7 Marc Philippi

Player Bio: UNLV: A hard-hitting defender who grew into a move to linebacker and is listed No. 2 at the WLB spot heading into fall ... Will wear UNLV's Battle Born Jersey No. 36 this season after spending his previous time in No. 7 ... No. 36 -- complete with a patch of the state flag on his back -- is worn by a Nevadan who best exemplifies the Battle Born spirit of his state, which was the 36th state to join the union, and the toughness and pride of Rebel Football ... Grew up around the Rebel program as his father served as the UNLV strength and conditioning coach from 1993-2005 and his uncle Rob worked in the athletic department and is currently an associate commissioner at Conference USA ... One of 18 UNLV football players who earned a spot on the 2013 Academic All-Mountain West team ... Made the UNLV Dean's Honor List in spring 2014.

2013: Earned his first letter as a Rebel by playing in all 13 games on defense and on special teams ... Named Co-Special Teams Player of the Year ... Totaled 12 tackles, including his first collegiate QB sack.

2012: Redshirted season ... A three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, which ranked him the No. 5 recruit overall from the state of Nevada ... One of three local signees in the 2012 class ... Chose UNLV over offers from New Mexico, Navy and Montana.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2012 graduate of national football powerhouse Bishop Gorman HS ... Started as a linebacker under coach Tony Sanchez ... Named first team all-state in 2010 and second team in 2011 ... Finished with 59 tackles, six sacks and 11 PBU as a senior and turned in 89 tackles and two interceptions as a junior ... Helped the Gaels win three consecutive state championships and compile a record of 43-3 from 2009-11 ... During his senior year, BGHS finished 15-1 and ranked fifth in the nation by USA TODAY.

PERSONAL: Marc Philippi is the son of Mark and Tracey Philippi ... The oldest of five children, he has a sister, McKayla and three brothers: Zachary, Jacque and Wynn ... His parents run PSI (Philippi Sports Institute), which is an elite performance training facility located in Las Vegas ... His mother was a multi-sport high school star and is a member of the Butte (MT) Sports Hall of Fame ... His father played football at Montana Tech and went on to coach there and on the high-school level before joining UNLV ... One of the world's top powerlifters, Mark Philippi competed in multiple Strongest Man competitions on ESPN, earning the title America's Strongest Man in 1997 ... Has three uncles that coach football, including Kevin Peoples, who is the defensive coordinator at UAB ... Majoring in business management.