Arizona JC quarterback commits to UNLV

With Caleb Herring soon to depart and with questions still surrounding former starter Nick Sherry, UNLV has uncertainty regarding next season’s quarterback.

Now the Rebels have added competition as well.

Blake Decker, a quarterback at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, committed to the Rebels, and said he plans to sign this month. That will make Decker (6 feet 2 inches, 205 pounds) eligible to enroll in January and compete in spring practices.

“That’s huge,” Decker said of signing early. “It will allow me to grasp the offense and get to know the guys.”

Decker oversaw a spread offense at Scottsdale, which ran a pass-first attack. UNLV also operates out of the spread, but uses more read option and goes with a balanced look.

But because Decker comes from a spread offense, that should help him compete against Sherry, a more traditional dropback quarterback.

Herring made the spread effective under first-year offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach, leading the Rebels to a 7-5 record. Herring completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,522 yards and 22 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Behind Herring, the Rebels averaged 423.8 yards and 31.2 points per game, their highest yardage figure since 1981 and highest points average since 1980.

Decker completed 59.6 percent of his passes at Scottsdale for 4,020 yards and 44 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions. He easily posted the best numbers in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.

Decker said he was fired up about possibly leading UNLV’s offense, and among his competition will be Sherry, the starter in 2012 and for the first three games of this season before turnovers forced him out of the lineup.

Herring made the most of his opportunity in replacing Sherry, and Decker will get his chance to push for the starting job in a UNLV offense that, like Herring, probably better fits his skills.

“I’m excited about it,” Decker said. “I talked with Timm Rosenbach for a while. I’m impressed with how he goes about his business.”

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