Finale slows Hauck’s recruiting

UNLV coach Bobby Hauck was asked Monday what positives could he take from playing at Hawaii this week, and he was momentarily speechless.

"I can't come up with one for you," Hauck said. "We've got to come back right after the game. It's finals week. We've got to get into recruiting. There's not a lot positive to play them on Dec. 4."

Not when Hauck would rather spend his time trying to convince 17-year-old high school seniors to play football for the Rebels.

Instead, he will be on the sideline at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium when UNLV (2-10) ends its season against No. 25 Hawaii (9-3) in a 7:30 p.m. PST game Saturday, a trip that prevents Hauck from hosting as many as 12 recruits this weekend.

"The other thing that it cost us this week is being in kids' homes," he said. "Right now, we'd be in high schools, as we speak. So it's the face time with guys that's probably costing us rather than the recruiting weekend."

Hauck won't call this upcoming recruiting class any more critical than his first with the Rebels, but it will be his first with a year to put it together. His initial class was assembled after he was hired in late December.

UNLV is the only Mountain West Conference team playing this weekend.

"The window seems to get shorter and shorter in terms of evaluation time and contact time, and there are three weeks of contact before Christmas, which is when a lot of (prospects) are making their decisions," Hauck said.

"So next week we'll have to hit the ground running and be ready to roll. We're organized and we'll make (time) up. ... We don't want to get pushed too late because sometimes those (recruiting) battles are over before you get into the fight."

One recruiting advantage in going to Hawaii is the opportunity to play before Hawaiian prospects. UNLV has long had a pipeline to the islands, and many Hawaii transplants live in Las Vegas.

"We have had good experience in the past with kids from Hawaii," Hauck said. "So we'll go over there and evaluate, and we've actually got offers out to some kids from Hawaii. Hopefully it will be productive."

■ NOTE -- Freshman Marcus Sullivan, a Cheyenne High School graduate, was named Mountain West co-special teams player of the week. He averaged 37.3 yards on six kickoffs in Saturday's 48-14 loss at San Diego State.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.