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UNLV could add as many as 32 newcomers with its incoming 2022 recruiting class, but head football coach Marcus Arroyo is in no hurry to get to that number.
On Wednesday, Arroyo announced the program’s 10 early signing day additions, and he was all about the quality of the class, not the quantity.
“We’re excited about this first wave group,” Arroyo said. “We still have about 15 to 20 spots and great momentum as we move into the second half of recruiting, and we’re going to be really picky with that. That’s something you’re going to hear me say a lot. I want us to be picky with who we bring inside our walls.”
Arroyo has good reason to be enthusiastic about this small but carefully curated group of recruits. UNLV received letters of intent from six high school prospects and four junior college players, and according to 247Sports, this class is currently ranked No. 1 among Mountain West teams in terms of per-player ratings.
Those team ratings will likely change between now and the February signing period, but Arroyo and his staff have clearly laid the foundation for another strong class. Quarterback Jayden Maiava of Liberty High School is the highest-rated quarterback to sign with UNLV since the turn of the century, and 3-star wide receiver Randy Masters is the program’s top recruit at receiver since the advent of recruiting rankings.
UNLV also inked two of the top juco players in the nation in linebacker Fred Thompkins and wide receiver Jeff Weimer, both of CC San Francisco. Thompkins recorded 55 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss and had offers from Washington State, Memphis and UCF, while Weimer caught 75 passes for 1,253 yards and 17 touchdowns. Both will have two years of eligibility remaining at UNLV.
Other highlights from signing day:
Arroyo holds on to coveted blocker
Signing day will test the nerves of even the steeliest coach, and UNLV found itself in a fretful situation when one of their strongest commits — Noah McKinney of Coronado — nevertheless decided to take an official visit to Syracuse over the weekend.
Arroyo was candid in telling the media that the timing of the visit had he and his staff on alert that they could lose McKinney.
“It’s a three-alarm fire,” Arroyo said.
The UNLV coaches stayed in contact with McKinney throughout the process and gave the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder enough leeway to assess his options, especially coming off a year in which recruits were not allowed to take visits due to the pandemic.
“That’s why relationships are so important,” Arroyo said. “You’ve got to be a little bit forward-thinking in that those [late trips] might happen for those reasons. He’s never been [on a visit] anywhere else, there’s been a pandemic, he’s never been anywhere else. He might just lean into that. And so you’ve got to be tactful in understanding that. You’ve got to have a deep enough relationship to support him if he does it. You’ve got to have a deep enough relationship not to lose your mind if he’s on the trip and he calls you, because that’s what happens, let alone come back and say he’s wavering or thinking about it or he really liked it. There’s a balance there with the relationship, communication, authenticity and the ability to communicate organically about that stuff that I think the experience of the staff played into.”
That’s not to say Arroyo was hands-off as McKinney pondered his collegiate fate. The coach and his assistants stayed vigilant and eventually secured the 3-star tackle.
“It can go either way in those moments and you’ve got to be careful,” he said. “But by no stretch of the imagination are we not plugging our three phones in and going to work all the way to the end.”
Maiava will be early enrollee
Arroyo had high praise for 3-star quarterback Jayden Maiava, who committed in September and then passed for 2,027 yards and 24 touchdowns at Liberty this season.
He compared the 6-foot-4 Hawaii native to current Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, whom he coached at Oregon, and hinted Maiava could have NFL-caliber physical ability.
“He has that talent,” Arroyo said. “He’s as talented as I’ve seen in a while with his arm talent. We’ll find out what he’s like in the classroom when we really get down and grind, but there’s a few players I saw throw like that and right now one of them is prepping for a Thursday night NFL game and a few of them are playing on Sundays.”
There should be an opportunity for Maiava to compete for the quarterback job immediately. Not only will the scarlet and gray enter the offseason with a muddled QB depth chart, but Maiava will be an early enrollee, giving him a chance to get his feet wet during spring practice.
More to come in February
UNLV could have signed 25 high-school recruits this year, and with the NCAA allotting seven additional scholarships to replace players lost via the transfer portal, this could still end up being an incoming class of more than 30 players. But Arroyo is content to welcome this modest group now and keep his powder dry while monitoring the portal over the next few months.
“Why such a small group early on?” Arroyo said. “I think with this super-senior deal, with the transfer portal, with the ability to recruit over a longer length of time, now you’re going to take your time and give yourself flexibility.”
Arroyo said taking on too many players during the early signing period could lead to inflexibility throughout the roster, such as if a current player decides to transfer out of the program. By having more scholarships available for February, Arroyo can fill late-developing holes.
“We’re going to give ourselves the flexibility,” Arroyo said. “Guys can leave at any time. You have to be ready. The world of free agency and pro football and roster management, it is all the way ramped up right now. Because at any time you could lose anybody, and it could be anybody that was ultra-productive for you and you better have a plan.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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