Expectations high for versatile UNLV defender Gabe McCoy
When Zion Williamson snatched the basketball from the New York Knicks’ Kevin Knox and then threw down a thunderous dunk, Gabe McCoy couldn’t help himself.
He jumped up and down like the other fans at the Thomas & Mack Center who were there to see Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans on July 5, the first night of the NBA Summer League.
Except McCoy was wearing a yellow security shirt and was on duty.
“The kids were laughing at me,” McCoy said after Saturday’s UNLV football practice at Rebel Park. “It was fun.”
He made almost $1,000 for working 10 of the 11 days, including some 10- and 12-hour shifts. It didn’t feel like work for McCoy, who enjoyed keeping an eye on anyone who might think of running onto the court and another on the players trying to impress NBA coaches.
He has UNLV football coaches to further impress, and they know what McCoy (6 feet 2 inches, 220 pounds) brings to the team. He’s a defensive end/outside linebacker coming off a junior season in which he recorded 13½ tackles for loss that included four sacks.
“He’s a dynamic pass rusher,” coach Tony Sanchez said. “He’s a guy you want on the field all the time. When you get in that odd front, you don’t have to take him off the field. If you get in an even front, you don’t have to take him off the field. He’s a special guy because he can do a lot of things for us.”
McCoy, however, will not suit up for the Aug. 31 season opener against Southern Utah at Sam Boyd Stadium because Sanchez said he played “a couple of snaps” as a freshman, when he was redshirted. UNLV petitioned the NCAA to salvage the season of eligibility and, other than the opener, the request was approved.
Though not thrilled about sitting out a game, McCoy is being pragmatic.
“I’ve still got to help out no matter how I’m feeling,” said McCoy, who graduated in May with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and is pursuing a master’s in higher education. “I still have to be a leader on the team. I’ve still got to get the young guys ready. It’s part of the process.”
McCoy said he liked playing both defensive front positions, and he will be called on to be even more versatile. Defensive coordinator Tim Skipper didn’t want to give away any secrets, so no details on how McCoy might be used were provided.
“When you’re talking about depth and you don’t have it, you have to create it,” Skipper said. “How do you create it? You have to teach guys multiple spots. Usually, you want to start with the older guys doing that. So Gabe’s a guy who’s a leader and wants more. He’s a hard, hard worker, not just on the field but off the field. He’s always watching film, always asking questions, so we’ve been teaching him multiple spots.”
However the Rebels use McCoy, if he builds on his production from last season, it could lead to an opportunity to be taken in next year’s NFL draft in Las Vegas.
“The way he’s progressing and the type of person he is and the way that league works, they want guys that are hard working and they’re going to overachieve and have leadership skills,” Skipper said. “He definitely has a chance for that. I can see him being an immediate special teams guy.”
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Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
UNLV notebook
— Freshman defensive back Austin Fiaseu, who went to Liberty High School, is out for the season with a torn labrum. With UNLV having lost two other freshman defensive backs — Jeremiah Houston and Gamon Howard — to academics, the position has taken a hit in depth, but coach Tony Sanchez said he wasn't concerned because some players are versatile.
— About eight players are competing for spots in the rotation at wide receiver. "We'd like to be at a point where there's a true six- or seven-man rotation where we can keep guys fresh and keep their legs right," Sanchez said.
— UNLV practiced the first two days in helmets and shirts. The Rebels move into half pads Sunday and Monday morning and go into the full uniform Tuesday night in a practice at Sam Boyd Stadium.
