.