Three seasons in, Hauck’s first UNLV recruiting class has mixed results

The temptation always is to judge a recruiting class immediately, relying on various ratings to determine a football coach's ability to woo and evaluate talent.

The truth is it takes about three years to decide the merits of any class.

And it's been three years since UNLV coach Bobby Hauck's first class, which was considered promising considering his late start after being hired two days before Christmas.

It's an assessment that generally holds up.

"It looks like 19 guys committed on Jan. 10 or after," said Brandon Huffman, national recruiting analyst for Fox Sports/Scout.com. "You look at the group of guys they had. Ian Bobak had other offers. Taylor Spencer had other offers. They were able to get guys from established programs and with coaching staffs in place."

Running back Tim Cornett, who rushed for 1,232 yards and seven touchdowns this season, highlights the class. Other standouts include first-team All-Mountain West kicker Nolan Kohorst and offensive lineman Cameron Jefferson, who started every game this year.

Several other notable players also were part of that first class.

As with most classes, UNLV had its share of misses, with several players making a minimal impact.

Some recruits are no longer on the roster. Wide receiver Kurt Davis transferred to Montana State, and defensive lineman Kjelby Oiland left for Montana. A medical issue ended the promising career of defensive end Bobak, and a family matter halted running back Dionza Bradford's strong start.

UNLV's 6-32 mark under Hauck suggests the recruiting efforts haven't gone well, but Huffman said basing such a judgment strictly on a coach's record isn't always fair.

He said Hauck has recruited well, but other factors affect how seasons play out, including the quality of coaching players receive when they arrive.

As an example, Huffman pointed to UCLA going 9-4 this season under first-year coach Jim Mora, who replaced Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins were 21-29 in four seasons under Neuheisel.

"Jim Mora did a way better job than Neuheisel, but a majority of players are Neuheisel guys," Huffman said. "Neuheisel did a really good job recruiting, but a horrible job of coaching."

As for UNLV's current class, Scout.com lists five players as commitments.

Two are locals - wide receiver Devonte Boyd (6 feet 2 inches, 170 pounds) of Basic High School and running back Niko Kapeli (5-11, 195) of Liberty High.

Boyd is one of three wide receivers. The others are Jack Killian (6-0, 195) of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., and Jonathan Swindell (6-3, 195) of Downey (Calif.) High.

The other listed commitment is defensive end Efrem Clark (6-3, 265) of Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.

Huffman noted it's a small number of commitments at this point, but Hauck usually builds the class slowly. He likes to save some spots for a strong finish, when some recruits are caught in a numbers game at more big-time schools.

"UNLV is in the catbird seat if a player is squeezed out because he overplayed his hand," Huffman said.

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